TimesLeader.com

International Walk to School Day celebration Oct. 7

 On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Pennsylvania schools will join with schools across the globe to promote walking and bicycling to school as part of International Walk to School Day. 

International Walk to School Day brings together millions of walkers from around the world in hopes of reversing declining trends in children walking to school, improving poor air quality, reducing congestion and improving daily activity rates of today’s youth. 

Research indicates that less than 15 percent of students between the ages of 5 and 15 currently walk to or from school – compared to 48 percent of children that walked or bicycled to school in 1969.

In Pennsylvania, Walk to School Day is coordinated by the Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital (Center) through funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). 

During the 2008-09 school year, more than 200 Pennsylvania schools held Walk to School Day celebrations, including Walking School Bus activities and walking scavenger hunts along main routes to school. A survey of schools conducted by the Center in the spring of 2009 found that 90 percent of schools offer a supervised walking program on a daily basis. 

Farah Kauffman, project manager with the Center, explains, “Physical activity of any kind is great for kids, but walking or bicycling to school is a wonderful opportunity for parents and kids to spend quality time together and promote a healthier lifestyle for the whole family.” 

In addition to partnering with the Center to promote Walk to School Day each year, PennDOT also provides funding for the Safe Routes to School Academy. The Academy is Pennsylvania’s response to the federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative, established in 2005. The federal Safe Routes to School initiative encourages and promotes walking and bicycling to school and improves infrastructure with the construction of bike lanes, crosswalks, sidewalks and more.  

“The Safe Routes to School Program was created to help in the fight against childhood obesity by promoting healthy, sustainable transportation choices at an early age,” said PennDOT’s Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Chris Metka. “Together, the Center and PennDOT are working to increase safe walking and bicycling opportunities for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.”

Through the Academy, the Center educates schools and communities about safe walking and bicycling practices by providing mini-grants and technical assistance to those communities interested in implementing a SRTS program.  

PennDOT manages federal funds that help schools pay for physical improvements to the walking and bicycling infrastructure around schools.

The Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital works collectively with state and national partners to conduct research and evaluate promising obesity prevention practices. Since 2003, this important work has been translated into programs and events implemented by the state network Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA). For more information about the Center and its programs, visit www.nrgbalance.org.