Why Your Family Needs a Back-To-School Family Safety Plan
School is back! Schools in the Myrtle Beach area go back on August 17!
Those big yellow school buses will be rolling back out of storage where most of them have been all summer, and the roads will be filled with not just these buses, but also with many young, new drivers!
Road safety and school bus safety is just one piece of the larger puzzle of keeping your kids safe and secure as school starts back up!
What does it take to keep your kids, your family safe as they go back to school?
Planning! This article will give you guidelines for putting together a back-to-school family safety plan!
Back-to-School Means New Routines
The first thing to remember is that going back to school means new routines.
Maybe your child’s mode of transportation has changed, s/he is attending a new school, has a new carpool or babysitter, or maybe you moved and have a completely new routine to establish.
Whatever the case may be, it’s important to write down new routines and make sure everyone in the family is on the same page! That means going over the new transportation plan as a family – during a family meeting, and making a backup plan for when things change!
Back-to-School Brings New Friends
Next, going back to school will bring new friends. That’s an exciting part of growing up: creating new friendships with classmates. This is also the time to keep repeating conversations about what to expect when visiting friends’ home. Talk about gun ownership, bullying, and other things that might happen. If you child is too young for a cell phone, make sure s/he knows your phone number, and be sure to meet the parents and be straight about what you expect. “If you go on the boat, I expect my child to wear a lifejacket at all times.” Your child should know these same ‘rules’ and be expected to adhere to them.
At the same time, when your child brings a new friend to your home, you as a family need to include that person in your family safety plan. Explain the pool safety rules, riding bikes rules etc. Don’t expect your child’s friends to stick to your rules: most likely you will have to reinforce them over and over until they’ve visited a few times. Your responsibility for your child’s new friend includes riding in your car, water safety etc.
This is a family matter – keeping friends safe at your home – so adding it to your family safety plan is important!
Back-to-School and After-School Activities
We also know from personal experience, that as your children grow, new after-school activities are added to their calendars. That means new buildings, new sports complexes, new car pools, new coaches and teammates. You certainly will want to add all this information and expectations toy our family safety plan!
Know who will pick up, drop off, how to reach the new coaches, new tutors, new babysitter!
Back-to-School During Hurricane Season
Last but not least, back-to-school in South Carolina means going back to school during an active hurricane season! Your family safety plan needs to include reference to your hurricane prep plan! Be aware of supplies you might need to purchase now, a generator that might need to be serviced and links to your school districts email and social media platforms as you need to keep an ear out for important hurricane related announcements!
Planning Ahead Gives You Security and Safety for the Near Future
Failing to create a plan, is planning to fail!
Writing down a plan gives you peace of mind and less stress as you navigate the new school year ahead! With as many chances as we’ve seen in the last 18 months, it’s fair to assume more changes and adjustments are on the horizon! Planning and anticipating what’s next can help you alleviate stress and worries. Being prepared for whatever comes at you will accomplish many goals, one is staying safe and secure at home!
Stay safe and secure this fall, and give us a call if we can help you accomplish this in any way!
