Taking the kids the school
The insanity of drop-off/pick-up lines
Summer is over and September has arrived. That means school is back in session and parents all over the world are waking up getting ready for drop-off duty.
I’ve noticed there’s a big difference in how kids get to school here in Europe versus in the United States. I don’t even have kids yet, but I do live right next to an elementary school and just about every day I see the kids getting dropped off or picked up. They look so happy. (especially after school) None of them are glued to iPads. They arrive with their parents riding bikes and scooters and skateboards and walking and talking to each other. There’s movement and interaction. When school ends and the kids get out, I see the parents hanging around chatting while the kids play soccer and run around chasing each other.
There’s no such thing as a pick-up/drop-off line where cars queue up hours before the bell rings. In other words, it doesn’t look like this:
The simple act of getting kids to and from school shouldn’t be stressful. We have enough other things to stress over.
Yet I read these reports and see these crazy stats showing over 50% of parents stress about their child’s transportation needs multiple times a week. Only a quarter of parents “rarely or never” stress about transportation needs:
Apparently there’s been a bus driver shortage all over the country for years and parents got used to driving their kids to school since the pandemic. I don’t really feel bad for the parents, they’re the ones who chose to live where they live.
I feel bad for the kids.
When I was a kid I rode my bike to school from elementary up until I got my driver’s license in high school. Those unsupervised moments in between home and school are some of my best memories.
In previous generations, a higher percentage of kids walked and biked to school, it was considered the norm back then. Now only about one in 10 do. Maybe this has something to do with the rising childhood obesity rates? Idk, I'm no expert, but I know moving your body throughout the day is good for you.
Alternative options
It doesn’t have to be this way, there are solutions.
Here in Barcelona, a few parents came together to take their kids to school with bikes and now it’s turned into a movement called the Bicibus:
The trend seems to be catching on in the US. Parents and faculty are coming up with alternatives instead of tolerating these crazy pick-up/drop-off lines. Not only for their sanity but for the kids as well.
Some communities have started organizing a walking school bus and the idea is coming to life all over the country. As Martin Luther King said, “There is power in unity, and there is power in numbers.” When enough kids unite and take the walking school bus or bicibus, it makes other kids want to join in on the fun.
There’s an interesting side effect here too. If more kids are walking and biking to school it can almost be like a gateway drug to active mobility. It helps foster a sense of independence and empowers them to go out and explore their neighborhood on their own instead of sitting at home waiting for their parents to give them rides.
So yeah, the benefits go way beyond just avoiding the pick-up and drop-off lines. Not only is it healthier both physically and mentally, but kids and teachers also comment on how they feel more energized when they come to school by walking or biking.
And for the parents, it increases Social Capital in the community.
Instead of frustration1, the school drop-off can be an opportunity for parents to connect and build relationships.
Busy parents take turns “driving” the bus, so they don’t have to take time everyday to drop kids at school. And neighbors get to meet and chat as they walk. It's a simple but wonderful way to build community — Rachel Deterding
Here’s a website where you can select your state and town and see if they have a walking school bus in your area: www.walkbiketoschool.org
As of right now, there are almost 3000 #WalkRolltoSchoolDay events registered nationwide. If your child's school is not yet participating, they offer a ton of downloadable resources and ways to get the local press involved if it’s something you’d like to try in your community.
Call me crazy but I think it beats sitting in an idling car for hours on end.
Again I don’t even have kids so maybe I’m missing something here, just my general observations. Kk thanks for reading, bye now.
<3 B
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This awesome mom went as far as making a video teaching other parents how to drop their kids off at school, it’s worth the watch
The pickup line phenomena is insane here in the U.S. And even though I live in a city (Baltimore), there a still an unbelievable number of parents who drove their kids the half mile to school each day. The good news- I’ve started a bike bus to our school just a few weeks ago after being inspired by the Barcelona and Portland versions. We’re just getting it off the ground but so far it’s been awesome with the few families we have. Word is getting out and people are excited about it, can’t wait to see where it’s at by the end of the school year!
This is a slight tangent, but the idea of kids is one of the main factors that keeps me from feeling completely settled in Castellon, Spain.
Canada has one of the top school systems in the world, and compared to the public schools I went to, the ones here look like prisons. The private schools don't hold up either. Plus, they’re quite a bit more traditional in their approach to learning. Spanish ‘Titulitis’ (overemphasizing formal qualifications over practical experience) also dissuaded me.
In Canada, I felt schools cultivated your talents, whether academic, entrepreneurial, creative, or trades-related. In Spain, everything is a push to university with the dream of getting through ‘oposiciones’ for a government job.