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Studies show that children who attend preschool or early childhood programs perform better in school during their later years, according to the Learning Policy Institute. It's part of why a group of around a dozen volunteers and members of the Des Moines Refugee Support team are making it their goal to help refugee families with pre-school aged children so they can succeed in the future. While preschool is free in Iowa, transportation is limited for young children in that age group. Parents who are new to the country are working hard to get established, meaning sometimes they may not have the finances, time, or education to help provide early enrichment. That wasn't going to stop the Des Moines Refugee Support team from doing what they could to bridge the gap. Des Moines Refugee Support works to identify and bridge gaps refugee families face as they create their new lives in the United States. Alison Hoeman started the group back in 2016. The group relies heavily on kind volunteers who do a lot: such as provide transportation to appointments and activities, help with deliveries for families, assist families on an ongoing basis with whatever they need, and more. A full list of volunteer opportunities can be found here. In this instance, the Des Moines Refugee Support team helps get young refugee kids registered for school. "They had signed up some kids to go to headstart," said Megan Schultheis, a volunteer with Des Moines Refugee Support. "As much as we could get the kids into the programs, they wouldn't be able to have consistent transportation." Backing her car out before eight in the morning wasn't part of Schultheis's plan after her youngest child began driving to school."I was relieved to be done with that," said Schultheis. "When I no longer had to drive my kids, I was like good that's done." Except she wasn't done. Five days a week, Schultheis is one of eleven volunteers with several car seats in the back of her car ready and waiting to pick up three preschool aged children and take them to and from school. Schultheis is a preschool driver for Des Moines Refugee Support. The volunteer preschool drivers have assigned students they drive all school year, allowing them to build relationships and bond with them and their families. Schultheis drives three girls who all live in Des Moines and go to J.F. Taylor Preschool. "It takes me not that long; maybe an hour or hour and a half in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to get them to school and get them home," said Schultheis. In the beginning, the girls — like most kids the volunteers drive — were quiet. However, now with the lessons they're learning in school and with the constant interaction with the volunteers who drive them, they're talkative. "In the beginning, they did not know English at all, except for maybe what they picked up from their iPads," said Schultheis. "Now I just love when they tell me about their day! They're just blossoming like you would expect somebody who is in preschool to be developing." The three girls who Schultheis drives and adores aren't the only kids blossoming. Currently, Des Moines Refugee Support volunteer drivers drive 13 kids to their schools. Last school year, they drove 21 kids to schools. Jody Pugh, who is a retired teacher after working 38 years, is another volunteer. She drives three boys with another volunteer who she coordinates days with. "I adore these little kiddos and it's just fun to see, especially when they're smiling in the morning," said Pugh. "This was a great opportunity to just give back and enjoy the kiddos." The volunteers are close with the parents of the kids they drive, making sure to help them out beyond just driving their kids when they can. The volunteer drivers also have a text thread with all 11 of them in it. They use it to make sure each child is picked up, to call on help if they need someone else to fill in for them, and to share tips on how to keep the children entertained, talkative, and learning during the car rides. This includes sing-a-long songs, saying the alphabet, counting numbers, the kids and volunteers just talking to each other, and more. While waiting in the drop off line at J.F. Taylor Preschool, where she waits for the kids' teachers to pick them up, the girls in Schultheis's car have notebooks that Megan gives them."They're working on writing letters — the letters of the alphabet," said Schultheis. "They also can sound out some of the letters. They're writing their names." The volunteers — like Schultheis — care for the kids they drive from start to finish and even beyond that. "Some of us go to 'Pack Time,' which is like parent time, at the end of the day because the parents can't go to it," said Schultheis. The volunteer preschool drivers aren't doing this for the glory; they're doing it to help the kids they serve have a bright future. "There are studies that have shown that when students go to preschool, by the time they're in fourth grade they are reading at or above grade level," said Schultheis.