Last week, I conducted an experiment. Much like the CBS show Undercover Boss, where the head of a large company puts on a disguise and works in different departments of company to see the "real" way a company behaves, I went undercover in the carline to find an opportunities for improvement.
While I won't be giving anyone a life changing promotion (like they do in the show) to the front of the carline, I do have some SPOT-on tips to help improve carline life for all of us:
S--Safety is the most important part of carline
Despite our love of Gasparilla and the pageantry of a good parade, the carline is not an opportunity to practice. Children should not lean out of windows or sunroofs; instead, they should remain inside the vehicle at all times and wave from the safety of their seats.
P--Pull-up all the way
Getting children safely from the vehicle and into school is the main goal. The secondary goal is to keep traffic moving and avoid congestion on Morrison. The two or three foot gap each car leaves adds up and causes frustrating congestion. Friday afternoon, I asked four cars in the front of the stack to pull up several feet each and was able to bring in 6 other cars from the road. Pull up today because tomorrow you might be the one stopped on the street.
O--Observe good carline etiquette and share with other caregivers
Although we communicate our carline procedures to all of our parents through RenWeb and the Handbook, many of our carline patrons are nannies, grandparents or other care-givers. It can be intimidating to pull through our carline and not be certain of your child's dismissal location or pick-up area. Please share the procedures in this link.
T-- Timing is everything
In the morning, if you arrive anytime before 7:35 am you will breeze through the line with no problems. The closer you creep towards 7:40 am (the official time cars need to be in the lot), the more congestion you'll encounter, so be prepared to be calm.
Most of these SPOT-on tips refer to procedures in the morning carline. Stay tuned for another expose' on the afternoon pick-up procedures. Until then, remember to keep the JOY in the carline by thinking in this order: Jesus, Others, then Your car.
S--Safety is the most important part of carline
Despite our love of Gasparilla and the pageantry of a good parade, the carline is not an opportunity to practice. Children should not lean out of windows or sunroofs; instead, they should remain inside the vehicle at all times and wave from the safety of their seats.
P--Pull-up all the way
Getting children safely from the vehicle and into school is the main goal. The secondary goal is to keep traffic moving and avoid congestion on Morrison. The two or three foot gap each car leaves adds up and causes frustrating congestion. Friday afternoon, I asked four cars in the front of the stack to pull up several feet each and was able to bring in 6 other cars from the road. Pull up today because tomorrow you might be the one stopped on the street.
O--Observe good carline etiquette and share with other caregivers
Although we communicate our carline procedures to all of our parents through RenWeb and the Handbook, many of our carline patrons are nannies, grandparents or other care-givers. It can be intimidating to pull through our carline and not be certain of your child's dismissal location or pick-up area. Please share the procedures in this link.
T-- Timing is everything
In the morning, if you arrive anytime before 7:35 am you will breeze through the line with no problems. The closer you creep towards 7:40 am (the official time cars need to be in the lot), the more congestion you'll encounter, so be prepared to be calm.
Most of these SPOT-on tips refer to procedures in the morning carline. Stay tuned for another expose' on the afternoon pick-up procedures. Until then, remember to keep the JOY in the carline by thinking in this order: Jesus, Others, then Your car.
