It’s Back to School Season!

Or maybe, if this “season” brings you anxious feelings, you’re more likely to say, “I guess it's back to school season.” It’s also Back to Soccer Season for us!

We are a two child soccer family. 

Two boys.

Four years apart.

Two schools. (Elementary and High School)

Two soccer teams.

Two sets of practice schedules.

So. Many. Games.

Typing that made me slightly anxious. 

For a long time, I was reluctant to allow my boys to ride in the car with anyone who wasn’t a part of our family. I was afraid to give a non-family member responsibility for my child’s safety. But I realized that having to do it all, not asking for help, amplified any anxiety I had over allowing them to ride without me. 

So I gave in to this carpool phenomenon specifically for soccer. 

Carpools benefit many people in different ways:

• It benefits the kids who need to get where they’re going. 
• It's helpful for the little who may be reluctant to ride with others because people can be overwhelming. But for them, knowing who’s riding and when they’re riding can help temper uneasy feelings.
• It greatly benefits the parents of the children who, without the carpool, would be driving countless days, hours, and miles. 

Ways to Organize a Carpool

Spreadsheet
Organizing a carpool is not always as straightforward as it seems. There are many methods used for organizing and creating carpool schedules. I talked to a mom on our son’s soccer team who organizes a soccer carpool. She uses a google spreadsheet. I call her the “numbers, math and money lady." She loves a spreadsheet. 

Here’s how she does it: 

"I ask everyone participating if there are any days they…would prefer to drive. From there, I just go down the spreadsheet, input everyone’s name by the date, then highlight anything that needs to be changed (because of unavailability on a specific day). Once all of the “issues” are highlighted, I make the adjustments."

On why she choose to use a spreadsheet:

"I chose to use a spreadsheet because I make a calculation to total the amount of times each family drives. (She IS the math lady) 1. to show everyone has the same amount or close to the same amount of driving and 2. to make sure everyone is driving equally.

I also like to plan the whole season, so everyone can plan ahead–put their driving days into their calendar–and also print the schedule to keep close by or display (on the fridge or bulletin board)."

The math lady was kind enough to let us use this spreadsheet for our soccer carpool. My husband, the math man, created a schedule and sent it to our group. It really helps to know who is driving our kids, and it helps the kids know who will be in the car and on what day (especially the ones who may be reluctant to be around too many unknown people). But agreeing on a schedule creates trust, distributes the driving equally and keeps dialogue open in the event things may need to be switched.

GoKid Carpool Organizer

If you don’t like spreadsheets and would prefer the ease of an app, I recently learned of the GoKid Carpool Organizer. The GoKid app describes itself  as “a great choice for busy moms who want to simplify their lives and reduce the stress of managing their family’s transportation needs. It allows you to create a carpool group with other families in your community. You can schedule and manage carpool rides with your group, track pick-up and drop-off times, and get notified of any changes and communicate with other parents through the app.” (GoKid)

Here’s how it works (from the GoKid web site):

• Set up: Download the Gokid app, register, and add family members.
• Create a carpool: Name it, set a schedule, locations, and invite friends.
• Send invitations: Friends join, and you get notified.
• Volunteer as driver: Carpool member days you can drive.
• Enjoy benefits: Shared schedule, reminders, optimized routes, live tracking.

Each family in the carpool signs up for their own slots which gives them the flexibility to drive on their preferred days. You can create 3 carpool types depending on the number of pick-ups and drop-offs, and you can create a repeating or non-repeating carpool. 

The app is free for core functionality, but there is a subscription based option that offers security features like live tracking, in-app chat, custom notifications and seeing the history of your carpool. (GoKid)

What works for you? There are more carpool organizing apps out there. Click here for a list. But of course, if you’re the math and numbers type, google sheets is free (and Excel..similar/same/maybe)! I might even allow you to use the Math Lady’s spreadsheet.

Photo: "People with Soccer Balls by Car" by Jupiter Images