Bus safety tips for kindergarten students and parents

There are several ways you can teach your child how to become a safe rider:

1. Make sure your child knows to stay far away from the bus. If they can reach and touch the bus, they are much too close.

2. Put all papers, snacks, toys and other belongings in a backpack or school bag. This keeps items together and helps prevent items from falling on the ground around the bus where the youngster would be tempted to retrieve them.

3. If you escort your child to the bus stop and bring toddlers along, be sure to keep the younger children far away from the bus with a firm grip on them. Many toddlers are strongly attracted to the bus and may run toward it.

4. Familiarize your child with the neighborhood. This can easily be done with the family car. When in the car, ask your child, “Which way do we go?” Approach your street from a different direction than you do normally.

5. Bus drivers make mistakes! Make sure your child knows to get off of the bus ONLY at his/her stop or at school. It is easy to confuse names and faces of these youngsters. If your child is going to someplace else after school, be sure a note is presented to the school teacher.

6. Make sure your child knows his or her name and address and can repeat it to another adult. If your child gets on the wrong bus, we can get the student home.