Taxi ride to kindergarten...advice please, its causing huge conflicts

britfish

New member
DD will be in 1/2 day kindergarten next year. After school she will go back to her current preschool for the rest of the day. The problem is our school does not provide a mid day bus, so transportation is the parents responsibility. Our preschool uses a taxi (15 passenger van) that you can pay to drive your child. It is less than a mile of a ride....but....no car seats because it is a taxi. I am worried sick about this, DH says it will be fine. The taxi has never had an accident or complaint in the 6 yrs. they have been doing it.
Both of us work full time so we can't leave school at lunch to drive her so we are really stuck. DH says it has to work, I am just worried. What do I do??
 
ADS

britfish

New member
I'm not sure, I just asked the director about car seats and she said they do not install car seats in the taxi. I didn't think to ask about what type of belts they have.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I would absolutely not put a preschooler in a 15-passenger van without a carseat. I'm sorry. I know that's easier for me to write than for you to deal with. Is there a parent in either program you could pay to drive and keep a seat installed in her car? When I was a SAHM with one child I would have jumped at the chance to earn a little cash driving another child if I was already going that way anyhow.
 

BW1426

Well-known member
If this is your only option, I would consider putting her in a lbb if the seat backs are tall enough and there are 3 point seat belts. I'd think with proper training a kindergardener could manage a lbb all by oneself.
 

BW1426

Well-known member
Pre-K. I'd really try hard to find another option. Those 15-passenger vans scare me.

OP did say 1/2 day kingergarten. Which I am making an assumption, but to me that means 5 yo. Not my first choice, but much better if that's their only option.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Oh, yes, you read better than I do. Sorry (and sorry, OP). I'm still leery. I could maybe see a backless in a car, but not in a van like that. I am not trying to be bratty, but to support the OP that this does not seem okay and to try to find another option.
 

britfish

New member
yes, she is 5 but a peanut, only 32-33lbs.. We were hoping our district would change to full day program this year but just found out they are staying 1/2 day.
Thank you for your honest replies. I wish I knew a SAHM that would do it, but I am just not in those circles but I am going to try to see if I can think of someone. We pay the taxi $3 a day so maybe I could find someone that would like a little extra money.
I am hoping to hear some replies that tell me it would be ok for a 1/2 mile trip three weeks out of a month (I can drive her one week a month).
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Of course many 15 pass. vans have lap-only belts in some positions, and no headrests in many seats.

I think paying another parent to drive is a good idea.

Is there any other option for childcare?
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
I am hoping to hear some replies that tell me it would be ok for a 1/2 mile trip three weeks out of a month

In this group of highly educated, safety conscious parents and Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians, you won't find anyone to say that.

I'd find another solution.

Can you call the preschool and ask them if they could think of any parents in your daughters class who might be willing to pick her up at school on their way to drop their own child off, who would like to earn a little extra money - maybe someone who lives near the school?

Another option is private kindergarten (around here there are a lot of them in the preschools, but they max at kindergarten), but you'd have to pay for that, and the other half of the day as "extended day" - but at least it would all be in the same building, then next year you wouldn't have this problem.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Of course many 15 pass. vans have lap-only belts in some positions, and no headrests in many seats.

I think paying another parent to drive is a good idea.

Is there any other option for childcare?

Yes this...could the child go to a full day kinder option somewhere else? Or just stay at preschool? Or just skip kinder altogether ?(in my state, school is not mandatory until age 7) I'm not sure what your options are.
I have a dd turning five soon going to school, and she quite a bit bigger than yours (42 lbs) and i can't imagine her riding in a seatbelt. I just can't. But, I have a job where I can take a lunchbreak to run and get her and drop her off.
 

britfish

New member
keep the ideas coming I have lots of things to look in to tomorrow. I think I came up w/ someone who has a child that is going to be in K, I just have to find out if they are am or pm session. How would that work if I find another parent to give her a ride, would I buy a seat for them to keep in their car? As you can tell I've never done carpooling w/ a little one.
 

BW1426

Well-known member
Is this taxi owned by the school or is it a private company? What I'm getting at, is the taxi used for other purposes than just this single run everyday?
 

britfish

New member
It is owned by a private company and they use for taxi and shuttle use beyond the K run.
I was just thinking, I wonder if I bought a HBB if they would use that in the taxi since it doesn't have to be installed. They could just leave it at school for me to pick up.
Do you think if they (and the school) would go for this, would you put her in a HBB in the van?
 
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andre149

New member
I wouldn't put her in a booster... at her weight it's putting her at a big risk of slipping under the belt if something does happen. I agree with everyone else that best bet would be to find either another parent to drive with a seat in their car or a different childcare program. Something else to consider would be hiring a babysitter that could pick her up at the school and stay with her the rest of that day so she wouldn't need to go to the childcare center those days.

Good luck!
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
If there were lap/shoulder belts and if you felt confident that they would use the booster properly and she would recognize and speak up if they were not, I would be okay with a good highbacked booster.
 

britfish

New member
I am thinking Plan A: find another parent
Plan B: convince taxi to at minimum use at HBB (then I need to find a good HBB).....

Thank you all for helping me through this, its been really stressful between me and DH. Now at least I have two good plans to work on. Now at least I will be able to sleep tonight.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
I am thinking Plan A: find another parent
Plan B: convince taxi to at minimum use at HBB (then I need to find a good HBB).....

Thank you all for helping me through this, its been really stressful between me and DH. Now at least I have two good plans to work on. Now at least I will be able to sleep tonight.

plan B requires there to be lap/shoulder belts. Have you confirmed that there ARE l/s belts? Because there very well may only be lap belts. :(
 

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