New Bus Loop Improves Safety for Children at Somerset Center

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Somerset, PA (Nov. 25, 2024) – Good news for parents, children, and motorists along busy State Route 281 in Somerset. Monday, November 25th marked the grand opening of a new bus loop on the grounds of The Learning Lamp Center for Children in Somerset. The long-awaited project eliminates the need for children enrolled in the center’s before and after school program to be picked up or dropped off on the berm of the highway each morning and afternoon.

“I have worked for The Learning Lamp for over 12 years and have stood at the bus stop with the children in all kinds of weather, waiting for the bus to come in heavy rain, deep snow, and bitterly cold winds,” said Natalie Hinton, center director.

Although every effort was made to ensure children’s safety, the situation was less than ideal and presented a genuine safety hazard, Hinton added.

“I have witnessed cars run the bus stop too many times to count, putting kids in danger of crossing traffic to get on the bus.”

Until now, the property didn’t provide enough room for a bus to pull up to the front door and turn around. The Learning Lamp proposed the creation of a bus loop as a safer alternative and approached the Redevelopment Authority of Somerset County for help.

“The Authority is proud to have served as the grantee for the PA Department of Community and Economic Development Multimodal Transportation Fund monies that were received for this most worthwhile project,” said Executive Director Steven Spochart. “I want to thank The Learning Lamp and its leadership for their perseverance even when it appeared as though the funding might not be attainable.”

With Somerset Borough signing off on the necessary permits, the authority used a $75,000 grant in Multimodal Transportation Funds to move the project forward, with The Learning Lamp providing the necessary match. The end result was a new access road and bus turnaround that now transports children safely to and from the center’s front door.

“The new bus loop is a huge blessing that has been a dream for a very long time,” exclaimed Hinton. “This bus loop is going to make such a huge difference for the staff and the kids.”

The Learning Lamp Center for Children’s child care, pre-k, and school-age programs currently serve 78 children and working parents employed by a combined 107 businesses, human services agencies, government, educational institutions, retail, and other industry sectors.

According to the PA Department of Labor and Industry, The Learning Lamp is the 23rd largest employer in Somerset County.

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high-quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. In 2023, The Learning Lamp and our school-based division Ignite Education Solutions directly served 37,524 children and adults. In addition to our own program locations, we worked with 87 public and private schools in 36 Pennsylvania counties. We also supported 473 child care and community-based youth organizations with free or nearly free shared resources, positively impacting another 44,190 children statewide.

Our programs include: child care and preschool, after-school programs, tutoring, SAT prep, school staffing, alternative education programs for at-risk students, online learning, credit recovery, drug and alcohol prevention programs, and grant writing and project consulting for schools.