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TRANSPORTATION WORKING GROUP: ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

March 2012

Background Information

Transportation Working Group (TWG) was composed of a cross section of different stakeholders:

• Small and large transportation providers;• Representative from the Registry of Motor

Vehicles;• Representatives from Head Start;• Representatives from YMCA; and• Representatives from EEC.

TWG was charged with reviewing the EEC’s recent changes to transportation regulations (December 12, 2011), discuss its impact on the field, and proffer recommendations to the Board of Education.

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Background Information (cont…)

TWG met four times over the past three months to address the following topics:

January 6, 2012 • Management Responsibility• Parent Notification Requirement

January 20, 2012 • Adult Monitor Requirement• Vehicle Monitoring Devices• Transportation Rates

February 3, 2012• Passenger Logs• Secondary Vehicle Inspections• Transportation Performance Standards

March 9, 2012• Summary Review Meeting

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Management Responsibility

Provider is responsible for full compliance with transportation laws/policies, regardless of how transportation is provided.

Basis:• There must be an assumption of

responsibility for the child while the child is being transported to and from the child care program as well as during child care hours.

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Management ResponsibilityTWG’s Discussion Points

Transportation Provider has first contact with child during the day.

Insurance concerns with Transportation Providers: umbrella coverage is extremely expensive to protect from lawsuits.

Wherever funding falls should be responsible; asking Child Care Providers to assume responsibility would be difficult.

Challenges for Transportation Providers: Cannot leave children in vehicle while escorting

other children into programs (especially if programs are located on second or third floor)

Difficult navigating so many traffic rules (i.e., 3 minute idling rule).

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Parent Notification Requirement

Providers shall notify parents immediately if/when a child does not arrive at child care within 30 minutes of his/her scheduled arrival time, unless parents have previously notified the program of the child’s absence or alternative arrival time.

Basis:Ensures that children are accounted for

and promotes accurate attendance. Consistent with best practices.

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Parent Notification RequirementTWG’s Discussion Points

Provider should not be responsible for notification if the provider does not have custody of the child.

Concerns with parent availability: some parents’ phones are disconnected, parents do not provide emergency contact information, etc.

Transportation Provider’s concerns with insurance for their drivers: If driver uses phone to notify Provider immediately

of child’s absence, could receive a $500 fine for using phone while driving vehicle – goes against driver’s record.

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Vehicle Safety: Adult Monitor

In addition to the driver, an adult monitor is required – based on the number of children, ages, length of routes. The monitor shall be seated in a manner to ensure proper supervision and observation of activities.

Basis: Ensures that children are supervised during

transport and provides second set of “eyes” for driver compliance. Consistent with best practices.

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Vehicle Safety: Adult MonitorTWG’s Discussion Points

Programs have different requirements for adult monitors (i.e., YMCA always requires an adult monitor on the bus).

Monitors come at an additional cost:Need to train monitors.Monitors take up additional seats –

one less child to transport on vehicle.

Cheaper to install a monitoring device than to hire a monitor.

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Child Safety: Vehicle Monitoring Devices

All vehicles designed to transport 6+ children shall be equipped with monitoring devices approved by the State that prompt staff to inspect. This is not required for vehicles that only transport school aged children, unless the children are developmentally or physically disabled or on vehicles that are only used for occasional field trips or other similar trips.

Basis: Ensures that no children are inadvertently left

on vehicle. Ensures that drivers physically walk through vehicle as required.

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Child Safety: Vehicle Monitoring DevicesTWG’s Discussion Points

Vehicle monitoring devices are not 100% effective – they are subject to human error and can be circumvented by drivers.

Zonar – monitoring system that was not effective.

Checkmate System – most common system – one of the weaknesses is that it becomes rote.

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Child Safety: Passenger Log

The driver shall carry and complete a passenger log for each route, identifying the name of each child transported, the time picked up, the time dropped off and initialed by the educator or parent/guardian. The driver shall sign the passenger log at the conclusion of the route, certifying completion of the inspection of each seat, surface area, etc. If a monitor is required on the vehicle, the driver shall give the passenger log to the monitor (or additional reviewer, if no monitor required), who shall physically inspect the vehicle in the same fashion and sign off.

Basis: Ensures that no children are inadvertently left on

vehicle. Ensures that drivers physically walk through vehicle as required and that vehicle is safe and in operable condition.

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Child Safety: Passenger LogTWG’s Discussion Points

Getting parental signatures is time consuming (especially for those stops with multiple children).

Enormous amount of paperwork. Signature vs. Initialing – what is best

practice? Difficulty getting parents’ signatures –

some are so busy, they don’t have time to sign log.

Could get complicated with parents that do not speak English as primary language.

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Child Safety: Secondary Vehicle Inspection

Immediately upon dropping off the last child, the driver shall physically walk through the vehicle; inspect all seat surfaces, under all seats and in all compartments or recesses in the vehicle’s interior; sign the passenger log, with driver’s full name and time, indicating that each and every child is unloaded; and if a monitor is required on the vehicle, the driver shall give the passenger log to the monitor (or additional reviewer, if no monitor required), who shall physically inspect the vehicle in the same fashion and sign off.

Basis: Ensures that no children are inadvertently left on

vehicle. Ensures that drivers physically walk through vehicle as required and that vehicle is safe and in operable condition.

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Child Safety: Secondary Vehicle InspectionTWG’s Discussion Points

Question about the interpretation of “immediately”:Some had literal interpretation, which

caused issues with traffic and police.

What if driver brings vehicle home? How do you ensure that driver has second person check vehicle?

Creative solutions: bus drivers meet at a specific location and conduct a cross-check of each other’s vehicles.

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Transportation Performance Standards

Develop customized transportation performance standards, based upon those created by the Human Service Transportation (HST) Office of EOHHS, to be incorporated into all EEC contracts for transportation services. Standards must be adhered to by all transportation providers and are applicable to all Family Child Care Systems/Providers.

Basis: Provides defined expectations of transportation

services and responsibilities of contractors and subcontractors for transportation services.

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Transportation Performance StandardsTWG’s Discussion Points

Monitors:Trainings in CPR and first aid could be

challenging, especially if Provider has volunteers as monitors.

Emergency, Accident and Safety Response:Concern about having the driver

proceeding immediately to emergency facility rather than simply dialing 911.

Insurance:Concern that some insurance companies

will not even provide $1 million in coverage.

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Transportation Provider Rates

There has been only one rate increase in the past 20 years.

There has been only two studies done on transportation costs.

Current rate is $9 per child.

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Transportation Provider RatesTWG’s Discussion Points

Difficult to hire quality drivers: tough job, $13/hour, no benefits, high turnover rate.

No profit it the business: pour lots of money into the vehicles for maintenance, insurance rates are high, etc.

What do other state agencies pay for transportation costs? What about other states?

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TWG’s Participants

Edward Madaus, Guild of St. Agnes George Richardson, Alliance Services of Metro Boston Margaret Rohanna, RMV Mal Hughes, Head Start Ardith Wieworka, Child Development and Education, Inc. Bill Restuccia, Transpro, LLC Liz Acosta, Transpro, LLC Bill Power, MBTA Debbie Amaral, YMCA Evelyn Tobin, Early Education and Care and School Age George Flynn, NRT Bus, Inc. JoAnn Howell, Community Teamwork, Inc. Karen M. Pac, YMCA Southcoast Pamela Henry, AMBTA Gail Perry, EEC Carmel Sullivan, EEC John Swanson, EEC

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