1. Train-the-Trainer: A Model for Travel Training Services Presented by: Julie Rosekrans Donna Stinchcomb

2. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1989 Manages public transportation services in Howard County, Prince George’s County, and Anne Arundel County, Maryland Administers a four-county Connect-A-Ride system In FY 2011, CMRT transported approximately 1.6 million passengers Central Maryland Regional Transit

3. Project Background and Inception Born in February 2011 Two full-time Travel Trainers and an Outreach Coordinator Extends into six of Maryland’s counties and the City of Baltimore The train-the-trainer model is a success due in part to the large community partners and stakeholders that support the project Funded through New Freedom funds: therefore, trainings are free Realized more people could be reached via a train-the-trainer approach

4. Scope: Central Maryland

5. CMRT’s Travel Training Program

6. About CMRT’s Train-the-Trainer Program Mission: Empowering individuals with disabilities and older adults to explore fixed-route transportation options via a train-the-trainer approach Objective: Train paid and unpaid staff of non-profit and human service agencies, government agencies, senior centers, secondary and post-secondary schools, and other community transportation and disability advocacy groups

7. The Train-the-Trainer Approach Different from one-on-one and small group trainings One trainer can train medium-sized groups of people during train-the- trainer workshops and follow-up field exercises, or group bus rides Usually intended for human services and disability professionals who can be travel trained and then train their clients Can be a very effective way to reach more people Requires a large degree of organization to stay on top of tracking numbers, ridership, paratransit cost savings, etc.

8. Community Buy-In Coordinate with state and local agencies Synchronize with human service agencies in multiple regions Work with public and private schools Share successes and challenges

9. Community and Outreach Events Spreads the word about your program to potential clients in the community and connects you with training leads and potential partnering organizations Maryland State Fair, County Fairs, Disabilities Expos, ADA Celebrations, Community College Fairs, Earth Day Celebrations, Housing and Youth Expos, Transportation Conferences, etc. School councils, fairs, policy meetings, etc.

10. Establishing and Maintaining Training Relationships Advisory Board with at least one individual from each region that meets quarterly Training follow-ups at one, three, six and twelve months Follow-up training for new staff members and retraining Rider of the Quarter Newsletter and press release coordination Travel Training website and social media

11. Success Stories Bus stop additions and schedule rerouting to accommodate mobility devices (Humanim) Improved accessibility in communities Increased ridership on fixed- route transportation

12. Success Stories School system curriculum for Baltimore City & Howard County Schools IMAGE Center Travel Training – MTA New Freedom contract for one-on-one training Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) have been granted to trainees To date, 781 paid and unpaid staff have been travel trained by CMRT’s train-the-trainer program

13. Types of Trainings 1.Systems Orientation 2.Train-the-trainer Workshops 3.Field Trainings

14. Systems Orientation Training What transportation options are available? How much do they cost? How can they be safely accessed? Basic emergency plan Often leads to classroom training 1-2 hours in length

15. Train-the-Trainer Workshops What is travel training and who is it for? What skills does a trainee need to access public transportation both safely and independently? ADA rights and Emergency Plans Mode of transportation, how to get there, how to pay, etc. Pedestrian safety Boarding, Riding and Deboarding 4-5 hours in length

16. Field Trainings Key component of train-the-trainer workshops

17. Challenges Tracking numbers and data: it is easy to track who has been trained in a workshop, but tracking how many people they go on to train, how often their trainees are riding, and what the savings are to paratransit services have been difficult to accurately track Some staff have never been on fixed-route services or are afraid of public transportation Overextended staff, budget cuts, “not my job” mentality Staff/client and parent barriers

18. Training Stats

19. Questions?

20. Thank You! Julie Rosekrans, Travel Trainer Julie.Rosekrans@cmrtransit.org Anne Arundel, Howard and Prince George’s Counties Donna Stinchomb, Travel Trainer Donna.Stinchcomb@cmrtransit.org Baltimore City, Baltimore, Carroll and Harford Counties