KarunaNews Story

In a valley renowned for world-class ski resorts, four buses host 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds for bilingual preschool learning, showing improved school readiness and significant developmental progress. The El Busesito “little bus” preschool is run by Valley Settlement, which serves Latino immigrant families in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. Conversations with more than 250 of the area’s immigrant families showed a need for early education for their children. “Year after year, I heard from parents who participated in Valley Settlement programs that they valued the connectedness, how it helped them integrate into U.S. society and understand U.S. schools,” says Rob Stein, retired superintendent of the Roaring Fork School District.