>Mostly this ^. As a parent you want to get to work on time. So staggering when school starts is both good for traffic and parents’ sanity.
Part of it is the assumption that kids can't get to school on their own. I was walking by myself to school when I was 6.
And in a lot of places the built environment is such that kids really can't get to school on their own. Schools are either far away, public transit isn't possible, or there just aren't sidewalks, crosswalks, or safe routes to walk.
Fortunately the densely built areas don't have most of those problems. As long as the neighborhood kids travel in groups they're fine. And the "I Promise" program gives them their own bicycles and free rides to and from school within 2 miles.
I walked to school as I was growing up in Nairobi but realize that it’s not possible for my daughter.
Nairobi would probably have questionable security compared to the US, but I’m guessing we are probably judged quite harsh here in US.
There was just this article other day where a woman faced jail time or massive fines because she left her “not-so-baby” baby in the car. My dad used to leave us in the car all the time with windows open.
I can’t do any of that. Mostly because I may end up in jail. That’s the reality of US.
