It’s that time of year! The weather cools down as fall arrives, and children everywhere head back to school for another year of excitement and learning.
With all the changes in preparing for a new year, the first months of school can be overwhelming for children and their parents.
To help you adjust to the new school year and all the changes it can bring to your family’s schedule, we’ve gathered our top seasonal tips for school transportation in one post.
Let’s jump in!
Tip #1: Discuss the School Year as a Family
First, take time to discuss the upcoming school year with your children.
Often, children get worried about going to school because of the many unknowns they associate with it.
Talking with your children about their feelings can help ease some of their stress.
Back to school is a big thing for most children – new teachers, a new classroom, making friends, and taking the bus are all things your child might be nervous about.
Talk with them about the different elements of school to discern the areas they might be most worried about. Once you know how they’re feeling, it’s easier to help.
To help ease your child’s worries about the school year, speak positively about school. Children often remember more than we realize, so replacing negative statements with positive ones can help reframe their perspective.
It may seem simple, but being positive and reminding your child about the parts of school they love will help instill confidence!
Also, remind them that it’s normal to feel a bit nervous when starting school. Listen to their worries and reassure them about the upcoming school year and its changes.
Encourage your children that there are plenty of opportunities to make new friends and spend time doing activities they’ll love (even if their favourite class is recess)!
Tip #2: Review School Transportation Safety
For many families, with the new school year comes the question of school transportation. To prepare students for travelling to school, it’s important to review crucial safety information as a family. Explaining how to safely wait for and get on the school bus is especially important for children who are new to riding the bus.
To help get the conversation started, here are some bus safety tips to share with your children:
- When you see the bus arrive, wait for the bus and any nearby traffic to completely stop.
- Before crossing the road to board the bus, wait for the bus driver to signal that it’s safe. Always look left, right, and left again before crossing!
- After getting on the bus, find your seat quickly.
- While riding the bus, stay seated and face the front. Don’t switch seats while the bus is moving.
- Always follow your bus driver’s instructions! Their job is to help keep you safe while riding the bus as well as getting on or off.
School transportation can be a fun experience for many children, but it’s not without hazards. Making sure students understand how to safely ride and approach the bus helps keep everyone safe. ardless of how students get to school, the most important part is that they arrive at their destination safely.
Tip #3: Get Familiar with Your New School Schedule
Like anyone else, children can find adjusting to a new schedule difficult. To help your child adjust to their school schedule, explain their new routine and walk them through it.
For young children, try creating a daily schedule with pictures that represent each activity. Keep their new schedule visible by putting it in a location they’ll see every day, like the kitchen.
To help your child make sense of all the changes to their routine, it’s important to prepare them as much as possible beforehand.
If your child is taking the bus for the first time this year, let them know where and when they can expect to be picked up and dropped off each day.
Managing your family’s bus schedule and information is made easy with the Bustrak app. With the app, you can easily confirm the location of your child’s bus stop and see your scheduled pick-up and drop-off times.
Plus, there’s no need to stand outside waiting for a bus that never shows. With the Bustrak app, you can see where your child’s bus is on its route so you can make it to the bus stop on time!
Tip #4: Practice Finding Your Child’s Bus Stop
Knowing where your child’s bus stop is located is an essential part of figuring out school transportation for the year. Practice walking to the bus stop with your child, especially if the stop is located away from your home.
If you have young children, coordinate plans so they won’t be left unaccompanied at the bus stop. A parent should be present to make sure your child gets on and off the bus safely.
For older students, having a sibling or friend walk with them can help keep them safe, too.
If your child is feeling unsure about school or the bus, it could be helpful to see if their school hosts an intro event for new and returning students. Visiting your child’s school can be a helpful way to get them acquainted with the changes of a new year.
Plus, school intro events may even allow new students to check out and ride the bus for the first time!
Tip #5: Know How to Contact Your Child’s School and Bus Administrator
Next, with all the changes of a new school year comes a unique set of worries for parents, too.
Knowing who to contact in case of a family emergency or how to reach important people like your child’s teachers and bus administrator is essential.
Communication between your child’s school and bus administrator can often be confusing, trying to ensure everyone has received the information they need.
Using the Bustrak app, you can easily communicate changes about your child’s bus ride to their bus driver and administrator. Simply notify the bus driver through the app if your child won’t be riding the bus that day.
Less time spent waiting at empty bus stops keeps the school bus on schedule, meaning better, faster school transportation for everyone!
Tip #6: Be a Safe Driver & Prepared Parent
Finally, one of our top seasonal tips for school transportation is to remember to be a safe driver and a prepared parent.
Parents are constantly on the road, travelling between work, soccer practice, piano lessons and home.
Driving safely and paying attention while you’re on the road helps keep everyone’s children safe.
As well, the fall and winter seasons can bring sudden, drastic changes to the weather, impacting driving conditions.
Be a prepared parent by staying aware of weather conditions and how they may affect your child’s commute.
If your child won’t be riding the bus on a specific day, simply notify their bus driver through the Bustrak app. And, get notifications about bus cancellations or delays through the app, too!
Improve Student Safety with the Bustrak App!
Ultimately, school transportation is about keeping our children safe on their daily ride to school.
Improved communication through our easy-to-use app keeps everyone safe and informed. By bridging the gap between parents, school administrators, bus companies and bus drivers, we can create a safe transportation experience for our students.
If you’re looking to improve the communication and monitoring capabilities of your school’s transportation, Bustrak is here to help. Or, maybe you’re curious how real-time bus tracking could change your child’s transportation for the better.
With features specifically designed to help improve functionality for bus drivers and school administrators, we’re helping to create a safer future for school transportation.
Plus, parents enjoy peace of mind about their child’s transportation with the user-friendly Bustrak app, which provides accurate, timely alerts and real-time tracking of their child’s route.
If you want to learn more about the Bustrak app, contact us! We’d be happy to walk you through the app, answer your questions, and provide additional information.
We can’t wait to continue working with schools and parents this year to create a safer bus experience for students. Here’s to a safe and exciting school year ahead!