Help OMFFS Get a New Field Trip Bus
Ozark Mountain Farm and Forest School has brought outdoor, natural and agricultural programming to early childhood learners of northwest Arkansas for going on its third year.
https://www.kuaf.com/post/ozark-mountain-farm-and-forest-school-encourages-outdoor-learning#stream/0
As we continue to work our way up from a small, backyard program to a larger educational center that would be able to reach more local kiddos, we could use some help from our community along the way!
A BIG part of our program is bringing our kids to the beautiful forests and natural spaces of northwest Arkansas. Exploring the variations of local flora and fauna in different settings teaches us so much! While we will always have a special place in our hearts for the old OMFFS school bus, another school year may be asking a lot of the old, trusty steed - and of course it has it's limitations! Our old bus can only seat 5 passengers - a new bus could seat up to 14!
As demand has increased for our program, we are preparing to nearly double our usual number of students this Fall of 2021! A new mode of transportation has become a necessity to continue to provide the level of education and care that our current and past students have become accustomed to and that has always been of the utmost importance to us here at OMFFS.
After much research, the amount requested should cover the cost of a used bus in good and safe working order and condition, while leaving some wiggle room for any unforeseen repairs or updates that may need to be made after purchase (such as new tires, a tune-up, replacing worn parts, insurance and paperwork transfer fees, travel to purchase and transport etc.) We are hoping to have the new bus up, running and in action for our students this Fall semester of 2021!
OMFFS and its students thank you for your consideration and gratefully accept any and all of your donations as an investment into the education of our youngest members of a most important new classroom.
****IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR ALL DONORS!!***
First and most importantly, I would just like to thank all who donated to our fund to get a new school bus! Everyone's generosity was so gratefully received and was truly heartwarming. Searching for a new bus within our budget (largely what was raised in donations) that also meets all of the requirements for state licensing (working heat and air conditioning, vehicle within a certain age, the installation of child check safety alarm, plus the costs of commercial insurance, any repairs and new parts a used vehicle would need, etc), has proven difficult! After much searching, trial and error, we were unable to secure a new bus in time for the start of the fall semester. So getting creative, we decided to ask parents to drop off and pick up their kiddos at the designated hike location. This worked well for our first hike and parents didn't seem to mind! Some even expressed enjoyment in seeing the hike location and participating in their kiddos school day in that regard. We also discovered that having parents pick up and drop off their kiddos at the hike location also gives us substantially more time for our hike and activities - probably saving us at least an hour, if not more, of time that otherwise would have been spent securing the children in their car seats, putting masks on the children and the transit time back and forth to and from the location.
Instead of putting the raised funds toward the bus, I propose that we use them to improve our school and schoolyard in other ways. I usually put my personal money into school improvements, which often leads to projects being unfinished or slowed down immensely since I can only work on them as I can afford. Most of our materials are thrifted or gifted and though there is nothing wrong with that! I would love to have the opportunity to choose learning materials for the kids that would otherwise be unaffordable and out of reach. I would like to put these bus donations toward the purchasing of play equipment, new science, reading and other learning materials, new educational puzzles and toys, fixing up our garden and play yard, hiring help to make some improvements as I am often too busy with lesson planning, teaching, administration and school farm chores to complete improvements in a timely fashion.
If you approve of the use of your donation toward the purchases listed above, there is no need to reply and again, I thank you so much for contributing to our small school and the education of our children. If you would prefer a refund of your donation, please contact me directly and I will return it immediately. Thank you all again for contributions to our program and the developing young minds of our future's brightest hope!