Kids love walking and biking! Safe Routes to School programs help more children get to school under their own power. Safety education can help students enjoy fun, safe and convenient trips to and from school.
A complete Safe Routes to School program includes bicycle and pedestrian safety education components that are structured for appropriate grade and age levels. This instruction can be implemented as part of a school-wide, communitywide, or statewide program. Pedestrian safety courses or programs will be most effective with K-3rd grades, and bicycle safety courses or programs will be most effective with 4-8th grades. Hybrid programs can offer both bike and walk safety skills to any age!
Pedestrian Education
The saying “we crawl before we walk” applies to Safe Routes to School. The first mode any of us uses is walking! We are all are part of the same traffic system when we walk on the streets, and we all share the rights and responsibilities. Because kids don’t drive, they perceive traffic differently than adults, so drivers can help by slowing down and being extra cautious around schools, parks and on neighborhood streets,
We recommend starting to model and teach how to be safe pedestrians from day one! In schools that means pre-school and kindergarten.
Neighborhood Navigators is designed for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students. Please modify according to your children or student’s needs and ability.
Neighborhood Navigators:
Neighborhood Navigators K-3 Benchmarks
Bicycle Education
Riding a bicycle is a major step towards independence and mobility. Riding a bike is a skill that takes years to perfect, but can be done safely with on-going, age-appropriate education. Often bike skills start in a driveway learning to balance, and progress through skills like starting, stopping, straight line riding, shoulder checks, road rules, navigating intersections and neighborhood riding.
We recommend starting to teach bicycle safety and skills when students are ready, usually is 3rd grade. Our preferred curriculum to teach the skills and knowledge necessary to ride in the neighborhood is: