Found out bus to aftercare from our elementary school is being cut, who would you contact?

[Anonymous]

Our local elementary school does not offer aftercare so parents are dependent on one of three aftercare programs that are on the MCPS bus routes. I just found out late last week that MCPS is dropping one aftercare location from the route and is also contemplating dropping the Y-Arylawn from the bus route. If the powers that be at MCPS thought it was perfectly acceptable to inform parents in early May that transportation options for aftercare would be cut off leaving working parents no licensed alternatives for aftercare, who do you think is worth contacting at MCPS that has enough mojo and would be the voice of reason in this situation?

TIA.

[Anonymous]

Have you talked to the principal? Have you talked to the bus depot? If not, then if I were you, I would get an official version of the facts before deciding what to do next. And actually, it couldn't hurt to ask them whom to contact to appeal.

[Anonymous]

Many aftercare programs do their own transportation. My guess is that your aftercare programs will start doing this - otherwise they'll end up closing. Not sure MoCo will help. We have no aftercare and no bus to the aftercare programs.

[Anonymous]

Call MCPS transportation. They are super-responsive.

[Anonymous]

OP here,

20:20 people have contacted the principal already but transportation isn't her decision to make, not sure about why aftercare hasn't been offered on site. I do like the idea of finding out if there is an official appeals process for transportation decisions.

20:54, Im still trying to figure out the rhyme or reason to aftercare being offered at MCPS schools. I would think though that parents should be able to apply for a COSA to a nearby school that provides aftercare if not provided on site at my I boundary school and no MCPS transportation to any options. I would not have chosen to move to a school with no option other to pickup your child at 3:05, when I know I need dependable, affordable aftercare in order to work. Having this happen now feels like Lucy moving the football before Charlie Brown kicks.

http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Football_gag?file=1107charlie_brown_lucy_football.jpg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

20:20 people have contacted the principal already but transportation isn't her decision to make, not sure about why aftercare hasn't been offered on site. I do like the idea of finding out if there is an official appeals process for transportation decisions.

20:54, Im still trying to figure out the rhyme or reason to aftercare being offered at MCPS schools. I would think though that parents should be able to apply for a COSA to a nearby school that provides aftercare if not provided on site at my I boundary school and no MCPS transportation to any options. I would not have chosen to move to a school with no option other to pickup your child at 3:05, when I know I need dependable, affordable aftercare in order to work. Having this happen now feels like Lucy moving the football before Charlie Brown kicks.

http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Football_gag?file=1107charlie_brown_lucy_football.jpg

Call Transportation yourself.

[Anonymous]

Also, have you talked to the aftercare? At our school, some aftercares get an MCPS bus, and other aftercares provide their own buses. I don't know who decides which aftercare does what, but the point is -- it's not MCPS bus or nothing.

[Anonymous]

Are they cutting off transportation now, or 4 months from now?

What is your childcare saying? Is the childcare that isn't losing transportation expanding?

[Anonymous]

Definitely talk with aftercare. At ours, 3-4 parents paid for a MCPS bus to make an afternoon dropoff. I was not sure how it offically worked, but we paid the daycare an extra amount that was passed on to MCPS. They way I understand it, we were paying for the extension of an existing route.

[Anonymous]

Definitely talk with aftercare. At ours, 3-4 parents paid for a MCPS bus to make an afternoon dropoff. I was not sure how it offically worked, but we paid the daycare an extra amount that was passed on to MCPS. They way I understand it, we were paying for the extension of an existing route.

This is a good idea. You could also look up the companies that provide on-site aftercare at other schools and contact them about providing child care on-site. If your school has a big enough market for aftercare, you should be able to find a company to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Definitely talk with aftercare. At ours, 3-4 parents paid for a MCPS bus to make an afternoon dropoff. I was not sure how it offically worked, but we paid the daycare an extra amount that was passed on to MCPS. They way I understand it, we were paying for the extension of an existing route.

This is a good idea. You could also look up the companies that provide on-site aftercare at other schools and contact them about providing child care on-site. If your school has a big enough market for aftercare, you should be able to find a company to do it.

There is a RFP and bidding process involved in this.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Not gaining much traction with either transportation department or principal via email. It's a polite nothing we can do about it response. Lots of parent have written so far.

[Anonymous]

The principal is in charge of whether aftercare is offered onsite. If he wants aftercare, then there is a budding process run through the county, not MCPS. There must be some reason (usually irrational) that the principal doesn't want it on site. I was involved with the process of selection- its a PITA but ultimately worth it. Much better to have on site care.

[Anonymous]

Meant bidding process.

[Anonymous]

You should contact a nanny or take time out of your vacated important lives.