Program backs biking, walking to school
Olivia Moran - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 11/12/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
Encouraging kids to walk or bike to school has been a nationwide effort for the past two years, and it's time to take it a step further, education officials say.
Officials of the Safe Routes to School program met in Michigan last week to determine these steps. Safe Routes - in coalition with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration - was created in May 2006 to encourage children and their families to choose alternate, more healthy forms of transportation in the morning.
Susie Poulton, the Iowa City School District's health-services director, said the district has numerous programs in place dealing with the students' health and nutrition, but it is not yet associated with Safe Routes.
"That would be something the district might consider through our wellness committee," she said.
The district has executed walking clubs and nutrition classes, and it has teamed up with local diabetes associations in order to curb obesity in young ones and improve their health, she said.
In addition to a fitness center at City High, Poulton said the district received funding to add another exercise facility that will be open to students, staff, and families at West High. She said the district has evaluated the level of obesity within the schools by measuring the students' weights and heights.
"We have a significant number who are obese or are at risk of becoming obese," she said. "[But] we have found our students are no different from those nationwide."
The Safe Routes program aims to increase physical activity among kids to enhance their well-being. Iowa's branch coordinator, Kathy Ridnour, said the conference mainly talked about how to incorporate the program's five stages.
The program needs to address the five E's of the program: education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation, she said.
Since 2005, Iowa has received more than $3 million in federal funding for the program, and that figure is expected to double over 2008 and 2009, said Craig Markley of systems planning in the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Schools, local governments, groups, and others can apply for funding. Markley said Iowa is considered a smaller state and gets the least amount of funding.
In four years, larger states such as California will have received nearly $68 million, Texas almost $45 million, and New York around $32 million.
Ridnour justified Iowa's modest funding by pointing out that there are many no-cost and low-cost opportunities to implement the program.
"The program is not so much about the money but about taking action to try to increase the number of kids who are walking or biking," she said.
The Iowa DOT's website suggests no- or low-cost projects such as a Walk to School poster contest, a designated walk-to-school day, or a crossing-guard appreciation day.
Markley said the Iowa branch funded 22 projects last year; the organization has 68 applications to sort through for this year.
E-mail DI reporter Olivia Moran at:
olivia-moran@uiowa.edu
Officials of the Safe Routes to School program met in Michigan last week to determine these steps. Safe Routes - in coalition with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration - was created in May 2006 to encourage children and their families to choose alternate, more healthy forms of transportation in the morning.
Susie Poulton, the Iowa City School District's health-services director, said the district has numerous programs in place dealing with the students' health and nutrition, but it is not yet associated with Safe Routes.
"That would be something the district might consider through our wellness committee," she said.
The district has executed walking clubs and nutrition classes, and it has teamed up with local diabetes associations in order to curb obesity in young ones and improve their health, she said.
In addition to a fitness center at City High, Poulton said the district received funding to add another exercise facility that will be open to students, staff, and families at West High. She said the district has evaluated the level of obesity within the schools by measuring the students' weights and heights.
"We have a significant number who are obese or are at risk of becoming obese," she said. "[But] we have found our students are no different from those nationwide."
The Safe Routes program aims to increase physical activity among kids to enhance their well-being. Iowa's branch coordinator, Kathy Ridnour, said the conference mainly talked about how to incorporate the program's five stages.
The program needs to address the five E's of the program: education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation, she said.
Since 2005, Iowa has received more than $3 million in federal funding for the program, and that figure is expected to double over 2008 and 2009, said Craig Markley of systems planning in the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Schools, local governments, groups, and others can apply for funding. Markley said Iowa is considered a smaller state and gets the least amount of funding.
In four years, larger states such as California will have received nearly $68 million, Texas almost $45 million, and New York around $32 million.
Ridnour justified Iowa's modest funding by pointing out that there are many no-cost and low-cost opportunities to implement the program.
"The program is not so much about the money but about taking action to try to increase the number of kids who are walking or biking," she said.
The Iowa DOT's website suggests no- or low-cost projects such as a Walk to School poster contest, a designated walk-to-school day, or a crossing-guard appreciation day.
Markley said the Iowa branch funded 22 projects last year; the organization has 68 applications to sort through for this year.
E-mail DI reporter Olivia Moran at:
olivia-moran@uiowa.edu
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