Safe Routes To School

Melissa Strovers

Getting Started• Identify the Right Stakeholders• Meet and Create the Vision• Gather Information and Identify Issues• Create the Program• Leverage Resources & Divide the

Work-Load• Evaluate, Adjust and Wrap Up

Source: www.saferoutesinfo.org/getting_started/

Identify the Stakeholders

• Bring together planning team– College, Chamber of Commerce,

Local Non-profit, Park and Recreation Department

• Identify other stakeholders– School District– Police Department– Key Businesses

Meet & Create the Vision

• Identify the Event – International Walk to School Day– www.walktoschool.org

• Set the Vision: To encourage families and students to take a break from driving and walk or bike to school and participate in the one-day event.

• Purpose: – To enhance the health of kids– To promote a healthy environment

Gather Information• Contact the school administrator

– Share the vision

– Discuss any concerns

– Keep it simple

• Contact the police

– Determine their level of involvement

– Identify any potential safety concerns

• Address potential liability concerns

Identify Issues• Determine which agency will cover the liability insurance?• With more children biking or walking, how do we make the safest

routes possible?• What about children who live out of town and can’t walk or bike to

school?• What about children whose parents are unable to walk or bike with

them to school?• How do we motivate the kids to participate?• How do we motivate the teachers to encourage their students to

participate?• How do we let the parents know about the event?

Solutions to Issues• Follow-up with insurance agent to ensure adequate liability

insurance is in place• Coordinate with local police to bring out additional patrols for the

event• Encourage families and friends to work together to find creative

solutions for children to walk or bike to school for the day– Create a walking/biking school bus– Bring children into town and have a safe drop off point where children can

walk to school

• Motivate teachers and students to participate by offering an incentive

Create the Program• Grinnell’s Program:• District-wide contest encouraging all families and students to take a break from

driving and walk-or-bike to school. • Offer incentives to winning teacher and classroom

– $100 in Chamber bucks to the winning teacher from each classroom– Offer a pizza party to the winning classroom

• Keep it simple for administrator, principal and teachers– Developed packets for each teacher

• Local business offered to reproduce packets

– Included Q&A, Stickers, Age appropriate activities, take-home flyer

• Get the word out– Posted to Facebook, went on local radio program and featured in local paper

Leverage Resources & Divide the Work-Load

• Leverage resources - http://www.walktoschool.org/resources/index.cfm

• Divide the work-load:– Park and Recreation Department – coordinate with the school administrator,

print stickers, and develop take home flyer for students– Chamber of Commerce – contact local businesses for donations, follow-up

with the teachers after the event– Grinnell College – contact school principal, create packet of information for the

teachers (tally form, Q&A, worksheets), purchase banners– Imagine Grinnell – coordinate meetings, develop the media plan, and make

sure liability coverage is in place

Classroom Participation

Percentage Based on Classroom Participation

Overall Student Participation

Evaluate, Adjust and Wrap-up

• Gather tally sheets from each school– Review data collected– Tally the sheets

• Announce the winner for each school & ask for feedback– Coordinate with winning teacher for prize and party plans– Review feedback

• Issue wrap-up announcement to local media• Discuss future plans

The End