For many kindergarteners, the first day of school also marks their first time traveling to class without a parent. Whether they board a traditional yellow school bus or use another form of student transportation, the unfamiliar vehicle as well as new routine and separation from family can make the experience intimidating.
Preparing children before their first ride can help make the process more predictable. Families can visit the assigned pickup location, explain what will happen when the vehicle arrives and make sure children know their bus number, stop or other identifying transportation information.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children riding school buses should arrive at their stop at least five minutes before the bus and wait at least 10 feet from the curb. Students should wait until the vehicle stops completely, and the school bus driver indicates it is safe before boarding or exiting.
NHTSA also advises children who cross in front of a school bus to make eye contact with the driver. Industry standards require school bus drivers train the students on a hand gesture made by the driver as an all-clear sign for the students to cross the street. If an item falls near or underneath the vehicle, students should notify the driver instead of attempting to retrieve it.
Although the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road, NHTSA states that children face greater risk while approaching or leaving it. Practicing those steps before school begins can turn unfamiliar instructions into a recognizable routine.
Student Transporters Take Safety Initiative
Some school districts have incorporated practice rides and additional assistance into kindergarten orientation. For instance, Monroe School District in Washington state invites incoming kindergarteners and their parents or guardians to meet school bus drivers and take a practice ride from the transportation facility to their future school. During the event, students also learned important school bus safety practices.
Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia explained to families that drivers help provide kindergarteners with a safe and welcoming ride while teaching them school bus safety and appropriate behavior. At Forestville Elementary School within Fairfax, kindergarteners sit near the front of the bus, board and exit before older students, and receive yellow identifying markers on their backpacks, so drivers and substitutes know when they may need additional assistance.
Transportation professionals have also developed creative resources to help children understand what riding a school bus will be like. The use of children’s books to prepare young riders was discussed during the STN EXPO East conference in March.
Monique Jackson, an area transportation manager for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ Rocky River Transportation, and Valerie Higley, a substitute school bus driver and dispatcher for First Student in East Lyme, Connecticut, shared how the children books they wrote can introduce young readers to school bus safety and make the riding experience feel more familiar.
The books represent one resource families and transportation professionals can use alongside practice rides, safety lessons and conversations with drivers.
Head Start Guidance
Federal Head Start guidance also addressed how transportation teams can assist young children who become upset while riding. It advised drivers and monitors to learn about the interests and needs of the children they transport so they can recognize when a child may require additional attention.
Families and transportation staff are encouraged to communicate when a child may need extra support and develop ways to help the child manage their feelings during the ride. Transportation staff can respond by offering reassurance, redirecting the child’s attention, starting a conversation, or sitting nearby when additional encouragement is needed, according to the guidance.
Communication can be equally important for caregivers learning a new transportation routine, particularly when language barriers make ride information difficult to understand.
HopSkipDrive announced July 21 that the company’s caregiver app, ride notifications and live support are now available in Spanish. The app automatically displays information in Spanish when a caregiver’s phone is set to the language, according to the company.
Spanish-speaking caregivers can track rides, receive pickup and drop-off notifications and contact a Spanish-speaking support agent during an active ride. HopSkipDrive said its Caregiver Great Start program helps families learn how to use the app before a child’s first ride and is too available in Spanish.
The update applies to HopSkipDrive’s supplemental student transportation service via alternative vehicles rather than traditional school bus routes. However, it illustrates how providing families with clear information before and during a ride can help reduce confusion surrounding an unfamiliar transportation process.
Related: Safety in Sight
Related: Children’s Books by School Bus Drivers Double as Safety Education Tool
Related: Georgia Grandmother Writes School Bus Safety Book for Children
Related: Building Trust on the Bus: The Lasting Impact of Student-Driver Relationships
