How The Early School Runs Are Endangering Our Children

I know children are currently on holiday, but parents, this is a conversation worth having.

The early morning cold, especially for very young children, is not healthy. For kids under five years of age, exposing them to such low temperatures at dawn can easily affect their health.

Schools should not pressure you into having your small kids board a bus before 8:00am.

Have you noticed that once children join playgroup, PP1 or PP2, they begin experiencing frequent colds and fevers? This is particularly common among those who board school buses as early as 5:00 or 6:00am. At that age, such exposure puts their health at risk.

Cold environments tend to favour the survival and spread of certain viruses and bacteria, including rhinoviruses, influenza and streptococcus. These conditions allow virus particles to remain airborne longer, increasing the chances of infection.

As parents, protecting your child must come first.

Many schools are operating as businesses and are trying to accommodate rising enrolment with limited transport arrangements. To manage this, they start picking children very early in the morning, some as early as 4:00am, so as to complete multiple trips before 8:00am. But this convenience comes at a cost.

Think about it: For your child not to miss the bus, they have to be ready by 5:00am. That means waking a 3- or 4-year-old at 4:00am..... a child who hasn’t had enough sleep, whose body is still developing and whose immunity is not yet strong enough to fight infections. Then, they are exposed to the cold, all to fit into a school’s schedule.

The result? Frequent hospital visits for respiratory issues, recurring illnesses and a home that begins to resemble a pharmacy due to constant medication.

This is preventable.

Take charge as a parent. Make decisions that prioritise your child’s health over convenience or pressure from institutions. Protect your child because failing to do so may cost you both their well-being and unnecessary expenses in the long run.

Jaymo Wa Thika

CEO, Thika Town Today – 3T / 3T TV