To the families of Idlewild,
I want to share some feedback I received in response to concerns raised about the drop off and pick up routine. The following concerns were shared in face to face meetings with parents, concerns reported to Site Council leadership and also concerns sent in from community members living near Idlewild:
- The Pick-up Zone feels chaotic and I am anxious about finding my kids (more than one child).
- Parents are not following the traffic rules or expectations in the parking lot/drop off area.
- I don’t get to know how my student is doing because I don’t get to see the teacher every day like I used to when I picked up my child at the classroom door.
- Parents who are parking waiting behind the building on 83rd street are running into my mailboxes with their cars and not communicating or paying for the damages.
Survey results: Of the 167 parents that responded to the survey, 75% of the responders, physically drop off and pick up their children from the building.
| Question |
Not applicable/ No Response |
Response in the 1-2 Category(Doesn’t work at all) |
Response in the 3-5 Category(Better than last year – Works Great) |
| How functional is the morning drop off for your family? |
10% |
18% |
72% |
| How functional is the afternoon pick up for your family? |
19% |
26% |
55% |
There were 56 comments offered by parents:
- 8 comments were commending the Idlewild staff for creating a drop off and pick up process.
- 6 comments were made voicing frustration with the drop off and pick up process.
- 32 Comments were about communication/overall experiences with Idlewild
- 10 Comments about parents being frustrated with parents not following the guidelines of the drop off and Pick up Process.
Warrick’s Response to the feedback on behalf of the staff:
- Idlewild staff will continue to be reflective of our process and fine tune. We have a team of 5-6 teachers outside every day in the afternoon supervising. We have 6 groups that rotate the responsibility so it will naturally take time over the course of this year to fine tune process and get the resources we need to make it work as smoothly as possible. We are growing in our capacity and skill in this area—we need time to make it great. Currently the afternoon pick up process lasts about 15 minutes.
- The current drop off and pick up routine will stay in place at this time. If a parent, under special circumstances needs an adjustment, Warrick will work that out privately.
Need Help from Parents:
- Be patient and safe – most importantly because we are all role models for our kids.
- Please follow the guidelines for the parent drop off area and the traffic laws so all of our community stays safe. The parking lot is not the drop off zone – when students are walking across the parking lot by themselves their safety is at risk. Please consider parking and at least walking them to the cross walk.
- If you are waiting at the parent pick up zone – be sure to allow for the walk way for the kids to walk to their spot in the play shed. You can stand on either side of the main walk way or under the play shed in the back of the line-up area.
- Teacher accessibility: We know our parents love talking with their child’s teacher on a frequent basis and in years’ past the afternoon time period may have been that prime time to talk. Unfortunately, teachers need to be able to decide if that time is a good time. Multiple impromptu conversations at 2:15 can be very difficult for the teacher and privacy of the conversation at the pick-up zone can be near to impossible. They have regular meetings afterschool, need time to prepare for the next day and are extremely intentional about their time. If you want communication from your child’s teacher –reach out to them and set up a meeting or a time to talk on the phone.
Guidelines for Drop off and Pick Up:
Respectful:
- Parents will give the name of their student to the attendant and they will be called to the front.
- Be a role model of patience, as it will take some time to practice and fine tune this routine.
- If you are parking on the streets in the neighborhood, please be respectful of private property and don’t block the drive way (even for 2 min)
Responsible:
- Parents driving thru to pick up students, will turn right only.
- Parents parking and physically picking up their students, will drive out of the parking lot and turn left only.
- Parents must designate key adults that are allowed to pick up their children to the main office.
- Drop-Off/Pick-up and Parking along 83rd Ave SW is highly discouraged due to the damage of mail boxes.
Careful:
- Exit cautiously, as student walkers will also be crossing the street at the designated crosswalks close.