Preparing your kindergarten child to ride the school bus
The Peel District School Board and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board operate a joint transportation system that provides busing service for thousands of students each year.
Riding the school bus is a new experience for kindergarten children. This fact sheet will help you prepare your child to safely ride the school bus.
Who may ride the school bus?
Kindergarten students who live more than one kilometre from the school qualify for transportation.
What you should know
- Because central pick-up and drop-off locations are used, children have to walk from their home to the school bus stop.
- Your child's school will inform you of bus times and bus stop locations. Schedules are approximate, so students should be at bus stops at least five minutes before the designated time.
- Sometimes bus drivers can't enter new subdivisions because of construction activity. In this situation, you are responsible for taking your child to the nearest bus stop.
- In most schools, kindergarten is a half-day program. Children in the morning program ride the bus to school with older children from other elementary grades, but on their trip home there are only kindergarten children on the bus. Children in the afternoon program ride to school with other kindergarten children, but on their trip home they ride with older children.
If your school has a full-day early learning program, children will ride the bus to and from school each day with older children from other elementary grades. There will be no noon-hour bus run. As always, busing will not be provided to and from before- and after-school programs.
Meeting your child at the bus stop
You are responsible for your children before they step on the bus and once they step off the bus. If no one meets your kindergarten child at the bus stop, the bus driver is required to take the child back to school.
Special safety features
The following safeguards will assist kindergarten students during the first few weeks of school.
Working together to keep students safe
- Plan your schedule so your child does not arrive at the bus stop too early.
- Stay with your child until they get onto the bus.
- Make sure your child knows what stop to get off at.
- Kindergarten students must be met by a parent/caregiver at their designated stop each day. Students who are not met will be returned to the school by the driver at the end of the bus run.
Identification tags
The school will give identification tags to kindergarten students identifying their school, bus run and bus stop location. This ensures that children get off the bus at the right place. Please make sure your child wears the identification tag at all times.
Bus numbers
Each school bus has a run number posted in the window.
Safety video
In early September, all kindergarten children view a bus safety video. The video presents the basic safety rules of riding a bus. Kindergarten teachers supplement the video with classroom instruction.
Tips to help make your child's bus ride safe
You can help keep your child safe on the bus by sharing the following tips with your child:
At the bus stop
- Stay back from the road
- Wait quietly in line when getting on and off the bus
- Stay back until the bus stops, its lights start flashing and the door opens
- Get on and off the bus one at a time
- Wait your turn to get on the bus-don't push or shove
- Always look both ways before crossing in front of the bus
- Speak quietly to your friends and try not to raise your voice
On the bus
- Sit properly in your seat
- You can talk to your friends
- Stay in your seat—never stand when the bus is moving
When you leave the bus
- Look in all directions before you cross the street
- Use your eyes and ears before you use your feet
- Go straight home-don't make any stops along the way
- Walk—don't run
- Stay three metres (the length of a car) or more from the front of the bus
Things for children to remember
- Your name, address and telephone number
- Your school and teacher's name
- Your bus driver's name
- Your bus stop
For more information
For more information about busing, contact your school principal or one of the following Student Transportation of Peel offices:
- West Area - 905-890-0614
- East Area - 905-890-6000
For more information on school bus safety, call the Canada Safety Council at 613-739-1535 or visit the school bus safety website at www.elmer.ca.
