I will be the first to admit that I am no expert when it comes to maintaining cars or vans. In fact, I call my husband when we have an issue with our childcare van.
Yesterday, I noticed that there was a nail in the rear tire of the van and seeing that nail in the tire reminded me that it is a good idea to conduct a safety inspection of the van before transporting the children.
I also noticed that the tread on the back tires were getting low, so I decided to just replace the rear tires and not worry about having a flat tire.
Today I want to inspire you to do a safety check on your vans, before transporting children in the vans. In fact, I believe that conducting a safety check will prevent an UN-expected inconvenience of a flat tire or from getting a traffic ticket because your blinker light is out.
Also, as the weather gets warmer, it is also a good idea to get your radiator checked and have all the fluids checked in your van.
Several, years ago, I received a phone call from my school-age teacher while she was on a field trip with the children and she said, “We have a flat tire.” This is why it is vital that you have really good tires and that there are two teachers on the field trip, in the event of an emergency on the road.
To assure that you are prepared in the event of an emergency, have emergency back-up transportation in place; be sure that there is a spare tire in the van and that someone is able to help the staff in the event of a van emergency.
Moreover, be sure that there are books or materials on the van that will keep the children occupied until the van is running again or until back-up transportation arrives.
Have you had your van serviced lately? If not, today is a great day to get a maintenance check. Before you transport children, be sure to check to see that the horn, blinkers, lights, brakes and wipers are working.
As always, I look forward to your comments and thoughts about this post.
With Getting Prepared For a fun and Safe Summer in mind!
Shiketa Morgan
Be sure to get your copy of the Summer Camp Planning eGuide
The Child Care Business Owner Institute 
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