Walking School Bus

The Facts

• In 1969, 44 percent of children walked or biked to school and in 2009 only 13 percent did so.
• 20 to 25 percent of morning traffic is caused by parents driving their children to school.
• Traffic generated by travel to and from school adds 20 to 30 percent more traffic volume to the roads.

The three major consequences of this shift are an increase in childhood obesity, a decrease in pedestrian safety and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2007, about one-third of Kansas and Missouri children between the ages of 10 and 17 were overweight or obese. Some of the health complications resulting from childhood obesity include Type 2 diabetes (once called adult-onset diabetes), asthma, poor self esteem, risk of stroke, hypertension, gallstones, flat feet and more.

The more cars there are on the road, the greater the risk this poses on children as pedestrians. Children are among the highest risk groups of being involved in car crashes as they tend to "dart out" into the street, which is how 46 percent of traffic crashes occur. Also, 50 percent of the children who are injured near schools are struck by cars driven by parents of other students.

Annually, one-third of greenhouse gas emissions come from cars and trucks. If America's cars were a separate country, they would be the world's 5^th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Poor air quality results in approximately five million children suffering from asthma in the United States. 14 million school days are lost every year because of this disease.

The Walking School Bus Program can help address all these issues!

About Walking School Bus

History

The concept of the walking school bus was invented in 1998 by Hertfordshire County Council and was first used at Wheatfields Junior School in St Albans, United Kingdom. The idea spread through Britain and was adopted quickly in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Because of the social and physical benefits of the walking school bus, the number of these programs has continued to grow in these locations.

In the United States Congress passed a transportation bill in 2005 that allocated $612 million dollars for implementing Safe Routes to School programs in every state between 2005 and 2009. Each state's Department of Transportation received at least $1 million per year with the exact amount depending on student enrollment numbers. Awarded grants were used to build new sidewalks and crosswalks around schools, to educate students and volunteers on pedestrian safety, to encourage students and volunteers to use the existing and new infrastructure, to get law enforcement support to make walking safe and to evaluate the program's success.

The Walking School Bus Program

A Walking School Bus is a group of children walking to and/or from school accompanied by trained adult volunteers. It is one of the Safe Routes to School components and is safe, fun and healthy way to educate and encourage more students to walk to and/or from school. The program has two most common structures. The first operates like a regular school bus where the volunteer starts walking from their home and picks up children along the route to school. The other variation is where the volunteers and students meet at a central location and walk together from there.

The program can be lead by parents or teachers and can even involve valuable community members like senior citizens or high school students who are part of a leadership and community service club.

Walking School Buses can benefit your children and community in several ways:

• Healthy daily activity to increase fitness and prevent health problems
• Reduced traffic congestion and cleaner air in our neighborhoods and around our schools
• Potential cost savings for schools (reduces need for "hazard" busing)
• Program does not require special skills or expensive equipment
• Helps establish lifelong healthy habits
• Instills greater sense of community
• Potential cost savings for parents by driving less
• Improved behavior and healthy friendships among children
• Improved academic performance related to increased physical activity
• Opportunities to connect with nature and the community

Read more about the benefits of Walking School Bus

Get Involved

Bridging The Gap's is coordination the regional Safe Routes to School Walking School Bus Program, which currently works with nine schools in three Kansas counties. This includes helping schools get started and providing support to efforts already underway. We are always looking for new volunteers to help get the program established at the following schools:

• Shawnee Mission School District: Belinder Elementary, East Antioch Elementary and Roesland Elementary Schools
• Kansas City, Kansas School District: Frank Rushton Elementary and M.E. Pearson Elementary Schools
• Olathe School District: Arbor Creek Elementary and Tomahawk Elementary Schools
• Lawrence School District: Sunflower Elementary School
• De Soto School District: Clear Creek Elementary School

As a volunteer, you may help the Program Manager promote the program at your school, recruit other volunteers and student walkers, help with route planning and volunteer scheduling, walk a group of children to and/or from school and help with program evaluation throughout the school year.

The Walking School Bus season runs from the beginning of the school year through Thanksgiving and resumes after Spring Break and concludes at the end of the school year. Walking School Bus routes are up to one mile long, which takes about 30 minutes to walk with children.

Before the first walk, every volunteer has to pass a criminal history check, a child abuse and neglect registry check and sign a volunteer waiver that states all the risks associated with this volunteer opportunity. Furthermore, each volunteer is required to attend a 30 minute training about the Walking School Bus Program policies and procedures and to learn important safety tips when walking with children.

If you would like to be involved with the program at any of the above schools, CLICK HERE to download an application form. For more information, please contact the program manager, Katharina Poetter Krouse at 816-561-1061, ext. 131 or katharina@bridgingthegap.org.

News and Events

The Walking School Bus Program would like to thank New Belgium Brewery, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and the Latino Health for All Coalition for their generous donation to the program.

October 6 is International Walk to School Day! Learn more at these two websites: www.iwalktoschool.org and www.walktoschool.org.

Links

Walking School Bus Guide (PDF)
Walking School Bus Basics
National Center for Safe Routes to School