Head Start Bussing Issues

[BumbleBee]

Dcm dropped on me today that dcb will be going to Head Start. I stared at her for a minute then asked what the plan was for the bus.

Up until 2 years ago the Head Start bus dropped off all of the kids in town in the public parking lot in the middle of town. A pick up person had to be there for each child. The bus arrived at 3:05pm. I had 2 kids in Head Start at the time and having to be at the Head Start bus drop off at 3:05pm and at the Elementary School at 3:10pm didn't work at all. It didn't make sense for me to hire an assistant at the time for 2 kids. The $$ the pay an assistant vs the money made from 2 after school kids was not making me any money.

Last year Head Start began dropping off at daycares while still doing the group drop off for non daycare kids in the public parking lot in town. Ok, we tried it last year. I had a group license and an assistant. Didn't work. One of us would have to leave for school pick up at 2:55pm, the other would stay at daycare with the kids who were still sleeping, and the bus would arrive any time between 2:55 and 3:15pm-and we were expected to be out there waiting for the bus. You can't see my driveway from my house, no windows facing that way. Sorry, no, not leaving sleeping/awake children alone in the house for 20 minutes while I wait for the bus. Besides, it's against licensing regulations.

I contacted the Head Start bussing and tried to figure out a way to make it work. They weren't budging. Be out there waiting or the kid doesn't get dropped off. Fair enough, I can understand that. I tried reworking our schedule a bit to have lunch/nap sooner so the teacher who stayed at daycare could have the kids outside while waiting for the bus. Well that shortened our preschool time and the kids weren't hungry/tired. So I had a bunch of overtired (from being woken up early,) hangry (from not eating lunch) kids. Again, I'm not hiring another assistant for a whopping 30 min - 1 hr a day to get 1 kid off the bus.

This year the bussing situation is the same as last year. Will drop off at daycare but won't leave child if an adult is not out there waiting.

Does anybody have any suggestions? I already told dcm I can't get kid off the bus due to prior obligations (picking up 5 kids from elementary school.) Just wondering if there's a solution I'm not thinking of.

Bussing will not walk the child to the door. An adult HAS TO meet the bus at the street. If no adult is outside when the bus arrives, the bus will continue on. They will not wait.

I understand why they won't, but I literally cannot see any part of my driveway from the inside the daycare. I considered one of those camera's that you can connect to on a smart phone but I don't own a smartphone. Seems kind of silly to get a smart phone and a camera just for a bus to drop off 1 kid. It doesn't make financial sense to hire another assistant just to wait for a bus. And this particular child is on State pay, which is fine, but I cannot charge more for this child then I charge anybody else so I can't even increase the cost of care for this child to cover an extra assistant.

I'm not against Head Start in any way, just wish their bussing policy had a little more wiggle room.

[Unregistered]

Terminate this kid & be done. No sense in stressing over something that the parent decides they want their child to do and pull you in the middle.

[KSDC]

I would just tell mom that if she would like her child to be in Head Start, then it is her responsibility to work out the transportation. it is not a service that you provide.

[laundrymom]

I would just tell mom that if she would like her child to be in Head Start, then it is her responsibility to work out the transportation. it is not a service that you provide.

This seems to be the best option.
"Mom, I'm unable to retrieve boy from the headstart bus. I'm sorry. "

[BumbleBee]

well the bus issue may not be an issue after all.

The elementary school has a new pick up procedure-released today. Instead of picking up in the gymnasium, inside the school, we now have to pick up on the front lawn.

This lawn is not big by any stretch of the imagination. It has the building on one side, parking lot on 2 sides, and a main road on the last side. The main road is the only entrance and exit for all vehicles picking up from both the middle school up the road and the elementary school. The safety implications for the elementary school kids are numerous. The logistics of picking up school agers with younger daycare kids in tow are a nightmare-not to mention the safety concerns I have for my younger daycare kids. I don't have the option of not taking younger kids with me due to ratios. Can only leave 6 at home with my assistant. When I have 12 kids and only 3 are school age pick ups, I have to take 3 with me and I'm a no transport daycare so we walk. Even if I'm picking up the full 5 I still have to take 1 kid with me. It's only 2 blocks but the safety concerns I have with young daycare kids next to a busy road and a busy parking lot are huge.

This should be interesting. Depending on how this goes, I may be dropping my school pick up. Really wondering how winter is going to go. The grass always has big piles of snow on it, and with only 2 walkways I'm not sure how this is going to work. Not sure where parents are supposed to stand much less all the kids waiting to be picked up.

[flying_babyb]

wait, is there any way the head start bus will drop of at the elementary school your picking the 5 kids up at?

[BumbleBee]

wait, is there any way the head start bus will drop of at the elementary school your picking the 5 kids up at?

No. I asked. They won't. Only a daycare or the public parking lot in town.

[daycarediva]

I would just tell mom that if she would like her child to be in Head Start, then it is her responsibility to work out the transportation. it is not a service that you provide.

YUP!

I actually added into my contract that I will not handle bus/alternative transportation for ANY program. NO school age. NO UPK. NO head start. NOPE.

I live on a long driveway at the end of a dead end street, the bus won't even come up my street let alone driveway. No sidewalks. It would be a nightmare.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I would tell them that unless they can work out transportation, they will have to find other care. What I dont understand is that they are state pay, you mentioned you do preschool, and staying with you means not having to worry about transportation, so why do they even want to go to headstart? And how does that effect your money? Will they pay school age rates? HS is not usually on fridays either, so I guess I am just not getting how that all works. HS, imo, is glorified daycare that closes at 3 and on fridays, so will the state even pay for the kid to go to both places? I feel like you are gonna lose money and have more of a hassle.:confused:

[BumbleBee]

I would tell them that unless they can work out transportation, they will have to find other care. What I dont understand is that they are state pay, you mentioned you do preschool, and staying with you means not having to worry about transportation, so why do they even want to go to headstart? And how does that effect your money? Will they pay school age rates? HS is not usually on fridays either, so I guess I am just not getting how that all works. HS, imo, is glorified daycare that closes at 3 and on fridays, so will the state even pay for the kid to go to both places? I feel like you are gonna lose money and have more of a hassle.:confused:

Head Start would be completely free for dcm where as state pay only covers 75% of her daycare bill here. But yeah, I do pretty much the same thing as Head Start, only difference is I have a wider range of ages.

[hwichlaz]

I would tell them that unless they can work out transportation, they will have to find other care. What I dont understand is that they are state pay, you mentioned you do preschool, and staying with you means not having to worry about transportation, so why do they even want to go to headstart? And how does that effect your money? Will they pay school age rates? HS is not usually on fridays either, so I guess I am just not getting how that all works. HS, imo, is glorified daycare that closes at 3 and on fridays, so will the state even pay for the kid to go to both places? I feel like you are gonna lose money and have more of a hassle.:confused:

Here head start includes all of the therapies a child needs...so I encourage my special needs parents to use it. I do host therapists in my facility but there is a shortage of those therapists that do house calls. If a parent wants to use head start for a non-special needs child, I do NOT discount before and after care. Their child is taking up a spot for their age and that's what I charge. In some cases, I charge the same for the SN kids too....depending on how head start ends up breaking up their day.

[hwichlaz]

AND I don't transport to and from school unless the child is at the same school on the same schedule as my child. Even then, I just put them on the bus together.

I do have one very old client that I pick up and drop off for....but she was one of my first clients after I moved here and I've had her girls since shortly after they were born. I won't be doing it for any new clients.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

Head Start would be completely free for dcm where as state pay only covers 75% of her daycare bill here. But yeah, I do pretty much the same thing as Head Start, only difference is I have a wider range of ages.

HS here is free too, but the main issue is needing after school care and friday care, which would probably end up being the same, if not more than the 25% she pays of your dc fees, so I guess that is what I dont get. My son went to HS for one year when we lived rurally for speech issues and I had 4 different families seek me out for Fridays and after school care. It was a main issue, so I just think this dc parent is going to have the same experience and wish she never left you!