Anonymous wrote:What are your elementary school's hours in Fairfax County? The one my daughter will be starting at is 9:00am - 4:00pm which means that we'll have to pay for both before care and after care because if I drop my kid off at 9:00am, I won't get to work until 10:00. Why on earth do they start little kids so late?? I see other elementaries that I drive by that start at 8:00, that would make so much more sense (and cost me so much less money).

Another legacy of Garza and the moronic later start times for high schools.

Thanks Garza!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's such a large system that they stagger hours so that they can save money on the number of buses they own.

+1 Buses make two ES runs, so one is earlier and one is later. Most buses run 3-4 runs in the am (2ES, MS & HS) and 3-4 in the evening. So, start times are staggered.

Before and after care is still cheaper than full time care.

My kids bus driver's son is in my daughter's kindergarten class. She told me that she does 4 runs in the am and 4 runs in the pm because there are not enough drivers.

First bell is at 8:25 and 2nd bell is at 8:35. Doors open at 8:20. My kids are on the bus by 8:05.

Anonymous wrote:What are your elementary school's hours in Fairfax County? The one my daughter will be starting at is 9:00am - 4:00pm which means that we'll have to pay for both before care and after care because if I drop my kid off at 9:00am, I won't get to work until 10:00. Why on earth do they start little kids so late?? I see other elementaries that I drive by that start at 8:00, that would make so much more sense (and cost me so much less money).

It stinks, yes. We pay for before/after care at the school. It costs about $516/mo for one child.

Move to Loudoun OP! Our ES school doors open at 7:30am. And I live 0.5 miles from the Fairfax line.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Es is 9:15 to 4. It's a center school and is on the second bus run. It's really late, and the transition to MS is going to be really hard.

The bus schedule IMO, is a huge cost savings and not worth it. I wish Fairfax would hike taxes to pay for 2 or 3 times as many buses, so that the bus schedules would be more flexible.

It's going to be awful. Frankly, I don't think ANY of these schools should start earlier than 8.

Middle schoolers got hosed when they redid the bus schedule to allow high schoolers to sleep in later.

The transition is 7th grade is ridiculously hard. Not only are they getting up crazy early, but they get home by 2:30. Who gets aftercare for a middle schooler? Nobody. So they are home alone at an age where stupid decisions are made.

All FCPS middle schools have after school activities and late busses three days/week, so they don't have to get home at 2:30 everday.

Anonymous wrote:I think there are a couple that start at least by 8:15.

Ours does.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Es is 9:15 to 4. It's a center school and is on the second bus run. It's really late, and the transition to MS is going to be really hard.

The bus schedule IMO, is a huge cost savings and not worth it. I wish Fairfax would hike taxes to pay for 2 or 3 times as many buses, so that the bus schedules would be more flexible.

It's going to be awful. Frankly, I don't think ANY of these schools should start earlier than 8.

Middle schoolers got hosed when they redid the bus schedule to allow high schoolers to sleep in later.

The transition is 7th grade is ridiculously hard. Not only are they getting up crazy early, but they get home by 2:30. Who gets aftercare for a middle schooler? Nobody. So they are home alone at an age where stupid decisions are made.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are your elementary school's hours in Fairfax County? The one my daughter will be starting at is 9:00am - 4:00pm which means that we'll have to pay for both before care and after care because if I drop my kid off at 9:00am, I won't get to work until 10:00. Why on earth do they start little kids so late?? I see other elementaries that I drive by that start at 8:00, that would make so much more sense (and cost me so much less money).

8:00am??? No, you're not seeing any elementary schools FCPS that begin at 8am.

Our school's doors open at 7:55. Can't remember exactly what time they start, but I think 8:10.

PP here - doors open at 8:05

8:15-2:55. Home by 3:20

Anonymous wrote:Our Es is 9:15 to 4. It's a center school and is on the second bus run. It's really late, and the transition to MS is going to be really hard.

The bus schedule IMO, is a huge cost savings and not worth it. I wish Fairfax would hike taxes to pay for 2 or 3 times as many buses, so that the bus schedules would be more flexible.

It's going to be awful. Frankly, I don't think ANY of these schools should start earlier than 8.

Most elementary buses first drop of MS and then HS before getting to ES. Thus the later start times for ES.
Keep in mind that if your school starts at 9am, the school will most likely open its doors between 8:40 and 8:45

8:40-3:25

Doors open at 8:20, first bell is 8:30.

We also have an ES with a 9:20 to 4:05 bell schedule. The partner ES AAP center has a bell schedule from 8:15-3:00.

OP, if you can swing getting home to meet the bus you can save a lot of money with your bell schedule. You get morning coverage from 7 -9:20 am (which is 2 hours and 20 minutes) for HALF the price of the afternoon SACC coverage from 4:05 to 6:15 pm (which is 2 hours and 10 minutes). We have both before and after care bc of our commutes, but see if you can make it work for just morning care!

Our school starts at 8:30 and we can drop off at about 8:15. We still pay for before and after care. We rarely use before care but absolutely need it on days where we have early meetings. The kids don't mind going to before school SACC but it bothers me that we pay so much to use 15-30 minutes occasionally. I know it is worth it since they have to go to school and we need to go to work.

We need aftercare since we could never get out of work by 3:15 dismissal and do not have telework as an option.