scared to death?

Question

my daughter is starting kindergarten in a week. she had a evaluation over the summer couse they think she's not where she should be in her learning skills, so they are giving her a few hours a week in special ed. i'm scared to send her to school by herself and ride the bus. do they make sure she's gonna get on the right bus? and get off at the right place. she gets side tracked easily and she might not pay attention where she's at. and if i take her and pick her up do i have to go in and get her and take her in or do they bring her out? i'm new to this and i just don't know what to expect.

Answer 1

When my son started kindergarten two years ago, they had them wear tags around their necks for the first couple of weeks of school that had their teacher's name, bus number and where they were supposed to get on and off of the bus at. By doing this the bus diver could easily tell if that child was where they were supposed to be and if they weren't then they could easily be escorted to where they were supposed to be or to their teacher. This helped the kids to get into a routine.
I was scared to death as well, that he would end up someplace across town and I would never find him, I think probably every parent goes through "first day jitters" we probably get it worse then our kids who are just excited about starting school.
As far as dropping her off and picking her up, at my son's school when you drop off the child can either play, supervised by teachers, on the playground or you can walk them to the playground door where they can then go in and eat breakfast. When you pick up the teacher or teacher's aid walks all of the walkers and children that get picked up to the playground door where they are gathered by their parents or they walk home.
One thing that did make me feel better is knowing that my child was always supervised by a teacher or teacher's aide and that there are only ever two doors unlocked during the school day one of them goes directly into the school office and is unlocked the whole day the other is the playground door which enters right by the office and can be viewed by the office employees all day and is only unlocked when the children get to school after lunch for playtime and at the end of the school day when the children go home. It makes me feel better knowing that people that aren't supposed to be there cannot get into the school.
As far as your daughter riding the bus, make sure to review with your child what her bus number is and what the number looks like, take her to the spot where she is to be getting on and off of the bus so that she recognizes it, also it may help to see if there is an older child in your neighborhood that could buddy with her the first week or so until she feels comfortable on her own.
It won't take her long and she'll have the hang of it. Best of luck to both of you.

Answer 2

You should call the school and ask them. I'm sure they understand this and will alleviate you fears and concerns. Some school districts have their own buses, while others hire an outside company to provide them. If it's an outside company, try to get their phone number and talk to them about their policies For the kindergartners, I think it's common to bring them to bring them to the buses at the end of the day. At my elementary school, the sixth graders would go to the kindergarten room and take the kids safely to the right bus (because the assigned sixth graders and kindergartners rode the same bus). The buses should all have a different number, so maybe write the number down for her (on something that is durable, which she won't forget or lose) and tell her to double check or ask the bus driver if it is the correct bus. Good luck!

Answer 3

I remember when I was in Kindergarten . . during like the first weeks of school, someone was waiting at the buses when the kids got off at the school and wrote their bus numbers on their hands so the kids won't forget what bus they ride. Teachers know that this is a new experience for the kids, so they help them and make sure they'll be in the right place at the right time.

If you take her and pick her up, you will have to go in with her and go back in to get her.

I say do what makes you the most comfortable. If you don't think she's ready to handle getting on the bus by herself, drive her to school yourself.

Answer 4

If you take her and pick her up you will be more than free to go in and get her. Here's the thing though: With the way kids are today, she might get picked on for having mom picking her up. Kids might look at that and think she's a "baby". I personally see nothing wrong with it, but, I have no control over the children who probably will. If you want her to be safe and make sure she gets on the right bus, just walk her to the stop everyday for the first week or so. Show her which bus to get on (most have numbers or something on the side). Make sure she knows what her busdriver looks like and also ask the busdriver to make sure she gets on the bus everyday. Eventually, it will be a habit for her to walk to the bus stop and go to school. Good luck and God bless :)

Answer 5

Depends on the school.

When my daughter started kindy there was only one kindergarden class so the bus drivers all walked the kindergardeners to the class (while letting the older kids go off to thier class liines on thier own). At pick up the class assistant walked the kids out to the bus or the drivers came and picked them up. When dropping the kids off at home the parents were required to be there to pick the kids up. If no parent was there the policy was then to take them back to the school and have the parents called.

I picked my daughter up and the first few days we had to walk to the door to get our kids. But with 30 kids in the class that was soon changed to the kids lining up at the wall just outside the classroom and the teacher would personally dismiss each child who would raise thier hand if they saw a parent there to pick them up (also by then the teacher knew which child went to which parent.)

call the school. One of the office people should know.

Answer 6

I'm 12, and I know I'd be terrably embarassed to have my Mum came and picked me up. The other kids would probably make fun of her. I have a friend who's my age: her Mum and Dad wont let her ride her bike outside without them watching, and our nieghborhood is REALLY safe. She's really shy, and some of the kids at school make fun of her, because she can never go to dances or anything. The last thing a kid wants is an overprotective Mum. If you're really concerned though, call the school and talk to the principal. You can even call transportation about the bus situation: Bus drivers usually make sure kids get off where they're supposed to. Just don't worry, it'll be fine.

Answer 7

Breath! She will be fine. Yes they are very used to kindergarteners geting confused and turned around. They will make sure each child gets off where they are supposed to and wait until they are with their teacher before moving on to the next child. If you take her to school you will have to park and get out and walk her in. Because most schools do not like you interfereing with the busses. You will need to do the same thing with picking her up. Did they not have an orientation for her and you? Most schools have an orientation where they walk you through everything the child will have to do that day. Call the school they will tell you exactly what to expect and you can alert them to her attention problem. Relax and Good Luck

Answer 8

I don't know about your school system, but I have to assume there are certain things all schools do.

In our system, kindergartners - 2nd graders are escorted to the correct buses. Kindergartners also wear a special card around their neck with their name and bus number. Also, to get a K student off the bus, you have to have a special card that says you are allowed to take them with their name on it.

If you drop off, you can usually just let her go on in the school, but I recommend walking her in the first few days until she gets the hang of it.

Picking up, you have to go in and sign her out, it is a safety thing. She can't just leave and them not know where she went...which as a parent I am sure you can appreciate.

Going on the school bus is a rite of passage. She will meet other kids and possibly make friends, so I say let her try it out. It's a social time and could possibly help her develop as well.

But make sure to ask her about those rides. Kids today are getting more and more aggressive. If you notice any bullying, or she complains about kids picking on her, take her yourself.

Answer 9

When my oldest son started school, I had the same fears. The teacher or staff members at each location are to verify that all students get on & off the bus safely, even taking a head count. Especially with younger children. I live in MO and haven't had a problem. He is now starting 4th grade and his little brother starts kindergarten on Wed.

Answer 10

Sounds like you need to contact her school and ask all those questions!

My youngest will be going this fall too.. but our Kindergarten has an orientation day the first day so the kids learn the school stuff and parents get to go and see too how things work.They also do a class in the summer called K-Club for them to meet other kids they will go to school with and get prepared for school rules and such. They do make sure they get on the right buses and such our school uses nametags for that with their name and bus #. And we can drop off and pick up between times they give us and you just pull around in a line at the school, they have school monitors there to help your child in/out of the car and make sure she is with the parent/guardian. I would assume al schools do their best to protect our kids.. but to be sure call your school., maybe you and your daughter can go visit the school now and check it out...hang in there mom..