How do you dive into the carpool without causing the wrong kind of waves?
Ask Lee Fisher.
If anyone knows her way around a carpool, it’s Fisher.
She belonged to a carpool of several foothills families whose children attend Denver School of the Arts, a 40-minute commute from their Lookout Mountain and Evergreen homes.
“Communication and promptness are key,” she said.
Her advice for new carpoolers:
Hold a meeting of all the carpool members. Decide on a specific rotating schedule of drivers. “Our schedule was set in stone,” Fisher said.
Set firm pick-up times, and observe them.
Caveat: Flexibility is also important. “Treat your carpoolers the way you want to be treated,” Fisher said. “If a kid was just running late, I would never leave the school without him. I never pulled away unless I knew the child had other arrangements for getting home.”
Exchange cell and home phone numbers, and e-mail addresses.
Elect one carpool member as the designated e-mailer, in charge of notifying the carpool members of occasional changes, like new phone numbers.
Establish a policy to cover vacations and other foreseeable absences when the designated carpool driver cannot drive. Fisher found it most helpful to trade driving days with another member.
Establish a policy about sick days and other situations. Fisher’s group agreed that the designated parent would drive even if his or her child was ill, or staying late at school, or out of town on a school activity.
Plan a cushion of time to allow for rush hour traffic snarls and bad weather. “Promptness is really important,” Fisher said. “It’s stressful driving during rush hour. You want to get them there on time, and they want to be there on time. You can allot time for normal rush-hour delays, but then there are accidents.”
Establish a plan for snow days and significant storms. “In terms of bad weather, we’d call each other the night before and usually plan to meet 10 minutes or so earlier than usual,” Fisher said.
Treat carpool members now and then to homemade cookies or a take-out cup of coffee or juice. The investment brings a return of enormous goodwill.
