The Safe Routes to School National Partnership, to which the Children & Nature Network belongs, has issued two new resource guides: Getting Students Active through Safe Routes to School: Policies and Action Steps for Education Policymakers and Professionals and Implementing Safe Routes to School in Low-Income Schools and Communities: A Resource Guide for Volunteers and Professionals.

Getting Students Active provides a detailed examination of the most up-to-date and relevant research linking physical activity and academic achievement, and presents Safe Routes to School as a means of increasing students’ physical activity levels. Key topic areas include:

  • Building effective partnerships
  • Addressing traffic safety through infrastructure and enforcement
  • Incorporating Safe Routes to School into school wellness policies
  • Ensuring school transportation policies are inclusive of walking and bicycling
  • Creating neighborhood schools and joint use policies

Implementing Safe Routes includes specific tips for getting started with SRTS in low-income communities and includes a number of success stories. Key topic areas include:

  • Personal Safety: Crime and Violence
  • Community Readiness: Awareness and Attitudes
  • A Shortage of Professional Expertise
  • Limited Parental Involvement
  • The Barrier of Distance to School
  • Traffic Safety and the Built Environment

Safe Routes to School is a national (U.S.) program that advocates for safer bike and pedestrian access to schools and for policy in the areas of transportation, education, health, and the environment. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a network of nearly 500 organizations, agencies, businesses and schools working to support the development and implementation of Safe Routes to School programs throughout the United States.

Commentaries on the C&NN website are offered to share diverse points-of-view from the global children and nature movement and to encourage new thinking and debate. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of C&NN. C&NN does not officially endorse every statement, report or product mentioned.

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Suz Lipman

Susan Sachs Lipman (Suz) has more than 25 years experience as a writer, editor, social media manager, community builder, and advocate for getting children into nature. She is the author of Fed Up with Frenzy: Slow Parenting in a Fast-Moving World, which was named a TIME magazine Top 10 Trend of 2012. She has written for the New York Times Motherlode blog, the Christian Science Monitor’s Modern Parenthood blog and others. Suz serves as the Director of Social Media Promotion and Partnerships for the Children & Nature Network.

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