That care package filled with cookies or a fresh-baked cake will be loved when it arrives at your child's school, but getting it there may be trickier than you realize. Whether you're shipping a gift yourself or ordering something online, following these tips will help ensure that your gift arrives fresh and ready to share.

Learn How the School Delivers
The majority of schools have central mailing rooms that process all incoming mail, and most schools send a package notification to the students to let them know that something has arrived. Be sure to ask your child how he or she receives packages.

Know the Full Mailing Address
United Parcel Service and Federal Express will not deliver to PO Boxes, so your package needs to be addressed to the school's mail facility. The best way to address the package is to use the name of the school as a Company Name, the school's mail facility as the primary address, and your child's room number as the secondary address.

Add a Day to the Delivery Time
If you want something to arrive on your child's birthday, for example, try to get it to the school a day early. Larger schools often need an extra day to process packages, and late-afternoon deliveries almost never get to students the day they arrive on campus.

Don't Deliver on Saturday
School mailing facilities typically close on Saturday, which means your package will spend the weekend at the shipping company's warehouse. That can ruin a perishable gift.

Avoid Friday Deliveries
Your gift will be received by the school on Friday, but it might take the weekend for your child to receive notification that it has arrived, so the package is stuck in the mailing room. In general, this is less of a concern with smaller schools.

Tell Your Child That a Gift Is Coming
Package slips are sometimes delivered later than the regular mail, and package pickup at some schools closes for the day around dinnertime. You don't need to ruin the surprise, just let your child know that a package will arrive on a certain day.

Waive the Signature
If your child lives off campus or receives packages directly, be sure to waive the signature so that the delivery driver will leave it behind if no one is there. Be aware that even if you waive the signature, some delivery companies won't leave the package if they can't get into the building. In this case, the delivery driver will leave a note on the door with instructions on how to claim the package. When you order at 1-800-Bakery.com, we automatically waive the signature.

Order Ahead
If you're ordering online, take advantage of the opportunity to choose a delivery date in the future. Ordering ahead guarantees that you'll get popular items before they run out, and it gives customer service enough time to review your order and answer any questions they may have.

Provide Daytime Contact Information
Always check a site's privacy policy before giving out personal information. Reputable online retailers care about your business, and won't share your information with third parties. Having a daytime number where you can be reached can be the difference between a package that arrives on time and one that's late.

Don't Expect Delivery at a Specific Time
Some shippers will guarantee delivery by a specific time of day, but a lot can happen on the way to your student, including traffic and weather delays. If you need something somewhere by 2PM on a certain day, plan on getting the package there a day early.

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