If you try carpooling, however, you may find it isn't always as easy as it would seem. Mornings can be quite hectic, especially when you're trying to get your kids wrangled up and ready for the school day. Here are some great things to keep in mind whn considering carpooling...
Don't Be Late!
This is a great one! This is also a way to respect the parent responsible for picking your child up in the morning. You wouldn't want to be sitting around waiting on their kid, right? It doesn't just affect them. The other parents waiting for their child to be picked up wouldn't appreciate the delay either. Also, avoid having long conversations with the driver. Keep it quick and simple.
Car Safety
Make sure you have a talk with your child about safety while in the car before you hand them over to another driver. Be sure to go over no screaming, seat belts, being courteous to other passengers, and being respectful to the driver.
Emergency Contact List
First off, please remember if there is an emergency to keep calm. They happen and it's important not to blame the driver. Once there is a set carpooling schedule, make a list of contacts with the names of parents, their children, addresses and phone numbers. Then hand them out to each family involved.
Stay Organized
Setting up a schedule with all the participating families is key! Determine what days and times are best for each driver and make sure the responsibility is shared fairly. It's best if the families live closer together so that there isn't a long out of the way drive for someone.
Remember Extracurricular Activities
Be sure to keep all the children's activities in mind. If your child has some, try to pair them with another child who is involved in after school activities.
Keep Your Child in the Loop
Make sure to let your child know who is picking them up every day. This avoids confusion and delays. It's also a good idea to inform the teacher if there could be multiple people picking your child up from school.
As an extra safety tip for your child, it's a great idea to have a safe word in case someone the child isn't use to coming to pick them up arrives. Have a safe word with you child like 'watermelon', then if you have to ask someone to pick your child up from school like one of your friends, you can give them the safe word and your child will feel at ease.
Conner Insurance Agency