West Chester Area School District
Child Care Transportation Management Policy

1. Child care busing is defined as busing over an extended period of time to or from any location other than the student’s registered home of record for child care purposes. Acceptable day care situations include busing to or from a licensed day care facility, a parent’s workplace, or the home of a neighbor, grandparent, mother or father (if the parents maintain separate residences) or other relative. Busing is not provided to locations for before or after school activities or student employment.
   
   
2. Up to two (2) pick-up/drop-off points can be assigned on a permanent basis if requested by the parent/guardian.
   
   
3. Child care busing routes pick-up/drop-off points must be within the assigned busing area of the public school the student attends or close to the existing busing route of the nonpublic school the child attends. However, in no event shall transportation be provided to any child care facility located outside of the West Chester Area School District boundaries. Each school office has a list of the licensed day care facilities to which child care busing is permitted for that school.
   
   
4. Requests for child care busing must be submitted by completing the form, “Bus Stop Request for Child Care,” available in every school office (on online here). (pdf)*
   
   The parent must give the completed form to the school the child is attending. The school office retains the original form and forwards a copy to the transportation office.
   
   
5. Requests for child care busing are processed according to the following timelines:
   
   
• Requests received ten (10) workdays or more before the first day of school are processed to the opening of school.
  
  
• Requests received within ten (10) workdays before the first day of school and ten (10) workdays after the first day of school may take up to three (3) weeks after the opening of school to process. The Transportation Office requires this time to evaluate schedules and bus loads.
  
  
• For all other times of the year, child care busing requests are normally processed within three (3) to five (5) working days.
  
  
6. Busing for child care is granted for a period of no more than one academic year. The parent must renew the request for each academic year.
   
   
7. In accordance with Student Transportation Policy ED, child care busing is not provided for students with attendance exceptions associated with redistricting, inter-school transfers, or professional courtesies.
   
   
8. The guidelines for walk zones to and from school, home and bus stop, as contained in Student Transportation Policy ED, are followed for child care busing. For example:
   
   
   • If a child care provider is located within safe walking distance of the student’s school, then transportation to and from that daycare center is not provided.
     
     
   • Stops for child care providers are on the street. Buses do not enter parking lots, private driveways, etc.
   
   
9. Child care providers are responsible for providing proper adult supervision and ensuring child safety prior to boarding the bus and from the time the child is discharged.

Board Policy EDH, Adopted January 2007

* Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader