{"id":131147,"date":"2025-08-09T07:23:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T07:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/131147\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T07:23:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T07:23:16","slug":"connecticut-school-bus-company-publishes-bilingual-book-to-ease-first-day-bus-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/131147\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecticut School Bus Company Publishes Bilingual Book to Ease First-Day Bus Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just in time for the back-to-school season, Connecticut-based school bus company, DATTCO, launched a bilingual children\u2019s book designed to help young students overcome the fear of riding the school bus for the first time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The company, which transports over 130,000 students daily across Connecticut and Rhode Island, created \u201cThe Big Yellow Adventure\u201d<\/a> in response to a concern staff hear regularly from families. Many parents have shared that their children are nervous or afraid of taking the school bus, especially for the very first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a school transportation provider, we understand that our role goes beyond simply getting students from point A to point B,\u201d Reya Samuel, the marketing specialist at DATTCO, told STN. \u201cWe\u2019re a part of the daily lives of thousands of families, and we want to help make that first day and every day after feel safe and welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help ease that anxiety, DATTCO partnered with local behavioral health provider Optimus Healthcare to create a storybook that serves as a comforting and educational resource. The book is designed to be read aloud by parents or caregivers and encourages conversations about what children can expect during their first ride. By helping kids prepare emotionally, the book supports smoother transitions into the school year.<\/p>\n

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The free resource will be distributed to every elementary school DATTCO serves, and families will also have access to PDF copies and coloring book versions on the company\u2019s website. The book is available in both English and Spanish.<\/p>\n

Paul Mayer, vice president of marketing and communications at DATTCO as well author of\u00a0 \u201cThe Big Yellow Adventure\u201d emphasized the motivation behind the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started hearing the same concerns from parents year after year, we realized we had an opportunity to do more than just transport students safely, we could help them feel confident and excited about their journey to school,\u201d he said.\u201c This book represents our belief that a transportation company\u2019s responsibility extends far beyond the bus ride itself. We\u2019re part of each child\u2019s educational story, and we want that story to start with confidence, not anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emotional wellness was at the forefront of the project. Brianna Whitlock, licensed clinical social worker from Optimus Healthcare, who helped develop the book, shared her perspective on the broader impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen transportation companies take this kind of proactive approach to child welfare, it demonstrates a commitment that goes far beyond their core service,\u201d she said. \u201cThis book fills a genuine gap in preparing children for school transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

From DATTCO\u2019s leadership, the initiative is viewed as a natural extension of the company\u2019s mission. \u201cWe know that a child\u2019s first school bus ride is an important step not just in their education, but in their emotional growth,\u201d said Kyle DeVivo, chief operating officer. \u201cThis book is our way of saying, We\u2019re here to help. Partnering with Optimus Healthcare has been invaluable in making sure this resource truly serves the children and families we care so deeply about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Company President and CEO Don DeVivo echoed this sentiment, framing the book as part of a broader philosophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt DATTCO, we\u2019ve always believed that our responsibility extends beyond transportation, we\u2019re part of each child\u2019s educational journey,\u201d he said, adding that book represents the company\u2019s commitment to innovation and dedication to making every aspect of that journey as positive as possible for the students and families served.<\/p>\n

As schools prepare to reopen, DATTCO is organizing events including book reading demonstrations and school bus tours to give families a chance to meet drivers and ask questions ahead of the first day.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0<\/strong>Guiding Hands: New York School Bus Driver Supports Young Rider Through Her Anxiety<\/a>
Related:\u00a0<\/strong>School Bus Driver Creates Children\u2019s Book to Promote School Bus Safety<\/a>
Related:\u00a0<\/strong>(STN Podcast E254) Gus, the Talking Safety Bus: Supporting Educational Access & Student Safety<\/a>
Related:\u00a0<\/strong>NC Transportation Manager Channels Passion for Education, Safety into Children\u2019s Books<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just in time for the back-to-school season, Connecticut-based school bus company, DATTCO, launched a bilingual children\u2019s book designed…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":131148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[1022,2738,407,171,6976,2737,79747,6214,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-131147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-connecticut","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-parent","13":"tag-rhode-island","14":"tag-school-bus","15":"tag-students","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114997613016888388","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}