Heartland Programs
Policy Number:
CHS133
Performance Standard:
1310.17; 1310.17 a; 1310.17 b; 1310.17 b 1;
1310.17 b 2; 1310.17 b 3; 1310.17 b 4;
1310.17 b 5; 1310.17 b 6; 1310.17 b 7;
1310.17 c; 1310.17 d; 1310.17 e; 1310.17 f;
1310.17 f 1; 1310.17 f 2.
Title: Driver and Bus Monitor Training
Effective Date:
01/08/15
Policy Council Approval:
01/08/15
POLICY: Drivers and bus monitors are trained in accordance with the regulations.
PROCEDURES:
1. Persons employed to drive vehicles used in providing transportation services will have received
the training required no later than 90 days after the effective date established by Sec. 1310.2.
2. Heartland ensures that drivers who are hired to drive vehicles used in providing transportation
services after the close of the 90 day period receive the training required prior to transporting
any child enrolled in the program.
3. Heartland ensures that at least annually after receiving the required training (1310.17 b and c),
all drivers who drive vehicles used to provide transportation services receive the training
required (1310.17 d) including directly employed and contracted bus drivers.
4. Each year, drivers receive a combination of classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel
instruction sufficient to enable each driver to:
a) Operate the vehicle in a safe and efficient manner;
b) Safely run a fixed route, including loading and unloading children, stopping at railroad
crossings and performing other specialized driving maneuvers;
c) Administer basic first aid in case of injury;
d) Handle emergency situations, including vehicle evacuation procedures;
e) Operate any special equipment, such as wheelchair lifts, assistance devices or special
occupant restraints;
f) Conduct routine maintenance and safety checks of the vehicle; and
g) Determine which records are necessary and maintain accurate records.
5. Drivers also receive instruction on the topics of:
a) The goals and underlying philosophy of Early Head Start and/or Head Start and the ways
in which they are implemented by the program;
b) A structured approach to staff training and development, attaching academic credit
whenever possible. This system should be designed to help build relationships among
staff and to assist staff in acquiring or increasing the knowledge and skills needed to
fulfill their job responsibilities, in accordance with the requirements of 1306.23;
c) Ongoing opportunities for staff to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to
implement the content of the Head Start Performance Standards, including methods for
identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect that comply with applicable state and
local laws using, so far as possible, a helpful rather than a punitive attitude toward
abusing or neglecting parents and other caretakers;
d) The provisions of the Head Start Performance Standards for Children with Disabilities
(45 CFR 1308) relating to transportation services for children with disabilities.
6. Drivers receive refresher training courses including the topics listed above and any additional
necessary training to meet the requirements applicable in the state where the agency operates.
7. The agency ensures that drivers who transport children receiving the services qualify under the
applicable driver training requirements in the state.
8. The agency ensures that:
a) The annual evaluation of each driver of a vehicle used to provide transportation services
includes an on-board observation of road performance;
i) Records of bus driver’s last performance evaluation, including onboard
observation of performance and dates, are kept in the staff files.
b) Before bus monitors assigned to vehicles used to provide transportation services begin
their duties, they are trained on child boarding and exiting procedure, use of child
restraint systems, any required paperwork, responses to emergencies, emergency
evacuation procedures, use of special equipment, child pick-up and release procedures
and pre- and post-trip vehicle check.
9. Records of received required training, including the dates and types of training, are kept in the
staff files.