5 Reasons why you should choose a school close to home for your kids

Parents usually stress about the school they would like their child to study in.Today, in India parents are also faced with the question of which board they would like to enrol their children in – whether state, central or international standards of education. Regular surveys appear in the newspapers listing the top schools in the city. But, all these considerations aside, the location of the school should be the first and foremost criterion for parents to consider. The close the school is to home, the better not only for the child but for the family as well, this is why: Cut Down on Travel Woes: Haven’t we all faced the stress of commuting daily? Haven’t we felt that sense of meaningless waste of time that could have been better spent than just watching the tail lights of the vehicle ahead of us? Now, wouldn’t the same apply to child who would be expected to wake up an hour early just to make it to school on time and spend an extra hour breathing in pollution on the way back as well? Imagine how many hours would your child be saving if the school was a mere 10 minute walk away! The daily struggle to wake them up at an unearthly hour and bundle them into a school bus could be replaced with a pleasant walk to school and a lending a ear as they discuss their day on the way back home – a wonderful way to bond with your child. After School Activities: Many schools organise activities after school as well, which are usually optional. Some even have them over the weekend. Extra sports coaching or learning new skills like gymnastics, skating, abacus etc are all accessible if you live close to the school and don’t need to contend with issues of organising a ride to and fro, as school buses do not typically provide services for such extracurricular activities. Confidence booster: Children crave to experience sense of autonomy and the feeling that they are being treated like they are responsible young people. When a child is older and the school is close to home, they can even go to school on their own, giving them a proud feeling of accomplishment. If the school is located within a township, there is also no fear of children facing heavy traffic as they walk to and from school. Safety and security: School buses are notorious for the level of bullying of younger children that goes on. There have also been cases when the bus attendant has molested a child. While schools are becoming more vigilant and CCTV cameras are also being installed in buses to deter such elements, the truth is that these are very real possibilities. Moreover, children also tend to pick up bad habits and language in the bus from older children who feel bold given that there is no adult supervision in the form of a parent or teacher to reprimand them. Living closer to school and being there to drop and pick up your child is the perfect way to completely avoid such a situation. Emergencies: There can be a number of emergency situations that can come up while your child is in school. The child may get hurt or fall ill and you may be called to take him/her home as soon as possible. Or there could be other emergencies like floods or a ‘morcha’ out on the streets or even a terror threat, in such cases when the school administration takes a call and decides to close early for the day, it is a boon if you live close to the school and get your child home safely without undue delays or having to worry about getting stuck in traffic. There are other benefits as well, for instance if your child forgets to take a book or project, which they will definitely do, at least once a year, you can quickly get it to them, or if they are older, they could come home for the forgotten item themselves. Some schools also allow children who live close by to go home for lunch and who can deny the benefits of a freshly cooked meal. All in all, parents who live close to school experience peace of mind and the children are less hassled.