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Weird title- couldn't think of a way to phrase. Anyway, dcb 3 has autism and attends public preschool for services. He is picked up daily by a bus, with a monitor. The past few weeks I have brought all the kids out to greet the bus on arrival and drop off. With naps/lunch, this doesn't always work, so I have been walking him 1/2 way down my driveway and letting him get on himself- the aid meets him on the bus steps and buckles him in. He's getting great at going without any hesitation. I just don't know what I should be doing- is it ok to let him go (my driveway is short). The aid doesn't budge much to help, but it's probably because I have been bringing him out. I'm also nervous to have the aid come get him at the door because what if she trips and gets hurt on my property (winter). Any ideas?
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Does your (or his) bus department have specific rules about transferring kids?
For example, I have a little DCK that gets off a bus here three times a week. The bus requires eye to eye contact. Meaning I have to make eye contact with the driver and either wave or indicate that I see the child and am taking over.
I've had situations before that required hand to hand where the child must be physically handed to me before they are allowed to leave.
I've also had kids just dropped off with no contact or even a wave to the driver.
Sometimes I was not able to bundle up all the kids and take them to meet the bus for whatever reason so the bus had to have the aide walk the child in.
I won't leave several kids inside or bundle up several kids just for the sake of one child so if it's something I can not easily accommodate I leave it up to the parents, school and bus department to figure out.
HTH
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Our bus will not drop off a K child if there is no adult present to meet the bus . I do not have to be at the top of my driveway for them to be allowed off the bus but I must be outside waiting where the driver can see me.
In the winter I have the kids inside the garage waiting all bundled up but at least sheltered from the weather if it is bad or extremely cold . When the bus pulls up I walk out into the driveway so she can see me and she will let the kids off .Comment
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I have 2 busses drop off kids- one from elementary & one from middle school. Middle school one (my kids) drops off at the driveway & I just step out on front porch or garage depending on weather. They won't consider the children transferred till they see an adult with the child or until kids are inside.
The other one (10-15 minutes earlier) drops off at a stop a couple of houses down. That one I load up the stroller (or car in bad weather) & head down to pick up there.Comment
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As long as licensing and the parent are ok with it I wouldn't see a problem.
My son went a special education preschool starting when he was 3 and his provider sent him out the door and watched to make sure he got to the bus but I would have never expected her to take all the other kids out to walk him to the bus or to leave them unattended to do it. Same thing when he came back, the bus driver just needed to see that someone was there waiting for him.
I was actually so nervous that he wouldn't cooperate and just walk to the bus that for the first few days I had my mom go over there at drop off and pick up to make sure he understood what he needed to do
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Did you ask the bus driver or aide? Explain the situation to them and see what they say.Comment
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Yep, I just asked the driver today. She said at his age, I must come get him
She was very nice about it all, and said she had done FCC for years, so she understood it being a hassle. My licensor is due out next month, so I will see if she has any clever ideas. This is becoming a bit of a hassle with the ones that are napping. Thanks for all the responses to my post!
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I think I would double check with the school district on the policy. Just because the driver said this is the policy, it doesn't necessarily mean it is the policy.Comment
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I will only do SA (5+) kids who take the bus. Unless EI is door to door, I couldn't do it. My SA families know that I do NOT take kids to/from the bus stop for public school, and if their child has issues at the bus stop or to/from, the parent has to make other arrangements.Comment
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I actually dread having my next child with special needs preschool. I used to have my kids all set up at the table with toys or markers & paper, babies in a crib or pnp, and I'd run out to take the child to or from the bus.
Here, neither the aide or the driver is allowed to get off the bus, so they will not come to the door, or meet half-way. The adult is required to bring the child directly to and from the bus door. And with the current supervision guidelines, there is no way I am "allowed" to take the child all the way to the bus door.
All I can come up with is that it will be the parents' problem. I expect the child will end up leaving here to go to a center, or a home that doesn't follow the rules, which is a sad situation if you ask me. I have always run an inclusive child care home.Comment
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Here the aids can not get off the bus unless the child needs the wheel chair lift. I had to stop taking the special needs preschoolers unless the parents could transport. I used to be able to run out and meet the bus but I have had friends written up for sitting in the door way talking to their neighbor during nap. butt in the house and feet out with the door open. so meeting the bus is out now.It:
: will waitComment
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Where I live, the kids are let off even if an adult isn't present at the end of my driveway. My driveway is 200 yards long and winds into the woods. My house can't even be seen from the road. The kids walk to my house. Now if my son is on the bus alone I go meet him at the end of the driveway because it's a busy road and I don't necessarily trust him to come straight to the house.
I'm not sure what they do for special needs though.
If I have any SA after school drop ins and they are past clients, I still let them walk to my house if my daughter is present on the bus.Comment
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Does the bus stop in from of your house? Can you watch though the door & when it stops, step outside for a second to get the child?Comment
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Why is it the child care providers responsibility to figure this out?
I've had situations before where the parent needed/wanted a child to be dropped at my daycare via bus but the bus driver would not allow the child to get off the bus unless I physically met the bus (with all my other DCK's in tow).
When I told the parent that I would no longer accommodate this, she felt that it was part of MY job and that if a child was brought to MY house, then I had to figure out how to make it work.
Bottom line is (after talking with licensing) we came to the conclusion that it is not MY issue. It is the PARENTS issue to figure out.
I told the parent that thy needed to find a bus rider, an aide or they themselves would need to work something out with the bus because I refused to allow ONE child's need to affect the other kids' need for continuity of their daily schedule.
Personally, I would not get in the middle of this and I would let the parent figure it out between the school and the busComment
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