Getting the kids to school in Walnut Creek
Hello.. I have a question about the school transportation. We have just moved to California (Walnut Creek) and we have three daughters 8,6,4. I live in Avalon, Walnut Creek, and my kids will go to Indian Valley Elementary School, but I think the school doesn't have transportation. I wonder if there is any private transportation company that takes care of kids delivery everyday?? or other suggestions? my wife doesn't drive and I have to go to work in the early morning and come back home around 5 PM.
Appreciate your help! :)
Jul 27, 2016
Parent Replies
Really, your best option is to send her to driving school right now. The fact that you live out there means that public transportation options are limited and she will need to be able to drive for sooooo many different reasons, not just school. When (not if) your kids get sick at school, she will need to go pick them up right away, when they are sick at home and need to go into the Dr.s office during the day while you are at work, she will need to drive them in, also, just for her to be able to shop for enough food for a family of 5 she will need to drive. If you would have picked an urban area like SF, or downtown Berkeley or Oakland, maybe she could have gotten by with not driving, but in W.C., no way. Also, in the future there will be things like dance rehearsals, martial arts lessons, soccer practices, playdates, etc. that your girls won't want to miss and require lots of driving by parents. When I was single I did not own a car, and biked or walked and used buses only and it is a challenge. But with kids, it is incredibly difficult to not drive, even in urban areas. There are just so many things that they will miss out on, besides just getting to and from school. Also, my oldest son is going into 7th grade, and I have seen many, many nannies and "drivers" in that time, and befriended many who are awesome. But...they don't last, I can only think of 2 nannies who stuck with the families for more than 2 years, and no "drivers" who lasted more than 4 months. "Drivers" do not hang in there as long as nannies, and are not as dependable as they are usually college age kids. I can't tell you how many times we have hung out on the playground with my sons' friends while they waited for their "driver" to show up. A few times we ended up speaking with the working parent (whom we knew) and the school (of course!) to take the kid home with us when the "driver" failed to show after an hour and could not be reached by phone. It happens. I live in Berkeley, and maybe there is some such private kid shuttle that I don't know about, but I really doubt it. IMHO, driving school!
Try Shuddle. It's not too bad if you don't have to go far. Like Uber for kids.