The holiday season brings joy and jubilation to families of all religious and cultural backgrounds. Teaching elementary school children about holiday traditions and cultural customs they may have never heard of before can be a challenge — but an exciting one.

Math, science, and typing games are common in great schools across the country. Have you ever wondered if “gamification” truly helps your child learn?

You may remember Zoombinis, Oregon Trail, and early typing games like Jump Start. These were some of the first widely available computer games in the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, the eLearning market has experienced phenomenal growth around the globe, with estimates placing revenue from learning games at $107 billion in 2015 alone.

School bus scheduling and routing are important transportation features for districts and parents. Fortunately, SafeStop is more than just a bus tracking app. In addition to giving you real-time bus scheduling information, we deliver a bird’s-eye view of the route your child is taking to and from school. Plus – we work with school districts to create efficient and safe bus routing.

You’ve probably heard the phrase countless times. But what is a school board? In the United States, school boards were first created in 1647 when a Massachusetts law, which required cities to establish and maintain schools, was passed. Basically, a school board is a local authority tasked with the provision and maintenance of a school or schools.

If you are like most parents, you may be wondering, What is the purpose of this board? Who are the individuals involved? What impact do they have on my child’s education? Good questions. Thanks for asking! The primary goal of a school board is to improve student achievement. However, since school boards have the power to make many key decisions about curriculum, bus transportation, the hiring of teachers and more, it is essential for school board members to be qualified, experienced, and responsible individuals.

Your children are home for the day, but school is in session for teachers. Why? Because it’s a professional development day, and today plays a key role in making sure your school’s teachers never stop learning.

Professional development helps your child’s teacher stay current in their profession. One experienced education policy professional, Emily Hassel, defined professional development as, “the process of improving staff skills and competencies needed to produce outstanding educational results for students.”

Because the professional development (PD) of teachers impacts the educational success of your children, it is important to know what goes on during those days when the school parking lot is full but the kids are home.

Propane, diesel fuel, and electric — fuel options for school district transportation administration have never been better.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), American school buses transport approximately 25 million children more than four billion miles each year. In response to government programs, environmental impacts, costs of operation, and fluctuating gasoline prices, school administrators and transportation officials continue to evaluate alternative bus fuels to eliminate expensive trips to the gas station.

When our customers ask us, “What is the best part of working at SafeStop?” The answer is of course, our people! Every month we spotlight one of our awesome employees. These spotlights will highlight their experiences, accomplishments at SafeStop, and fun facts about what makes them great!

This December, we're featuring Gilah Fish, Customer Service Coordinator.

What is your role with the team?
Customer Service Coordinator

What is your personal motto?
"You can't be mad about the things you can't change, only the things you have the ability to change and still haven't"

School’s cancelled! Winter is the season for making the most of a school day even when school is not in session.

Each school district has its own inclement weather policies. You may receive your “school’s cancelled” alert from the school, television, or through an app like SafeStop. When you get the announcement, the best thing to do is relax. It’s time for the children to sleep in, and for you to plan your day.

Read more about planning ahead for school cancellations...

These days, global positioning system (GPS) technology is seamlessly integrated into smartphones. While paper maps are nice, it’s easier to check your phone for directions, not to mention more perks like viewing your time of arrival and getting notified of traffic delays along your route. Unsurprisingly, school districts are taking advantage of this technology for very similar reasons: convenience and extra benefits.

New education technology is creating exciting learning and safety opportunities for classrooms and school districts in the United States. As new high-tech business capabilities are introduced in the marketplace, education technology is moving just as quickly to improve learning, safety, and operational effectiveness for K-12 students.