COLORI Pilot Program Brings Learning and Joy to Hundreds of Children in Massachusetts Shelters

Amal Alliance Celebrates Success of Innovative Mobile Education Pilot Across the Commonwealth

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, April 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Over the past year, the COLORI mobile learning initiative from Amal Alliance, in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Neighborhood Villages, and Horizons for Homeless Children, has brought early childhood education and social-emotional learning directly to children living in emergency shelters across the state.

Launched as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the COLORI bus brought mobile learning to shelters in Lexington, Revere, Auburn, Worcester, Marlborough, Shrewsbury, Hudson, Milford, and more, reaching children ages 0–5 who face significant barriers to accessing traditional classrooms. Over the course of the pilot, the program engaged hundreds of children in weekly enrichment sessions using the award-winning Colors of Kindness curriculum, tailored for children experiencing displacement and trauma.

"We’ve seen incredible transformation; children arriving quiet and withdrawn, then slowly opening up, expressing themselves, and building confidence through play and learning,” said Danielle De La Fuente, CEO and Founder of Amal Alliance. “This pilot demonstrated the power of bringing education directly to communities, and we’re proud to continue this work.”

The success of the COLORI buses has captured the attention of several leading news outlets across Massachusetts. The program was recently featured on WCVB’s “5 for Good”, where the impact of the mobile classrooms on children living in shelters was showcased in a heartfelt segment. Boston 25 News also highlighted the initiative, calling attention to the essential role of play and early education for preschool-aged children experiencing housing instability. Most recently, Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra spotlighted the program in a Spanish-language broadcast, bringing visibility to its impact among families across the region.

Founded in 2018, Amal Alliance initially worked with refugee and migrant children in underserved communities across Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, Uganda, and Bangladesh, bringing trauma-informed learning and psychosocial support to informal learning centers, refugee camps, and emergency housing settings. Their Colors of Kindness curriculum has been recognized globally for its impact and adaptability, and is currently being implemented at scale in public schools and refugee schools and was studied by academic institutions including Harvard University’s EASEL Lab.

Massachusetts marks the organization’s first U.S.-based implementation of the program, adapting it for a mobile classroom model designed to meet the needs of homeless children in transitional shelters.

With the pilot’s first phase complete, Amal Alliance is now working with state and local partners to explore additional opportunities for growth. Plans are underway to expand COLORI mobile learning initiative into more counties across the Commonwealth, continuing to meet families where they are with education that uplifts, empowers, and heals. The organization continues to advocate for scalable, trauma-informed early learning solutions that address the needs of families experiencing housing instability.

Nima Olumi
Lightyear Strategies
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