Preschool field trip on metro

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually I’m wondering what are the safety issues on metro. Last I heard, no daycare ever lost a kid on the train and no kid from a daycare field trip was ever hurt. So not really her why Metro raises some special concern.

+1 I took my kid to preschool daily on the metro without incident. OP sounds cloistered.

Depends where you live. In Arlington my kid rides Metro 1-2x a year. It’s loud and dark and he freezes and won’t move quickly when it’s time to get on / off the train. He’s almost 4 and he knows all about how to behave in a parking garage. I would not want to be trying to reason with a scared 3 yr old in a crowded public space and out of 16 kids in his class, if my kid doesn’t freak out at least one of them will. That’s the nature of 3yr olds.

I think the average 3 year old is tougher and more resilient than some of the people posting on this thread. Kids are fine going on field trips on public transportation and I know this from lots of experience. I don't ever recall a kid freaking out - kids freak out when they are hungry and tired and alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know there are frequently day care and preschool teachers on here. What is an appropriate adult:child ratio for a field trip via metro rail? The kids are all 3 years old; currently I'm told there will be "extra" hands but they don't know how many (whoever is available that day). There are a few classes going with 12 kids and 4 teachers each; one of the teachers in my DC's class is largely pregnant and she is the fittest one.

Yes I'm a bit paranoid but we all know the safety issues on metro.

As a former preschool teacher, my first choice for field trips is 2 kids per adult, plus at least one adult whose hands are free. Having said that, an adult can hold 4 kids hands. You have two kids hold hands and put your hand over their joined hands. I'm comfortable with that for some kids, for a really familiar trip, with kids I know well . . .

My preference at 3 is to have an adult touching every child when getting on and off the train, and when crossing major roads.

Thank you. Totally agree a lower ratio is fine In familiar settings but this isn’t a walk two blocks to the library. -OP

[Anonymous]

I’m a director of a center whose 3’s-5’s classes travel by Metro and Metrobus at least once a month. This has been happening for about 16 years. Nothing bad has ever happened except a few temper tantrums. Our ratio is typically 1:3 or 4. They do lots of walking through the neighborhood/city and practice with the kids so they are prepared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a director of a center whose 3’s-5’s classes travel by Metro and Metrobus at least once a month. This has been happening for about 16 years. Nothing bad has ever happened except a few temper tantrums. Our ratio is typically 1:3 or 4. They do lots of walking through the neighborhood/city and practice with the kids so they are prepared.

That’s good to hear.

[Anonymous]

My kids' preschool does trips like this several times a year. A 1:4 ratio would not bother me in the slightest for this (although often a few parents would show up too). I would not want any fewer than four teachers to 12 kids, though.

[Anonymous]

Our daycare did this all the time, riding bus or Metro. They had some parents volunteer, and it ended up being 1:2 or 1:3. The kids had a blast.

[Anonymous]

Should be 1:2. In my opinion daycares and camps are way to cavalier about this for the 3s and 4s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids' preschool does trips like this several times a year. A 1:4 ratio would not bother me in the slightest for this (although often a few parents would show up too). I would not want any fewer than four teachers to 12 kids, though.

Honestly, having been in not one but TWO crowd panic situations in L'Enfant Plaza Metro this year, I would not be at all ok with a 1:4 ratio for 3 year olds. Yes, I am a person on the more cautious side, but those experiences were sobering.

[Anonymous]

There's absolutely no reason for preschoolers to go on a field trip... at all. Where will they go? The zoo? Most kids can go without it being a field trip. The headache of managing all this is just not worth it.
- preschool teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: There's absolutely no reason for preschoolers to go on a field trip... at all. Where will they go? The zoo? Most kids can go without it being a field trip. The headache of managing all this is just not worth it.
- preschool teacher

Really? Many of the preschoolers I taught had never set foot in a zoo, museum, farm, etc. Their parents were thrilled that we were exposing them to those settings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: There's absolutely no reason for preschoolers to go on a field trip... at all. Where will they go? The zoo? Most kids can go without it being a field trip. The headache of managing all this is just not worth it.
- preschool teacher

Please post where you "teach" so we can avoid sending our kids there.

Preschool is not too early to standing our kids up to function in the real world and they should not be kept warehoused inside all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually I’m wondering what are the safety issues on metro. Last I heard, no daycare ever lost a kid on the train and no kid from a daycare field trip was ever hurt. So not really her why Metro raises some special concern.

+1 I took my kid to preschool daily on the metro without incident. OP sounds cloistered.

That’s a 1:1 ratio. Totally different.

I’m OP ive lived in DC proper for 9 years, take the metro to work every day between 2008-2018 and 2003-2005. Thats how I know the many things that can go wrong in a system that is poorly maintained with very little safety protocols in place for emergencies.

Exactly. Metro can't even manage to put in proper lighting, radios, or signage. They DO NOT CARE about contingency plans for emergencies. I have no issue with taking my kid on the metro or letting him go with a babysitter; but at 3 would not be thrilled if there was less than a 1:2 ratio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: There's absolutely no reason for preschoolers to go on a field trip... at all. Where will they go? The zoo? Most kids can go without it being a field trip. The headache of managing all this is just not worth it.
- preschool teacher

Please post where you "teach" so we can avoid sending our kids there.

Preschool is not too early to standing our kids up to function in the real world and they should not be kept warehoused inside all day.

Actually I totally agree with preschool teacher. Unless the kids are economically deprived, there's little value in schlepping them to the Air and Space museum or the zoo. They go there with their parents. They can be plenty stimulated in a well-designed daycare/preschool, with plenty of outdoor time, or maybe little walks around the block to a park or library. I feel like in this area people expect 3 year olds to be like 6/7 year olds ...

[Anonymous]

Director here-agree with those who say that unless the children are from economically deprived backgrounds, there is no reason to take them on metro. There are so many things that can go wrong. Why take the chance. Metro ride is a perfect thing for parents/grandparents to do with 1 kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Director here-agree with those who say that unless the children are from economically deprived backgrounds, there is no reason to take them on metro. There are so many things that can go wrong. Why take the chance. Metro ride is a perfect thing for parents/grandparents to do with 1 kid.

No there really aren't that many things that can go wrong - certainly no more things that can go wrong than on any other errand that people regularly do.

WMATA is extraordinarily safe - I think 12 fatalities in 43 years and about the same number of injuries on a system that handles like 43 million trips a year?

Probably 2-3 times as many kids die in hot cars every year than people who have died on WMATA trains in its history - probably more people die in traffic accidents in this region every week.

My kids loved their field trips to the Zoo and the Air and Space Museum - sure they could have just stayed in their day care center but I think we can and should push our kids a bit more and experience the cool local options we have.

If parents, and teachers, want to be conservative and avoid imagined perils and difficulties I guess that is up to them (and maybe consistent with their suburban car oriented choices) but for both of my kids the trips were popular with both kids and parents.