Active School Travel
NSTS and Niagara Region Public Health have partnered together with school boards, municipalities, police and other student safety focused agencies for several years to provide Active School Travel programs to local schools. We have supported over 30 elementary schools and have made resources available for all schools, families and students! We have more work to do to support students walking and wheeling to school. For more information, please email AST@nsts.ca.
Why Active School Travel
If you live in your school’s walk zone, your child can enjoy many benefits of a walk to and from school such as boosting readiness to learn and academic performance, decreasing levels of stress and increasing levels of happiness.
On days when you may need to drive, consider a safe drop off location away from the school and let your child walk the last five minutes. This will allow them to enjoy the benefits of physical activity and help you avoid congestion around your school.
School Crossing Guards
Your municipality provides School Crossing Guards to help with your child’s journey to school. Keeping children safe is their number one priority. To learn more about your municipal crossing guard locations CLICK HERE
Pedestrian Safety Video
Blue the Butterfly presents a pedestrian safety video for families with tips to be safe on your walk to school to help support safe and active travel to school or to the bus stop. To learn more and view the video CLICK HERE
Cycling Safety Education
Heart Niagara provides cycling safety education to Grade 5 and 6 students in schools throughout Niagara. For more cycling safety education program information CLICK HERE
Practice your Route
When you practice the walking route to school with your child, you can gauge their readiness for independent travel and track their skill development over time. Our friends in Waterloo have developed a Sidewalk Smarts checklist, a passport to independent travel. For this printable checklist CLICK HERE
For more resources about safe practices related to road and off-road activities CLICK HERE