THE WALKING SCHOOL BUS

More and more children in the U.S. prefer the walking school bus. It starts with an adult volunteer, who goes house to house picking up children. The group then walks to school together and back home in the afternoons.

Walking school buses are getting more popular because they help fight childhood obesity and ensure that kids get to school safely.

Children like them because they are fun.

A group of school children held hands as they walked home one afternoon in Rhode Island. When they reached a busy intersection, an adult who was with them asked, “What’s the rule?”

“Behind the line!” they said together. Shortly after, the group stopped in front of 8-year-old Jaiden Guzman’s house. He said “goodbye” to his friends and ran to his front door. His mother waved and the rest of the walking school bus continued on its way.

In 2012, about 30 percent of students living within 2 kilometers of school walked there in the morning and 35 percent walked home in the afternoon. Those numbers have increased by about 6 percentage points since 2007.

The Family Service of Rhode Island aimed Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School for its first walking school bus in 2012 because it’s in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

On the walks one of the volunteers said, she mends relationships among the kids, builds friendships and helps them when they have problems. During the winter, a walk leader noticed some of the children were wearing slippers and bought them all boots.

In 2013, 11 of the 14 students attended school more often. The program now has a waiting list, and Family Service plans to expand into more schools next year.

“Every parent is looking for ways to make their child a little healthier, and walking to school is one.” said one of the parents.