We don’t wait for transportation to be fixed.

We help students get to school — and stay in school — right now.

Our approach is simple and effective:

1. Transportation Support When Students Need It Most

When a student has no safe or reliable way to get to school, we step in.

We help remove the #1 barrier to attendance by providing transportation support that keeps students connected to learning, mentors, and stability.

2. Daily In‑School Mentoring

Once students arrive, they are greeted by a consistent, caring mentor who helps them stay engaged, focused, and supported throughout the day.

3. Academic Tutoring That Keeps Students From Falling Behind

Absenteeism leads to academic decline.

Our tutors help students catch up, rebuild confidence, and stay on track.

4. A Reason for Hope

Students who feel seen, supported, and believed in are far more likely to show up — not just physically, but emotionally and academically.

🚫 2. RTA Passes Are Banned

High school students can no longer receive RTA passes, leaving many stranded and unable to reach school.

This has caused:

• Increased tardiness

• Spiking absenteeism

• Added stress on families

• More unsupervised youth downtown and at the library hub

⚖️ 3. A Legal Battle With the State of Ohio

Dayton is the only district in Ohio facing a transportation restriction this extreme — and the consequences are falling hardest on students.

1. Chronic Absenteeism

Students who can’t get to school fall behind quickly. Missing just two days a month can lead to academic decline, disengagement, and eventually dropping out.

2. Mental Health Strain

Absenteeism increases isolation, anxiety, and stress. Students lose access to counselors, mentors, and supportive adults who help them cope with trauma and daily challenges.

3. Increased Youth Conflict

When students aren’t in school, they’re often unsupervised during peak hours. Dayton has already seen rising conflicts at the library and RTA hub — a direct result of students having nowhere structured to go.

4. Family Stress and Instability

Parents struggle to juggle work, childcare, and transportation. Missed work leads to lost income, which can deepen housing and financial instability.

5. Teacher Burnout and School Strain

Unpredictable attendance makes it harder for teachers to plan, support students, and maintain classroom stability.

Transportation is the first domino — when it falls, everything else follows.

• Academic decline will accelerate, further lowering graduation rates.

• Dropout rates will rise, especially among students already facing instability.

• Youth conflict and community violence will increase as more teens spend unsupervised hours navigating unsafe environments.

• Mental‑health strain will intensify for both students and families already stretched thin.

• Public trust in schools and institutions will erode, making future solutions harder to implement.

• Dayton’s future workforce will shrink, leaving employers without prepared graduates.

• Nonprofits and churches will be overwhelmed, unable to meet the growing needs created by transportation failures.

Join Us in Solving Dayton’s Transportation Crisis 

We don’t wait for transportation to be fixed.

We help students get to school, stay in school, and succeed in school — right now.

🚗 1. Transportation Support When Needed

We help students who have no safe or reliable way to get to school.

This removes the #1 barrier to attendance.

🤝 2. Daily In‑School Mentoring

Students are greeted by a consistent, caring mentor who helps them stay engaged, supported, and connected.

📚 3. Academic Tutoring

We help students catch up, rebuild confidence, and stay on track.

🌱 4. A Reason for Hope

We give youth the stability, encouragement, and belief they need to imagine a future beyond their circumstances

GrandParents Hands & Children Charity is a startup nonprofit with powerful partnerships that expand our impact:

• Becoming certified through Fresh Hope for Mental Health

• Joining the Montgomery Mentoring Collaboration

• Aligning with WIOA to build a pipeline to employment

• Creating pathways for mentors, tutors, and future youth leaders

These partnerships strengthen our work — but our focus remains on what we do best: consistent mentoring, tutoring, and transportation support that reduce absenteeism.

Youth in quality mentoring programs experience:

• Higher self‑esteem

• Stronger academic achievement

• Healthier peer relationships

• Reductions in substance misuse and aggression

Fewer depressive symptoms and delinquent acts

• (OJJDP)