Articles for Your School Newsletter Copy, paste and customize these articles to promote the KidsWalk program in your school newsletter. Just replace the red text with your own information. If you have any questions about how to use the articles, contact Terri Dumas, Director of Community Education, at 404-522-3688 or education@peds.org.

KidsWalk is On the Move!

NAME OF SCHOOL's KidsWalk program has been growing in popularity, and for good reasons. It's a fun, health, and safe way to get to school! KidsWalk is a program of PEDS, metro Atlanta's pedestrian advocacy organization. There are several other schools doing KidsWalk, too, including D.H. Stanton, Huntley Hills, Mary Lin, Morningside, Oglethorpe, and Sarah Smith. Achievements differ at each. At Morningside, for example, hundreds of children and parents walk to school every Friday when the school principal "pops" up to join the different walking groups. More than one third of Huntley Hills students participated in International Walk to School Day. "Show of hands" surveys at Mary Lin reveal that the percentage of children walking to school more than doubled, reaching 20 percent in 2003. Police officers, firefighters, and city council members join in the fun on some mornings as metro Atlanta children and parents rediscover the joy of walking. This could make "commute" a good word again! With numbers comes safety. At some schools, KidsWalk has prompted safer pedestrian signals, trash clean-ups, elimination of overgrown vegetation, and installation of in-street crosswalk and "no right on red" signs. Imagine the possibilities for NAME OF SCHOOL! Get your kids involved in our school's KidsWalk program. It's not too late to join the fun! Contact NAME OF SCHOOL'S KIDSWALK CONTACT PERSON today at PHONE NUMBER.

Learn more about KidsWalk by visiting www.peds.org.

Putting the Brakes on Childhood Obestiy

Parents and teachers agree: new "lifestyle" approaches to physical education -- especially activities children can continue after they graduate -- offer the best solution to childhood obesity. Polls conducted recently on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in partnership with the National Education Association showed that nine out of ten parents and teachers want schools to provide more opportunities for physical activity, especially activities that all children can enjoy and continue for the rest of their lives. "We're encouraged that parents and teachers see eye to eye on the opportunities schools have to help reverse the childhood obesity epidemic," said RWJF President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey. She noted that teachers and parents also connect physical activity with improved academic performance and behavior. Increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to the childhood obesity epidemic. During the past two decades, the percentage of children ages 6-11 who are overweight has doubled; the percentage of overweight teens has tripled. Meanwhile, children's walking trips to school have declined 60 percent. The average American child spends more than an hour a day inside a car! "Schools can become part of the solution by offering healthier choices and opportunities for kids to be more physically active," said Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. KidsWalk does just that! Providing opportunities for children to walk to school safely, KidsWalk creates fun opportunities for children and adults to develop healthy, active lifestyles. Get on your feet and make it happen! Get involved in our school's KidsWalk program. It's not too late to join the fun! Contact NAME OF SCHOOL'S KIDSWALK CONTACT PERSON today at PHONE NUMBER.

Learn more about KidsWalk by visiting www.peds.org.

Teach by Example!

For children under nine, classroom exercises about pedestrian safety tend to go in one ear and out the other. To help your children learn safe walking skills, teach by example. Always!

• Walk on a sidewalk whenever possible.
• When walking in the street, walk facing traffic so you can see oncoming cars.
• Obey crossing signals.
• Look LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT before crossing the street, even when a pedestrian signal says "WALK."
• Watch for turning cars.
• Use a whistle and/or outstretched arm to stop traffic at unsignalized crossings before allowing children to cross.
• Prevent horseplay, especially when walking with a group of children.
• Be extra alert in bad weather.
• Be visible: when walking in the dark, wear light colors or retro-reflective material and carry a flashlight.
• Remember that even if a pedestrian can see a driver, the driver may not be able to see the pedestrian.

Children imitate and model their behavior after adults, so your actions while walking speak louder than your words. A great way for your children to learn safe walking skills is to get involved in our school's KidsWalk program. Kids are walking to and from school, supervised by adults, and are learning about pedestrian safety through experience. To find out more, contact NAME OF SCHOOL'S KIDSWALK CONTACT PERSON today at PHONE NUMBER.

Learn more about KidsWalk by visiting www.peds.org.

New Online Tool Has Parents Clicking Their Heels

PEDS, metro Atlanta's pedestrian advocacy organization, has launched a new online tool called Take Action (www.peds.org/takeaction.htm) that enables you to report pedestrian hazards online. Reports are sent by email directly to the agencies responsible for building and repairing your pedestrian environment. Broken sidewalks, faded crosswalks and burned-out "walk" signals are among the 14 reportable pedestrian perils. In addition to reporting problems, you can request pedestrian safety enhancements such as traffic calming, new curb ramps and in-street crosswalk signs.

PEDS' Take Action website currently serves four jurisdictions: the City of Atlanta, the City of Decatur, unincorporated Fulton County and unincorporated DeKalb County. Color photos of each hazard allow you to see what you're reporting. "We've made pedestrian advocacy easy!" says PEDS president, Sally Flocks. "This new web addition offers various issues to report, educates you about each issue, sends the report for you, and even helps you to follow up.

PEDS encourages parents who participate in the KidsWalk program to use the Take Action website to help create safer walking routes to school. "I already took action," says parent, Lori Smith. "The sidewalks around my daughter's elementary school are being destroyed by constant use as a parking area instead of pedestrian area. Kids are walking in the street! So, I went online to PEDS and reported it to the authorities. It was as easy as click, click, click."

Visit www.peds.org/takeaction.htm and Take Action today. It's free. It's easy. It's necessary!

Spring into Health!

NAME OF SCHOOL is partnering with PEDS (Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety) to hold a "Spring into Health" walk to school day on DATE OF EVENT. On that morning, parents are encouraged to walk to school with their children. Please consider joining other metro Atlanta schools in taking steps toward a healthy future.

Obesity is our nation's fastest rising public health problem. This is due in large part to lack of physical activity. Over 60 percent of U.S. adults and 13 percent of children are overweight.

Everyone wins when parents walk their children to school! Children arrive at school alert and ready to tackle schoolwork. Parents "connect" with the school and feel more a part of the school community. Parents and kids notice pedestrian hazards and report them to the proper authorities for correction. The community as a whole improves.

Please consider taking the time to be healthy and join NAME OF SCHOOL and PEDS on this special morning. We'll have fun incentives for those students participating. We'll also be arranging increased police patrols for that day.

Spring is a great time for walking. So, get on your feet and Spring into Health by joining us on DATE OF EVENT! For more information, contact NAME OF SCHOOL'S KIDSWALK CONTACT PERSON at PHONE NUMBER.

Learn more about KidsWalk by visiting www.peds.org.

Walk to School for the Health of it!

Perhaps you remember when walking to school was a normal part of a child's day Georgia's children were physically fit. Today, 37% are considered obese by medical standards and the average American child spends more than an hour a day inside a care. Times, and waistlines, certainly have changed.

NAME OF SCHOOL, together with PEDS, is doing something about it. PEDS (Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making metro Atlanta safe and accessible for all pedestrians. Together, we're launching KidsWalk. It's simple: PEDS works with NAME OF SCHOOL to identify safe walking routes, and then helps organize groups of children (with some parents for supervision) who walk to and from school. There is no cost for KidsWalk (to the school or to the participants), only benefits. KidsWalk increases physical activity and gives kids an opportunity to learn safe walking skills. Kids who walk to school arrive alert and ready to tackle schoolwork. Of course, walking reduces traffic congestion around the school, which also improves our air quality!

Did You Know?

• Sedentary lifestyles among children are contributing to rising obesity rates and escalating incidences of preventable diseases like diabetes.
• Obesity is increasing for adults as well, setting the stage for chronic health problems, including hypertension.
• Walking an additional 2000 steps--about a mile--burns some 100 calories.
• Walking also helps prevent heart disease, cancer, and type-2 diabetes. Get on your feet today and walk an extra 100 steps!

Walking to school with your kids helps keep you fit, sets a healthy example for your children, and makes metro Atlanta a better place to live. Get on your feet and make it happen! Get involved in our school's KidsWalk program. It's not too late to join the fun! Contact NAME OF SCHOOL'S KIDSWALK CONTACT PERSON today at PHONE NUMBER.

Learn more about KidsWalk by visiting www.peds.org.