Young children getting ready for school this fall will be able to practice riding the bus this weekend.
To help youngsters become accustomed to some of the rules associated with school transportation, the Chatham-Kent Lambton Administrative School Services (CLASS), along with local school bus operators are hosting "First Time Rider Orientation Day."
Kent Orr, the general manager for CLASS, says it helps ease any anxiety for kids and their parents when it comes to staying safe.
"We have a short animated video that goes over some of the safety information regarding safety around the bus, waiting for the bus at the bus stop, how to board the bus properly, [and] how to ride the bus," he says. "Then we complement that with an actual opportunity for the guardian and the children to actually go to a school bus on-site ... and go for a ride together."
The program is for students entering junior kindergarten, as well as those in Grade 1.
"The whole session will take you about a half an hour to 40 minutes to go through -- of course it's free," he says. "It's a great opportunity to get familiar and get some exposure for your little ones."
Orr says this is the fourth year they have organized the program and so far it has seen great success.
"Between the two sites, we'll see well over a thousand people, and we expect for this year, we should be north of that number," he says.
The orientation day is on August 19, from 9am-11:30am.
One session is being held at Ursuline College in Chatham, and the other will be at Great Lakes Secondary School in Sarnia.