OT - Pre-k bus ride How long is too long?

[wendylovesdisney]

Hi guys, my 4 year old daughter is attending pre-k through the schools because she qualifies under special needs. She has attachment issues, anxiety, etc. Anyway, her bus ride each way is 40 minutes. She is the first picked up and the last dropped off. I think the first picked up should be the first dropped off and so on. It is only fair. I think 80 minutes a day bus ride is too much when she is only going to preschool for 2 1/2 hours to begin with anyway?
What did/does everyone else do?
Driving her myself is not an option for me every day because of a in poor health family member who watches them when I am at work.

By the way, I live 4 minutes from the school.

 

[mom2aredhead]

Very long, actually, but you said you really have no other options....

My son attends pre-K a few blocks from my house. 4/5 days we walk - I drive him 1 day because I continue down the street to go to work - just easier than backtracking.
Next year for kindergarten he would qualify for the bus (up until 2nd grade) but I would need to decide based on the bus schedule and my schedule what would work better - we have a little time for that. His elementary school will be a little further, but still walkable on a nice day

 

[rbork]

My kid's are the 1st picked up and last dropped off 30 min each time and we live less than 2mi from school. Only other option is to drive them. If there are anxiety and seperation issues - perhaps you need to find a way to pick up or drop off right at the school at least until the phase passes. OR perhaps carpool with another student?

 

[Disney_Dreaming]

Agreed with a PP that it's better to take her to school and pick her up after.

I personally think a child that young shouldn't ride the bus anyway unless they have an older sibling!

 

[nessz79]

Wow, that is way too much for a 4 year old I think! Even one without separation issues would be anxious in a situation like that. Definitely I'd exhaust every other option possible first.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Agreed. Way too long. I am not sure the benifits of the program would out-weigh the long bus ride.

 

[all4fun]

Have you discussed this with the school or called transportation and discussed this issue with them? If not, I'd give them a chance to help figure out a solution to this dilemma. I'd hate to see your dd not receive services she needs because of a transportation issue.

My ds also goes to preschool for special needs kids (he was a preemie and has some developmental delays) and he is also the 1st or 2nd picked up/last dropped off and his bus ride is about 30-40mins long. Fortunately for us, he loves riding the bus. We also put him in an E-Z-On harness which is safer than just the seatbelt (the bus is equipped with lap belts) so that also puts my mind at ease that if he gets restless he's not going to try and wander the bus because he got bored or something. He did this last year and just started again this year and so far no problems.

 

[jodifla]

Hi guys, my 4 year old daughter is attending pre-k through the schools because she qualifies under special needs. She has attachment issues, anxiety, etc. Anyway, her bus ride each way is 40 minutes. She is the first picked up and the last dropped off. I think the first picked up should be the first dropped off and so on. It is only fair. I think 80 minutes a day bus ride is too much when she is only going to preschool for 2 1/2 hours to begin with anyway?
What did/does everyone else do?
Driving her myself is not an option for me every day because of a in poor health family member who watches them when I am at work.

By the way, I live 4 minutes from the school.

It seems like a bizzarely long bus ride since you are so close to the school. I agree with other posters -- call and see if the order can change.

I put my DS on a bus at 3 to go to his speech preschool. He wore a vest. He absolutely loved the bus, so I didn't stress at all about how long he rode the bus.

His ride was about 40 minutes as well, now that I think about it. It would have been a 20 minute drive in the car, though, so I didn't think it was too unreasonable.

How does your daughter feel about the bus ride? Is she stressed out about it?

 

[Aristomommy]

I agree that it is a long bus ride. DD wanted to ride the bus in pre-K and K even though we lived very close to the school. Her ride was 25-30 min. and we could have driven in 2 min. But she loved it, she took a book to read or just watched out the window. I think in your case it depends on if your child likes to ride the bus, separation issues and your availability to drop off and pick up. I would also ask the school why they she is the one riding the longest instead of reversing the route in the afternoon.

 

[Hannathy]

aI would also ask the school why they she is the one riding the longest instead of reversing the route in the afternoon.

It is simply logistics!!!! It is simple they just reverse the route-first off is the last one picked up in the morning. What are they supposed to do drive past all the other kids to her house and then drive the route back to school to drop off those kids that live closer to the school. That would be crazy.

 

[wendylovesdisney]

It is simply logistics!!!! It is simple they just reverse the route-first off is the last one picked up in the morning. What are they supposed to do drive past all the other kids to her house and then drive the route back to school to drop off those kids that live closer to the school. That would be crazy.

Well, actually I have tried contacting the school and they are not that helpful.

As far as logistics go (or craziness), We live a few minutes away, RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD. Only one turn. The rest of the route is pretty far away. They actually drive like 15 minutes to get to the first stop after school. So, they really are'nt going out of their way. And I really think that the first on should be the first off. I don't mind her taking her turn and being first on, but really they COULD make her then first off.

I would drive every day if I could, but can't. Just wanted to hear others opinions. Thanks everyone.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

If the route is run in the same direction in the afternoon she should be the first on in the morning and the first one off at night, My boys are the lasts ones on in the morning and the last ones off at night, but I have been going to pick them up in the afternoon.

 

[robyng]

I know there are usually limits as to how long a student can be on a bus. When my son first started his special ed preschool he was on for over an hour and they had to change the route because he was on longer than was permitted. I happened upon the law by chance and once I brought it up that was when they changed it. They got it down to 30-40 minutes, depending on the day.