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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Daycare Field Trips
AllDeezBabies 12:27 PM 05-30-2013
This is my first go round doing trips with ALL of my daycare kiddos. My licensing rep upped my capacity and I'm completely full in the summer time. I have an itinerary for summer trips but my issue is transportation. My minivan isn't big enough to carry 8 children, 1 assistant, myself and my 3 children.
The school bus services charge ridiculous prices for transportation for just under 5 hours for one day. What have you all been doing transportation wise when you do field trips with your kiddos?
The school bus services charge ridiculous prices for transportation for just under 5 hours for one day. What have you all been doing transportation wise when you do field trips with your kiddos?
daycare 12:36 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by AllDeezBabies:
This is my first go round doing trips with ALL of my daycare kiddos. My licensing rep upped my capacity and I'm completely full in the summer time. I have an itinerary for summer trips but my issue is transportation. My minivan isn't big enough to carry 8 children, 1 assistant, myself and my 3 children.
The school bus services charge ridiculous prices for transportation for just under 5 hours for one day. What have you all been doing transportation wise when you do field trips with your kiddos?
I have 2 large vehicles and 1 HUGE umbrella policy. This is my first go round doing trips with ALL of my daycare kiddos. My licensing rep upped my capacity and I'm completely full in the summer time. I have an itinerary for summer trips but my issue is transportation. My minivan isn't big enough to carry 8 children, 1 assistant, myself and my 3 children.
The school bus services charge ridiculous prices for transportation for just under 5 hours for one day. What have you all been doing transportation wise when you do field trips with your kiddos?
if you don't have a vehicle big enough, do you have a park walking distance? We do and we have a TON of fun going there. We create our own activities there a lot of the time.
we do picnics
ride the 3-wheelers My husband puts them all in his truck and drives them over
bubbles
hula hoops
sports of all kinds
etc
AllDeezBabies 12:48 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by daycare:
I have 2 large vehicles and 1 HUGE umbrella policy.
if you don't have a vehicle big enough, do you have a park walking distance? We do and we have a TON of fun going there. We create our own activities there a lot of the time.
we do picnics
ride the 3-wheelers My husband puts them all in his truck and drives them over
bubbles
hula hoops
sports of all kinds
etc
I have 2 large vehicles and 1 HUGE umbrella policy.
if you don't have a vehicle big enough, do you have a park walking distance? We do and we have a TON of fun going there. We create our own activities there a lot of the time.
we do picnics
ride the 3-wheelers My husband puts them all in his truck and drives them over
bubbles
hula hoops
sports of all kinds
etc
Yeah, we have a park down the street. I feel like they are tired of the park (or I might be tired of the park
.) I wanted to take them to the Aquarium, petting zoo and planetarium; you know things like that. They bent all my hula hoops out of shape. (Well one of my daycare kids is Mr. Destructo. That's another thread.
I have a few children that likes to drink the bubble solution
Well I guess I could use more activity suggestions at this point. I have majority girly girls and they gag at the sound of sports.
daycare 12:55 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by AllDeezBabies:
Yeah, we have a park down the street. I feel like they are tired of the park (or I might be tired of the park.) I wanted to take them to the Aquarium, petting zoo and planetarium; you know things like that.
They bent all my hula hoops out of shape. (Well one of my daycare kids is Mr. Destructo. That's another thread.
I have a few children that likes to drink the bubble solution
Well I guess I could use more activity suggestions at this point. I have majority girly girls and they gag at the sound of sports.
you could do Queens vs Kings soccer. name it what you likeYeah, we have a park down the street. I feel like they are tired of the park (or I might be tired of the park
.) I wanted to take them to the Aquarium, petting zoo and planetarium; you know things like that. They bent all my hula hoops out of shape. (Well one of my daycare kids is Mr. Destructo. That's another thread.
I have a few children that likes to drink the bubble solution
Well I guess I could use more activity suggestions at this point. I have majority girly girls and they gag at the sound of sports.
in the morning you can have them make tierras (sp) and crowns. then off to the ball we go.....well ok soccer field.
I do a ton of field trips, but if for some reason we can't go, we plan things like just above.
ksmith 12:59 PM 05-30-2013
You could look into renting a 15 passenger van. It may be cheaper than renting a school bus. You may also try contacting local churches and see if they have a van big enough they'd like to rent out. What about public transportation?
daycare 01:04 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by ksmith:
You could look into renting a 15 passenger van. It may be cheaper than renting a school bus. You may also try contacting local churches and see if they have a van big enough they'd like to rent out. What about public transportation?
I think the issue with this is will you have enough insurance coverage? I spend a pretty penny each month to make sure that I am covered very well. BUT as we all know, enough is never enough. I am not trying to be a downer, just trying to point out the realities of it.You could look into renting a 15 passenger van. It may be cheaper than renting a school bus. You may also try contacting local churches and see if they have a van big enough they'd like to rent out. What about public transportation?
I would not put a child in the car if I did not have the proper insurance or carseats necessary to keep them all safe.
Field Trips are a huge liability, but I still do them and love doing them
AllDeezBabies 01:04 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by daycare:
you could do Queens vs Kings soccer. name it what you like
in the morning you can have them make tierras (sp) and crowns. then off to the ball we go.....well ok soccer field.
I do a ton of field trips, but if for some reason we can't go, we plan things like just above.
you could do Queens vs Kings soccer. name it what you like
in the morning you can have them make tierras (sp) and crowns. then off to the ball we go.....well ok soccer field.
I do a ton of field trips, but if for some reason we can't go, we plan things like just above.
Haha
, I like that idea. Will it work with 3 boys 8, 3, and 2 and the rest girls??? Even my own children are girls. The boys are seriously outnumbered. They domesticate every thing the boys do. The Imaginext castle even has ponies and baby cribs in it now. lolI'm open to other suggestions though. What else do you guys do.
daycare 01:28 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by AllDeezBabies:
Haha, I like that idea. Will it work with 3 boys 8, 3, and 2 and the rest girls??? Even my own children are girls. The boys are seriously outnumbered. They domesticate every thing the boys do. The Imaginext castle even has ponies and baby cribs in it now. lol
I'm open to other suggestions though. What else do you guys do.
I have the opposite of you... I have two girls and 12 boys.....lol... so I know what you are dealing with. HOwever, I find that the girls don't mind the boys stuff, where the boys seem to mind the girls stuff....lolHaha
, I like that idea. Will it work with 3 boys 8, 3, and 2 and the rest girls??? Even my own children are girls. The boys are seriously outnumbered. They domesticate every thing the boys do. The Imaginext castle even has ponies and baby cribs in it now. lolI'm open to other suggestions though. What else do you guys do.
I have a ton of things that we do that I never really gear towards "sex" just fund things.
Like.....letting the kids pick a theme, have parents pitch in with any supplies they would like to give and have a fun week theme from it.
ONe of the best ones we throw is a pirate themed week...OMG so much fun....
THe zoo one is another good one too, and we never even leave the house for it....lol
slyredcid 01:30 PM 05-30-2013
don't forget you may be required to have a chaufeurs(sp) license also
AllDeezBabies 01:31 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by ksmith:
You could look into renting a 15 passenger van. It may be cheaper than renting a school bus. You may also try contacting local churches and see if they have a van big enough they'd like to rent out. What about public transportation?
I haven't tried the churches yet. That sounds like a great idea. Looking into the rent a car places, they want $200 a day for 15 passenger vans. I think that's a little steep. You could look into renting a 15 passenger van. It may be cheaper than renting a school bus. You may also try contacting local churches and see if they have a van big enough they'd like to rent out. What about public transportation?
I was considering pub. trans. for some of the trips. I'm just scared of the weirdos on the main streets waiting at the bus stops. lol
AllDeezBabies 01:32 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by slyredcid:
don't forget you may be required to have a chaufeurs(sp) license also
Oh really? My dad was gonna do the driving. Does that make a difference?don't forget you may be required to have a chaufeurs(sp) license also
AllDeezBabies 01:35 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by daycare:
I think the issue with this is will you have enough insurance coverage? I spend a pretty penny each month to make sure that I am covered very well. BUT as we all know, enough is never enough. I am not trying to be a downer, just trying to point out the realities of it.
I would not put a child in the car if I did not have the proper insurance or carseats necessary to keep them all safe.
Field Trips are a huge liability, but I still do them and love doing them
I have transportation insurance but it only insures my vehicles that I use for daycare transportation. When I spoke to the various rental places, they offer insurance there but it's very pricey.I think the issue with this is will you have enough insurance coverage? I spend a pretty penny each month to make sure that I am covered very well. BUT as we all know, enough is never enough. I am not trying to be a downer, just trying to point out the realities of it.
I would not put a child in the car if I did not have the proper insurance or carseats necessary to keep them all safe.
Field Trips are a huge liability, but I still do them and love doing them
daycare 01:42 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by AllDeezBabies:
Oh really? My dad was gonna do the driving. Does that make a difference?
I have permission forms that were done by my attorney. each family must sign one, or they cannot attend my childcare.Oh really? My dad was gonna do the driving. Does that make a difference?
THe only two people that can transport the children are myself and my husband. NO one else.
AllDeezBabies 01:45 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by daycare:
I have permission forms that were done by my attorney. each family must sign one, or they cannot attend my childcare.
THe only two people that can transport the children are myself and my husband. NO one else.
And see that's how I have it here. We already have forms on file for all the children. It's on the required DCFS forms and myself, husband and father does transportation.I have permission forms that were done by my attorney. each family must sign one, or they cannot attend my childcare.
THe only two people that can transport the children are myself and my husband. NO one else.
daycare 01:47 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by AllDeezBabies:
And see that's how I have it here. We already have forms on file for all the children. It's on the required DCFS forms and myself, husband and father does transportation.
is it possible for you to have your asst drive herself? I do this and then just pay her gas money if its not within the city. She cannot transport daycare kids, but she takes mine with her when we go. And see that's how I have it here. We already have forms on file for all the children. It's on the required DCFS forms and myself, husband and father does transportation.
we do this when I don't have that many kids and my husband cant take us
AllDeezBabies 01:51 PM 05-30-2013
Originally Posted by daycare:
is it possible for you to have your asst drive herself? I do this and then just pay her gas money if its not within the city. She cannot transport daycare kids, but she takes mine with her when we go.
we do this when I don't have that many kids and my husband cant take us
I don't think she would mind. I can definitely ask. That will greatly reduce the number of seats that need to be filled.is it possible for you to have your asst drive herself? I do this and then just pay her gas money if its not within the city. She cannot transport daycare kids, but she takes mine with her when we go.
we do this when I don't have that many kids and my husband cant take us
Lianne 03:51 PM 05-30-2013
I only ever have 5 in care at a time but I don't own a vehicle. We get around town on the city bus. I carry the youngest (18mos) in a wrap on my back, push three in the sit and stand (2.5yrs standing on wake board, 22mos sitting in the front & 22mos sitting on the jump seat) and the 5th child walks (3.5yrs). On our buses there are two spaces designated for strollers or wheelchairs. If one of these is vacant we can leave the stroller unfolded with kids in it although I have the 2.5yr old sit with the 3.5yr old.
Sometimes (this week in fact) a friend can lend me their car if they're out of town. If I have few enough kids to fit in the car then we get out and do something unusual for us. Tomorrow we're going to the local zoo and today we went to a new park thats too far to walk to.
Sometimes (this week in fact) a friend can lend me their car if they're out of town. If I have few enough kids to fit in the car then we get out and do something unusual for us. Tomorrow we're going to the local zoo and today we went to a new park thats too far to walk to.
Cradle2crayons 04:20 PM 05-30-2013
Last summer, yes I'm nuts, me and husband took our small two, his middle two, and my five daycare kids and one other parent to New Orleans for a huge day trip.
We rented a vehicle. Parents contributed $15 a family for that. Parents paid ticket fees etc and sent each kid with $15 and a sack lunch.
IT WAS A BLAST.
This summer, we are planning a day trip down to either mobile or Gulfport to play in the beaches. We plan on renting again. It was so worth it. From what I remember last year, it cost us about $100 bucks to rent the van. We used hertz and we got unlimited mileage. The gas wasn't terrible.
Other than that, we spend most of the summer at the local state park with our RV. We arrive here in the morning and pick up the kiddos and return Em in the afternoon. We have life vests for everyone and my husband loves to entertain them in his little boat.
I made them each cane poles from my dads cane patch. I have about ten of them and they are kids sized.
Matter of fact, we have already reserved a spot for when husband returns from offshore in two weeks. We are delayed this year because husband was offshore six weeks and then just got home last week and then was called out on something important enough they FLEW him via helicopter, so our plans had to change.
I mention all this at interview and I think that's why I have a wait list.
Parents around here love that I offer so many fun things because we are all rural rednecks.
We rented a vehicle. Parents contributed $15 a family for that. Parents paid ticket fees etc and sent each kid with $15 and a sack lunch.
IT WAS A BLAST.
This summer, we are planning a day trip down to either mobile or Gulfport to play in the beaches. We plan on renting again. It was so worth it. From what I remember last year, it cost us about $100 bucks to rent the van. We used hertz and we got unlimited mileage. The gas wasn't terrible.
Other than that, we spend most of the summer at the local state park with our RV. We arrive here in the morning and pick up the kiddos and return Em in the afternoon. We have life vests for everyone and my husband loves to entertain them in his little boat.
I made them each cane poles from my dads cane patch. I have about ten of them and they are kids sized.
Matter of fact, we have already reserved a spot for when husband returns from offshore in two weeks. We are delayed this year because husband was offshore six weeks and then just got home last week and then was called out on something important enough they FLEW him via helicopter, so our plans had to change.
I mention all this at interview and I think that's why I have a wait list.
Parents around here love that I offer so many fun things because we are all rural rednecks.
originalkat 05:54 AM 05-31-2013
I have parents sign up to drive on field trips. I have 10 kids (including my two kids) and my vehicle can fit 6. Our state allows parents to drive as long as they have proper insurance.
tjones34 09:29 AM 05-31-2013
I'm new to the field trips too. So I'm doing public transportation and my substitute is coming along as well