Picking up child off the bus and OTHER daycare kids???

So it just hit me my oldest daughter will be starting school next Sept!! I will have to be there to put her on and get her off the bus since we need to cross the road (people drive too fast here to let her do it alone) The bus stop is still visible from my house, but the other 2 daycare kids I keep won't be in School till Sept 2014. Do I really have to drag them across the street with me when I pick up my daughter? They take naps around that time as well. What is the policy with that? What should I do?

Ummmm opposed to what?? Leaving the two little ones to nap at your plac while you take a walke?? Absolutely not!! Just because they take morning naps right now, they will be older then and shouldn't be taking a morning nap, so they should accompany you while you walk your daughter to the bus.

My daughter gets off the bus down the road and on the other side of the street from my house. She stays on the sidewalk on that side of the street and then crosses the road in front of my house so I can watch her. Is that an option for your family?

Ya IMO you cannot leave your property with children still in your house even if they are 'sleeping'.

IMO that is a liability suit waiting to happen as technically you are off your property if you are crossing the street to go and get her and well anything can happen in those few minutes and what if the bus is late and so forth :(

Is it possible to have an older child walk her from your house to the bus stop and back again or to ask another parent who might be getting their own child anyway? This is what many of my friends do and they pay the person $5.00 a day for the return trip morning and afternoon?

Our bus stop is at the end of the street and I absolutely walk all my daycare children to and from the bus stop every day rain or shine (three 2 yrs olds and two 3 yrs olds). If it's storming or "blizzardy", extreme heat or cold, I load them in the van and we go. I would NEVER leave them in the house alone to do this.

Yes.. things happen with busses. They get delayed, they have to go back to the school because someone missed it, they break down and have to wait until another bus comes to pick up.

It's best to keep the kids with you.

My bus stop is directly in front of my house so I can just stick my head out the front door, waive at the driver and out come my kids.

Did you think of calling the bus company? Sometimes they will move the bus stop for you. Safety is their number one priority and if you can prove that the stop is not safe then they will change it for you. It's worth a shot.

My bus stop was origionally down the street and around the corner, but there isn't a sidewalk and very little shoulder. I called and complained and I got a spot in front of my house.

Best of luck, I'm sure you'll make it work.

Thanks for the KIND advice to some, this is all new to me. I would still be on my property, just at the end of my driveway, and there are no other kids that get off at my daughters stop, (we live in the middle of no where) So taking them with me in the afternoon it is! :) And no Kingston Mom, I will not be leaving daycare to take a 'walke' as you say ;)

You could always incorporate outside time with the bus arrival ..... Spend a bit of time before the bus is due to arrive ..... It's a whole year away and who knows what children you will have in enrollment at that time. I don't think I would be stressing too much about it at this time.... : )

Also the transportation department will often change the direction the bus comes in order for a kindergarten student to not have to cross the road and here in Ontario parents (adults) have to be present at the stop or they can not be let off .

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Originally Posted by momof2cuties

Thanks for the KIND advice to some, this is all new to me. I would still be on my property, just at the end of my driveway, and there are no other kids that get off at my daughters stop, (we live in the middle of no where) So taking them with me in the afternoon it is! :) And no Kingston Mom, I will not be leaving daycare to take a 'walke' as you say ;)

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I wait at the end of my driveway while my kids are sleeping some days. They're all safe, I can see the front door. Even if something does delay the bus, I have the bus companies phone number handy, I call dispatch and they fill me in on the delay.

If I have a new child, or someone I'm concerned about I bring the monitor with me.

Once you get into a flow you'll be fine, but definatly plan to take the group on the first week or 2... just so the driver gets to know you. You'll probably find that if you happen to be delayed the driver will honk to let you know he's there... especially if you're in the middle of no where.

ok momof2cuties: sounds like my house. we live in the country have a decent length driveway, not super long but we are set back off the road a little ways (enough for the children to ride bikes in the drive without danger of the 55mph road out front) anyway, my kids get dropped off the bus every day on that road and have to walk across to get home, granted my kids are now 9 and 11yr. but here is my take, as long as you are on your property and ALL the little ones are napping (as most of mine are during the drop-off time for the bus as well) I think you are absolutely fine to go to the road and retrieve the children from the bus. The alternate choice in my opinion is much more dangerous...if you take all those little ones across the road for the bus, you are opening a "world they didn't know even exists" you are allowing them to GO IN THE ROAD!!!! NEVER, at my house can a child cross the "limit line" near the end of our driveway, not an option!!!! In the winter months, I have also told the daycare kids to stand at the window and watch me go out to the bus with the kids (in the am) I will stand within view of both, the window and the driveway, to keep an eye on both sets of kids. (we also have a 5x12 picture window in front of house) :) sounds to me like you have more of a setup as I do, where there is NOTHING wrong with keeping the kids safely placed (little ones in pak n play) in the house while you run to the bus. like I said, I would never dream of the "other" option which would be to introduce the young ones to the road in front of my home. Ever! :)

My advice would be whatever you end up choosing make sure your clients are aware in writing in your policies if you are stepping outside of your home to the front of your property to retrieve children from the bus while others are in the house either asleep or quietly engaged and I would also invest in a 'video monitor' as well so that you can still SEE them while you are doing this that way they were never being left 'unsupervised' so to speak.

I cannot find the case law link online by there was a provider a few years back who stepped out to the end of her driveway to get the mail during quiet time and a child was injured during those few moments cause they climbed out of their crib ~ parents sued and she was found negligent for having left them 'unsupervised' with the courts arguing that had she be IN the house at the time of the accident she could have heard the child stirring and gone up to prevent him from climbing out .... seriously that was a very RARE set of circumstances aligning on that poor provider making her life hell ... the fact is that as 'business owners' we are held to a higher standard than 'parents' cause while we all know that parents everywhere step outside their homes ALL THE TIME with the kids inside and that kids climb out of cribs ALL the time in their homes parents do not sue themselves if their kid gets injured in that moment we on the other hand are being 'paid to provide a service' and if something happens we are on the hook of scrutiny of the public eye :(

I have a supervision policy in my parent handbook that clearly states that at times of the day I am using other senses or means to supervise children because I am but one person and my eyes cannot be directly on ALL the kids all the time so monitors and other venues are used to assist me if I have to step out of a room or nip inside for a second while they are outside and so forth.

What happens when you have to go to the bathroom and kids are in your care? What if a child climbs out of crib while "napping"? even if you have a monitor you can't watch it 24/7 you would go bonkers! I do think you use your best judgement and do what you have to do to keep ALL kids as safe as possible at ALL times. I have noticed "country life" is very different from "city life".

That it is kidlove that it is !

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Originally Posted by momof2cuties

Thanks for the KIND advice to some, this is all new to me. I would still be on my property, just at the end of my driveway, and there are no other kids that get off at my daughters stop, (we live in the middle of no where) So taking them with me in the afternoon it is! :) And no Kingston Mom, I will not be leaving daycare to take a 'walke' as you say ;)

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I see no problem standing on your front lawn while the others nap. I'd bring a monitor with me just in case and make sure to have your keys....I've heard of weird things happen and ppl getting locked out of their homes. I don't know how but it's happened LOL

It's the same thing as going into your garage or backyard while they nap......as long as you're not leaving the property, I personally don't see an issue with it.

OMG! Thank you for this! I am going to call my son's bus company today! He just started Jk and we take him to and from the bus stop...it is about a block and a half, so not bad, but there is no sidewalk or safe place to put the stroller with the other kids while getting him off of the bus. I had thought of asking them to move the stop because of my daycare, but had never thought about the safety aspect. I think I will still take the kids out with me to drop him off and pick him up though as we have to go about 5 minutes early in the morning because it sometimes comes a bit early and we miss it...same kind of thing in the afternoon. But at least if they could come in front of my house, I could keep them strapped in the stroller in the open garage in inclement weather ;) Fingers crossed!

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Originally Posted by apples and bananas

Yes.. things happen with busses. They get delayed, they have to go back to the school because someone missed it, they break down and have to wait until another bus comes to pick up.

It's best to keep the kids with you.

My bus stop is directly in front of my house so I can just stick my head out the front door, waive at the driver and out come my kids.

Did you think of calling the bus company? Sometimes they will move the bus stop for you. Safety is their number one priority and if you can prove that the stop is not safe then they will change it for you. It's worth a shot.

My bus stop was origionally down the street and around the corner, but there isn't a sidewalk and very little shoulder. I called and complained and I got a spot in front of my house.

Best of luck, I'm sure you'll make it work.

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no problem, I put mine in a choo wagon and drive them in circles around the driveway. Or we watch the trucks go by... and we call out the colours of the cars.

sunnydays, I'm sure you will remember but: Don't forget to stress the fact, you have MANY other little ones to care for and keep safe on the travel to the bus stop because you run a Day Care. perhaps they would do the extra stop at your place because of the fact you run a Day Care? is it just your kid or others?
I'll tell you...the one thing I hate about the school year is the bus!!!!!!!:yes:

In the am I have to pack up all the Day Care babies along with my two and make it to a "side road" where we sit and wait for the bus, then scramble back to the house to retrieve more kids getting dropped off literally minutes after mine get on the bus, (about 3 minutes or less to be exact) Then get another one on a dif bus that stops at my drive about 25 minutes later, and all this while, keeping everyone happy!!!!! Not to mention, the transportation office and I have had quite a few conversations regarding the kids (9 and 11) being able to get off the bus on their own on our road. (some days I just cant get ALL kids out the door and to the end of the drive to retrieve my kids from the bus) the bus comes at the end of nap. some still sleeping, some just waking up, some wake up with poopy diapers, others wake up and whine for a while, or cry if they dont get drink or snack....."what the!!!!!" some days i wonder how one person is supposed to manage ALL this!!!!!!!?:confuse d:

I have sent them an email explaining the situation and stressing the lack of a safe spot to park my six seater stroller full of babies and toddlers...this is the truth...in winter I can't even imagine! We'll see...I am hopeful because the bus already comes very near our house...it is already on our street...it would be a very small detour. Kidlove...your sittuation sounds terrible! I am very lucky because my son`s bus drops him off at close to 4pm...naptime is finished and we have time to have a snack and get ready first. I am so thankful for this! In fact, his school is close enough to walk to if we miss the bus in the morning (as we did today), which also helps...he is only taking the bus because it buys me a little more time and makes things that much easier with all the dck`s!

Just got a text last night from one Mom stating her two boys will be dropped off after I take my kids to the bus now. (before it was before the bus and I had to transport them down the road as well) getting better!!!! :)

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Originally Posted by momof2cuties

Thanks for the KIND advice to some, this is all new to me. I would still be on my property, just at the end of my driveway, and there are no other kids that get off at my daughters stop, (we live in the middle of no where) So taking them with me in the afternoon it is! :) And no Kingston Mom, I will not be leaving daycare to take a 'walke' as you say ;)

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I used to live in a rural location and also didn't relish taking all the kids to the bus stop. Like you, our bus stop was at the end of our driveway. I spoke to the bus driver in person and asked if it would be okay to wave at her from the front window, so she knew I was there, but didn't have to drag all the kids outside, especially in the winter. She understood that it was a daycare and seemed okay with it and we did it this way for several years, after I had school aged kids in my program as well. The only fly in the ointment was on snowy/icy days, if you live on an incline or decline as I did. In that case, the bus may need to let the child off up the road, in which case you'll have to work it out.