Yes 23 31.08%

No 51 68.92%

Do any of you transport children from a local elementary school in your area? Pros/Cons and all advice welcome!

My son will be starting preschool in August and they let out at 1 PM. I'm considering hiring an assistant or personal car service to pick up and it might give me a chance to enroll some of his classmates. There is only one daycare in the area that picks up from there and they have a poor star rating...they just don't have any competition w/ transportation so they always stay full!

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I don't transport this time around doing daycare, but when I did daycare when my kids were little I definitely transported to/from school. I met a few friends there who are still friends today (my daughter is 23 yo) and I also got some of my dcf from the school.

I made it a point to always hang around as long as I could before and after class to socialize/meet the other parents (I'd feel silly doing that today since I'm so much older than the preschool parent's)

The previous time when I did daycare though, I lived two blocks away and there wasn't as much of an issue with transporting dck's...even by walking so I'd take the kids with me when counts were low. Once I had more kids, I had someone come in for a couple hours per day to help while I transported my own kids

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I do transport I don't currently have any dck needing transportation but as far as transporting to field trips, yes I do and all parents have a form on file and are happy with my services.

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At the FCC I used to work at (she had a large family daycare), the owner usually had an assistant who would walk the kids to the FCC from school. She had one assistant who would drive them to school in the morning (before her morning college classes) but she usually walked them to the daycare from school unless it was raining, the school was down the street from her house (the college was a few blocks down). one time when she was training me on what to do for pick ups we took all the daycare kids (about 9 kids all under the age of 5) to pick up the 1/2 day kindergarteners. Mostly it was to show me where to pick them up and to introduce me to the yard duty people to show them that I was with the daycare.

Usually around these times she would have two assistants on staff but if she only had one assistant and would be over ratio otherwise, she will let one or two of the older preschoolers go with the assistant to pick up the kindergarteners (or a baby in a stroller). Towards the end of nap time her before/after school assistant would pick up the older SAKs on her way to work, if she couldn't come in that day, than she would send one of her assistants who was there during nap time to pick up the older SAKs.

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You really need special ins to do that. Our ins company made me sign a waiver stating I would never transport childcare children They will not cover if I do.

I believe State Farm has a policy to cover transportation

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I don't transport at all. Not only does it interrupt our routine, as the time it was needed always seems to fall right during a meal or nap time, but WI licensing regulations are more than what I want to deal with. Oh yeah, and both our vehicles are in use during the day so we'd have to buy another car.

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I transport kids to my local preschool. This is a HUGE draw for parents in my area. I do have an assistant so the only kids who *usually* take the ride are the ones who are attending the school, however if my assistant can't come, then we all take the (short) ride. Most parents realize that one hand washes the other and agree to allow their kids to be transported because they know when their turn comes they won't have to worry that their kids won't be able to go. I am actually getting a child in the Fall because her current provider does not transport to preschool.

I have a separate preschool contract which covers what I will do, what I won't do, etc.

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I don't transport either as our ins co will charge us around $200.00 a year more to have ins to cover if I take the kids out in my car. I only care for 3 kids in my home daycare, but they still will charge that much. Also I don't transport or do field trips because I want to keep the kids as safe as I can while not in their parents care and taking them out in my car on the freeways is something I am not comfortable doing. Most of the parents I have found really appreciate me not taking their child out and really don't want their child out on the freeways or even to go short distances.

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Since the local elementary school is 4 blocks away we walk to p/u the SA.

However, if it was further away and/or there were highways/freeways/etc I would either not take SA or look and see what the bussing situation was.

Personally, I wouldn't transport bc my car is to small (can only seat 3), the insurance would double, and I don't trust my car as it's in horrible shape.

It depends on the individual provider though. Do what is best and works for you and your business.

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I don't now. When I did transport I did morning/evening drop offs/pick ups at elementary/headstarts. I've had a few calls for that service, so I may be starting back next school term, not to mention that's where I made the majority of my money at!

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I called the school and asked if they had a transportation service for preschoolers. They had a van but only used it for local drop offs and I was out in the county.

I told them that was fine, I'd just start doing pre-k curriculum and all the kids that come into my daycare can just wait until kindy to start there. Enrollment is slim pickins for them as it is so thinking about just how many kids were going to funnel through here over the years got them to change their tune. I have a morning pre-ker who rides the bus in with my kids, then gets brought back by the school van, at which point my afternoon pre-ker rides the van to school and then takes the bus home with my kids at the end of the day.

Is there any way you could negotiate something like that with the administration? I went to the principal directly and she was very pro-active in helping me sort out a solution.

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I voted yes because at the moment I do have 2 preschool age DCK's and a Kindergartener that I pick up from a local school. I also pick up my own DD from school and I take all of the kids with me.

However as of the end of this school year (June 6th for us) I will no longer be providing transportation to or from school and that is including my own DD. It takes up a lot of time. It takes about an hour and a half out of my day to load them all up, buckle them in, drive to locations, unload the kids, go to the child's class to get them, load the kids back in, drive back etc. I make a total of 3 trips a day.

I decided I didn't want to waste this time anymore so I won't be doing it anymore BUT I will continue to drive the kids when I have the space (if I am not full because I only have room for 7 passengers) to go on field trips and outings etc. These will be planned in advance and I will decide if, when and where we go so I don't mind so much (all of my DCP's are okay with me driving).

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I have always transported but I have SA kids of my own & when I started doing childcare my oldest had started 1st grade & a family I took on liked that I transported as their kids attended the same school. We only live @ 1 1/4 miles from the school. There are bussing options & my kids ride the bus part of the time however my youngest son is in PK & there is no bussing for that. Since I only care for 1-2 families at the time (& don't plan to ever care for more than 3-4 daycare kids at a time) transporting is very important for me. Financially it would make no sense for me to hire someone to transport & when my own son was in PK this year they do not provide bussing for that. All my families are okay with me transporting & it is what works for me!

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Wowza - I would do the same if I were you!!! :-) For me transporting is easy as we are only about 1 mile or so from school - I will make my own SA kids ride home on the bus next year when I don't have any PK runs (it is easier for me to only do 1 trip a day even with fewer kids). I can understand how disruptive/time-consuming it can be.

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At our local school transportation for PK-age kids is only provided if the child has an IEP/special education needs.

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Thank you for sharing. I'm about 10 minutes away from the school so walking isn't an option. Great idea on the networking with parents... Unfortunately, idk if I'll be doing the pickup myself and DH will be dropping off in the morning. I'll definitely try to get involved any way I can. I've also considered just hiring an intern/volunteer from the University to watch the children for 30 minutes while I pick him up instead.

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Do you transport in your own car or do you hire a service/rent a van/bus etc.??

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Gosh it seems like so much! I currently don't take SA. I go from 6 weeks - 5 years old. It is only my 4/5 year olds that will need transportation. I have a very small operation with only 6 children at a time and I only ever expect 2-3 to be in pre-k at the same time (my son included). I wish I was close enough to walk and then I'd have an easy answer!

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I have a separate daycare vehicle for this purpose. Just today I will be starting a new family that dcg requires pick up from her school. During the summer I already have all the outings planned and made sure that I told parents, if transportation is going to be a problem then I'm not the right provider.

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I transport my own DD to school every morning. My twins will start 1/2 day pre-k in the fall, so I will be transporting them as well. Our local school is only about a mile from my home. We also do outings to parks/playgrounds. I like a change of scenery once in a while. The parents are told from our 1st conversation that I transport, that way neither one of us waste our time. The parents sign a monthly permission slip giving permission to go back and forth to school. Outings are always planned ahead of time and a separate permission slip is signed. I use my own vehicle and safety seats and I have additional insurance.

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I have State Farm for my liability coverage now. I already asked my agent about transporting, but because I won't be using my own vehicle there is no way to cover it. Essentially, I'll need to hire a service and they will have their own policy. That is why I'm looking into a van service/driver, etc.

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To?? Our preschool is half a day, but starts in the morning so the parents will be responsible for dropping off. I just need to get them from the school at 1 PM to my house so the parents can pick up from me afterward. Do you have a bus or use a personal vehicle? What type of insurance policy did you have to get and what forms/waivers do you use?? I know I'm asking a lot, but this is a HUGE decision for me and my business

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Really? Did you charge additional fees for the service?

The only daycare that picks up from the school doesn't charge extra for pickup, but the weekly rate for the half day (1 PM - 5 PM) is $110. I only charge $130-140 weekly (mid-range for my area) and that's for FULL TIME! I'm trying to figure out how to recoup the gas or cost of service without running away any clients.

SN: I appreciate all of the feedback everyone!

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This sounds like a WONDERFUL idea!! At this time, I don't take SA and the school does not provide any type of transportation or after care for Pre-K like it does K-3. (It is only a primary school) All parents are responsible for the transportation of their children. However, they do advertise the only daycare that DOES offer pickup but they have their own buses so if I choose to offer pickup for the Pre-Kers they may help refer some business...

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If its a private pay parent I either add transportation fee to the weekly rate or tell them "it's this amount xxx for the week and xxx for the transportation. I will definitely charge extra for the transportation unless its fairly close. It's up to you, when its subsidized you really can't add much they have their rates set up according to age. Etc.
Hope that helps

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I do, but I also live right across the street from the school. So, we walk the the "big" kids to school as part of our outdoor time.

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We have a traditional preschool which goes from 9-11:30. I usually only do the 4 yo class which is M,W,F. The ride is short (less than a mile and if I had a sidewalk we would walk it mostly) and the hours don't impact our day really at all. My dc kids are here at 7:30. I have State Farm with an additional transport rider. Keep in mind I am a small in home child care, so I only have my mini van BUT I'm only usually bringing 1 or 2 kids. If I have to bring everyone I fit the three seats in the back and two in the middle. I only will keep 5 kids FT in the school year as I do get a couple of school agers in the PM.

I will be honest and say I would NOT transport to grade school(thankfully we have bus service!). I only do the one preschool because it's loosely based on the school calendar schedule (they have more time off) and it's only a few days a week, not every day. My feeling about the preschool transporting is that the *second* it stops working for *me* is the second I stop.

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I didn't charge any extra fees to transport. All my drop off/pick up kids except for one were using full-time hours so they were charged my full-time rate.

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State Farm may cover providers in their cars without any additional coverage needed (just whatever coverage you have on your cars) but it changes from state to state.

Tell me about it ... I hate it. Both schools are close (one school 1 mile away and the other 2 miles away) but it still takes me about 20-45 minutes each trip so multiply that by 3 trips per day = a pain in my rear . I can't wait for it to be over.

We are even trying to get my DD into the Boys and Girls club and are willing to have her picked up by their van even if one full year membership is $50 and it costs an additional $100 per MONTH to do this. If she doesn't get in (she REALLY wants to go) then I will be putting her in a FCC near her school (the one that I put her in before I ever started doing FCC myself). I just don't want to drive anymore.

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What did you charge for that service? I have a parent that just needs me to pick u the child from home and take him to school. No food or care needed jut a ride to school.

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I just bought a 12 passenger van for this purpose! It also allows me to take the kids on field trips. I do the transportation. It has not gotten me any more business, but I think this is also because parents made their arrangements before school started.

I charge $25 MORE per week for before and after care!!

The average rate is $100 a week for before and after care. However, they do not transport.

I bought a choo choo wagon to help me get the kids loaded and un-loaded. I put everyone in their car and drive it to the van, then buckle everyone in. I do this in reverse when we get back. My drive is next to my house but this way I know everyone stays put until I can buckle them in.

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I do not transport (center), but have an elementary school across the street, and one older sibling does walk over after school.
This sounds like a GREAT opportunity for you though!

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All buses stop in front of my DC.., including the Head Start bus.

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I have a school 2 blocks away that my own kids attend so I will pick up from there. We usually walk and now the boys are all big enough to walk. I do have one younger boy Wed & Fri so I will either walk down or send my high schooler on those days.
Last year I watched a kindergartener who went half days and that was a huge pain. Screwed up naps, lunch, etc. glad I don't do that now and won't in the future. The only time I will drive is if the weather is bad.

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We take one SA sibling to and from school daily. There are 2 of us so it isn't a big deal at all

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I JUST started transporting a couple weeks ago so I could get DS to and from school. We were walking, but it was a 15-20 minute walk each way while pushing 3-6 kids along with me and it was a huge hassle to get out the door in time in the morning. It usually took me about an hour total and it threw off our whole day.The afternoons were even worse because it was HOT and DS was tired and sweaty when we got to school and when we got home. I did not transport at that time, but send out a letter and a policy update letting the parents know I needed to start driving him to and from school. Now, it is soooo much easier. We live a little less than a mile from the school and it takes me all of 15 minutes from the time we walk out the door to the time we walk back in the door. Love it

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At our center we actually do 2 different schools, and another school has a bus stop a block away, so someone picks those kids up too!

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