Free Pumper Car® Vehicles for Schools
Help Kids in Your District Drive to Success
Sign up today to participate in our program, Help Kids Drive to Success. It’s free. There are no obligations or hidden requirements.
We provide Pumper Car vehicles to school districts across the country by matching them with generous corporate and individual donors looking to help.
Below is a short video that shows how children in both general and adapted PE classes have fun while getting a full-body workout using these vehicles. You’ll find additional information about how some schools use these devices, plus an easy form for you to register your district in the program.
”The push-pull movement needed to use the Pumper Cars provides the students with important proprioceptive feedback their muscles need to regulate their movement and emotions. Students with sensory needs often don’t know where their bodies are. So when they do deep-pressure exercise such as the Pumper Car, that motion sends a message and helps regulate the child’s body and brain.”
— Katie Waterstreet, Adapted P.E. Specialist, Forest Grove School District, Forest Grove, Oregon
Why the Pumper Car Vehicles Are Extraordinary
7 BENEFITS
• Used by children of almost all abilities for mobility and exercise
• Promotes inclusion and social-emotional learning (SEL)
• Works the upper- and lower-body simultaneously
• Requires a push-pull movement, which delivers proprioceptive feedback
• Activates muscle groups other devices and cycles don’t
• Provides a rhythmic ride, ideal for neurodiverse children
• Effective as a physical therapy device
7 SAFETY FEATURES
• Zero pinch points
• Durable, child-safe materials
• Four wheels provide stability
• Low center of gravity
• Safety brake for quick stops
• Doesn’t roll backwards
• Meets or exceeds U.S. safety tests
Pumper Car® Kinder™ model fits 3 to 5 year olds
Pumper Car® Original™ model fits 5 - 12 year olds
Pumper Car® Uniflex™ model with an adjustable seat fits kids 5 - 25
Sign Up Today
Please take a minute to fill out and submit this form so that your students may benefit from our popular program.
When you come to the question asking how many Pumper Car vehicles you’d like, it may be helpful to know that we’ve received requests ranging from two to over 200. Simply tell us what would help your program. If one donor doesn’t fulfill your entire wish list, perhaps other donors might. Also, for those teachers who need to transport equipment from one school to another, one of these devices can fit in the back of a hatchback or station wagon with the seats folded down.
Once you submit your online form to us, your information will be entered into our national database. We’ll contact you when we’ve located a corporate or individual donor looking to support schools in your area. At that time you can let us know which model(s) you’d prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most commonly asked questions about the Help Kids Drive to Success program. Simply click on the + sign to reveal the answer to each question below.
What is weight capacity of each model?
All three models that we offer can be used by individuals who weigh up to 300 pounds.
What are the dimensions of each model?
The Kinder™ model weighs 30 pounds and is 42” (L) x 22” (W) x 21” (H).
Original™ model weighs 35 pounds and is 44” (L) x 26” (W) x 26" (H).
Uniflex™ model weighs 44 pounds and is 44” (L) x 23” (W) x 29” (H).
Storage space is an issue at my school district. How do other schools accommodate equipment like this?
Some teachers choose to store the Pumper Car vehicles vertically by resting them on the rear “license plate end” rather than all four wheels on the floor.
Some schools place them in equipment closets.
One school district in Iowa has incorporated the Pumper Car vehicles into their “lending library of things.” The vehicles are each assigned a bar code, just like a library book. Teachers may reserve the cars for a set number of weeks. A van that delivers other items to schools from the lending library also drops off the Pumper Cars vehicles to the teachers who have reserved them. Then the van picks them up again when the vehicles “are due” and delivers them to the next teacher who has reserved them.
I work at multiple schools. Can I transport a Pumper Car vehicle in my car?
Yes. At least one Pumper Car vehicle can fit in any standard hatchback or station wagon with the back seats folded down. Some teachers may be able to transport more than one at a time depending on what type of car they drive.
I haven’t used Pumper Car vehicles in my class before. Can you give me some ideas on how other schools have incorporated them into a curriculum?
We provide a set of lesson plans with every donation of Pumper Car vehicles. These were developed by two Adapted PE Teachers of the Year. You are welcome to adopt or adapt these plans to fit your needs, as well as use them for a guide to create different activities.
How soon after I’ve submitted my request will I receive donated Pumper Car vehicles?
If we already have a donor who has expressed interest in giving to your district, it could take only a matter of a few weeks. However, if we haven’t secured a donor yet, it could take a few months or even over a year. Rest assured, as soon as a donor formally commits, we will contact you immediately and begin making the necessary arrangements for delivery.
Why isn’t there a place on the form to indicate how many of each model our district would like?
The reason is because it’s likely that you may not receive your entire wish list from the first donor who responds. It may take multiple donors to fulfill your entire wish list. Each time a sponsor gives to your district, we’ll ask you which model(s) you’d like to fulfill that donation.
I have colleagues who work in another school district that could benefit from Pumper Car vehicles. May they sign up, too?
Definitely. Any general PE teacher, adapted PE teacher, superintendent, SPED director, SPED teacher, OT, or PT in the country is welcome to sign up. We encourage staff to coordinate their requests within their district. However, if we receive multiple individual requests from one district, we simply link them within our database to know the full request.
Can you tell me more about who donates to this program?
They are individuals and companies who understand that schools need additional support. Many sponsors use their donation as a marketing tool and request the option to place a decal on the cars to identify themselves or company names/slogans. Please know that we do not partner with any company that sells alcohol, firearms, or tobacco, nor with any religious or political organization.
If I know the names of local individuals or companies who might donate Pumper Car vehicles to my school district, may I send their contact information to you and Mobility for Kids would try to make the arrangements?
Yes. Any introduction to or suggestion of a possible donor is welcome. We will do our best to help make that match happen for your district.
More Quotes from Educational Professionals
”The Pumper Car provides an excellent method to safely increase physical activity in children.”
— Janet Hauck, PhD and Dale Ulrich, PhD, Researchers at the University of Michigan
”The Pumper Car’s just a fantastic vehicle for encouraging kids to move. And as kids achieve, they’ll want to move more.”
— Bruce Davey, Adapted P.E. Teacher of the Year, Sylvan School District, Modesto, California
”We want to help every single student be as successful as they can. It meets the needs of some of these students that we would not have been nearly as successful with were it not for the Pumper Cars.”
— Larry Bergeson, Superintendent, Washington County School District, Utah