Walking School Bus to Become Regular Activity at Park Avenue School
DANBURY, Conn. (September 28, 2016) — Building on the success of a “Walking School Bus” event that was held last spring on May 4, a coalition of community partners is planning a second event on Wednesday, October 5, 2016. Children who attend Park Avenue Elementary School, parents and volunteers will gather at 7:30 a.m. at City Hall to make the approximately one-mile walk to the school, picking up other children at stops along the way. Children who participate will each receive a pedometer. This is a rain or shine event.
The Walking School Bus is co-sponsored by the Coalition for Healthy Kids (CHK), Danbury Public Schools (DPS) and United Way of Western Connecticut (UWWC).
The October 5 event will kick off what will become an ongoing Walking School Bus at Park Avenue School as part of Strong Start Neighborhood Initiative at Park Avenue School, sponsored by UWWC.
“Last spring we were thrilled that more than 150 children participated, along with parents, guardians and school staff,” said Maureen Farrell, Director of Community Wellness at the Regional YMCA of Western CT and the Chair of the Coalition for Healthy Kids. “We are excited that Park Avenue will become the model for how a school can make this a regular activity.”
Kim Morgan, CEO of UWWC, said funding from The Grossman Family Foundation is allowing United Way to work with school staff and parents to make the Walking School Bus part of the regular life of the school. “The children were so excited last year and the parents and school staff were so supportive that we knew we could make this something that could work on a regular basis,” explained Morgan. The Walking School Bus will be coordinated through a Parent Outreach Worker, funded through the Neighborhood Initiative. The initiative provides support and funding for playgroups, workshops, and other activities that promote school readiness and success in the early elementary grades.
Park Avenue School Principal David Krafick is a very enthusiastic supporter of the October 5 event, and of making it part of the school’s regular routine. “When more children walk to school they arrive in the classroom energized and ready to learn,” he said, citing a correlation between exercise and enthusiasm for learning. “Our school’s neighborhood setting makes Park Avenue the perfect place to pilot an ongoing Walking School Bus,” he added.
Walking School Buses are being promoted across the country as an innovative way to incorporate more exercise into the daily life of school children, and to address chronic absenteeism.
Those who are attending the October 6 Walking School Bus event may park at the Danbury Library parking lot or on Deer Hill Avenue.
To learn more about the Walking School Bus concept, go to walkbiketoschool.org or visit the National Safe Routes to School website at saferoutesinfo.org.