Last week we shared road safety tips to help bring awareness to the fact that more kids are going to be on the streets, sidewalks, and bus stops throughout your community in a few short weeks. It’s imperative that neighbors within your community respect the speed limit and bus stop rules to ensure the safety of every single child in your neighborhood.
While road safety tips are important to share with adults, it’s important to remind children of different rules and tips to help them get to and from school safely every day. Here are a couple ways you can help educate kids in your community.
Organize group walks
For working parents, getting kids to and from school every day can be a difficult task. Even for parents who don’t work, letting kids walk to school, even if it’s close, can be a stressful decision. Consider organizing group walks to the local schools in your area. You can plan routes for kids to take to get to school and recommend different meetup times along the route. When planning these routes, be sure to highlight where kids should be crossing streets (always at stop lights and stop signs) to avoid jay walking. You can also organize a dry run the Sunday before the first day of school so parents can join in on their first walk. By doing this, parents know exactly which way their kids are taking to get to school and can rest assured knowing their kids are safe in a large group.
Share bus routes and stops
If there are local feeder schools that have busses picking up kids in your neighborhood, it’s a good idea to share this information with residents. Let everyone know the bus numbers that stop in your neighborhood, as well as where they stop and at what time. Helping residents be more aware of where the stops are and when kids will be catching the bus is another way to reduce potential accidents and keep residents on the lookout for students.
Walking tips for parents
If you forgo organizing a group walk, it’s still a good idea to share walking tips that parents can pass along to their kids. It’s best to always encourage parents to plan a route with their kids and walk with them the first time so they know exactly where to go. If it’s a long walk, write down directions and landmarks on a piece of paper that they can keep in their backpack if they ever get lost. Encourage kids to always take the same path every single day and never to take short cuts, even if their friends are doing so. Remind kids that the only way they should ever cross the street is at a stop light, stop sign, or crosswalk.
Organizing a group walk to school is a great way to provide value to residents. Looking for additional tips to improve resident experience? Download our free guide!
