Walking School Bus 

Another program that has great potential to help us all embrace the close proximity of our neighborhood schools is the Walking School Bus.

What Is A Walking School Bus?

A Walking School Bus is quite simply a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. Sounds easy, right? It is! The idea of a Walking School bus originated from communities who wanted a safe alternative to bussing or car riding to get to school. The idea works in communities like ours that are designed with proximity in mind. Most of us live within walking distance to our neighborhood schools which is exactly what Horizon West had in mind when it planned our communities. This provides an incredible opportunity that would have some amazing benefits for our families!

What Exactly Are The Benefits of A Walking School Bus?

We have researched Walking School Busses in communities across the country and what we found are 4 amazing reasons that we need to have one right here in Horizon West!

 1. Healthier Lifestyle

It’s no secret that Americans don’t get enough exercise. We spend most of our time in our cars, behind our desks, on our couches and staring at our screens. Our children are no exception. As our lives get busier and busier, we simply can’t find time to fit activities like exercise into our schedules. A Walking School Bus would give our kids the opportunity to start their days off with movement! It would increase the amount of exercise they get on a daily basis without having to make any major schedule changes. Not to mention, outdoor time at schools are extremely limited. This would give our children some much needed time to get out of a seat and into the world around them.

 2. Connect To The Community

A key piece of what makes Walking School Busses work is the involvement of the community. Volunteers like parents, retirees, school personnel, etc. all come together to make it happen. How many of us can say that we spend time with our neighbors every day? Probably only a lucky few!  How awesome would it be if we were given a chance to connect with the people around us in a way that benefits our community as a whole? Walking to school together is a long forgotten social construct that would help our communities become stronger every step of the way.

 3. Reduce Traffic

I think we can safely say that the dreaded car lines, hour long back-ups every morning and afternoon and extra travel time required to get to and from school are a nightmare for all of us. Think about how much more relaxing our weekdays would be without all the chaos of just getting to and from any of the half dozen schools in and around our neighborhoods. No one in Horizons West lives more than a few miles from any given school, meaning school traffic is a reality for all of us. Walking School Busses would take away an enormous amount of stress out of our daily commutes.

 4. Build Relationships

This reason kind of ties into connecting with the community but really has a lot more to do with how we interact in our own families at home. Taking time each morning to get our kids out to a Walking School Bus would mean that we get a chance to slow down and really enjoy those moments together. Not having to rush off to a never-ending car line or hurry to beat the bus traffic would mean that the time we spend with them is of a deeper quality. In a world that constantly pushes us to go faster, it would be an invaluable gift to slow down a little each day with each other.

So….We Want A Walking Bus. Now What?!

This is the part that’s so much fun! The quickest way to get one started is to connect with people in your neighborhood, pick a route, decide how often you will walk together, organize a few volunteers and off you go. The beauty of it is that it doesn’t matter how many people are on the Bus; it works with 2 families or 200 families. As the Bus grows, there are opportunities and resources available for “Bus Drivers” to complete safety training. The support of the schools, law enforcement and county resources are always available as well.

We are excited to find the right volunteers at our local Horizon West schools to bring the Walking School Bus concept to life. As Partners in Education at the area schools in the community we can help present the program to the leadership and encourage their involvement in the process. 

If you are interested in more information, opportunities to be involved or curious about how to get a Bus going in your neighborhood,  CONTACT US and we will share the process with you! We are so excited to see how this story unfolds in our communities.