Parent Involvement
As a parent, you can contribute to creating a healthy school environment for your child.
Parent engagement in schools is defined as parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning, development, and health of children and adolescents.
Research shows that parent engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behaviour, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills. Parent engagement also makes it more likely that children and adolescents will avoid unhealthy behaviours, such as tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use.
How to get involved with active school travel
Active school travel is very important for children in our community. Sixty-two percent of children are driven to school, when most can walk, cycle, or take the school bus. Parents have an important influence on active school travel at our local schools. Learn more about parent involvement in active school travel initiatives within the KFL&A area in the following video:
Active school travel (transcript) |
Words on screen/voice off-cameraStatistically speaking our kids might die earlier than their parents because of lifestyle choices such as decreased physical activityVideo descriptionWoman sits in classroom in front of a chalkboard.Words on screenBrenda Moore, Principal. James R. Henderson Public SchoolBrenda MooreAt Henderson we’ve seen up to a hundred cars a day in the morning with kids being dropped off at school.Video descriptionCars drive and park down both sides of a residential street.BrendaI’m really worried that a child is going to be hit by a car, it can get very busy out there. If the parents parked a block or two away from school they could walk with their child just the short distance to the school. That would result in less traffic and pollution and ultimately make the school area much safer for everyone.Video descriptionWomen and children walk towards the front entrance of the school. Children’s feet in shoes and boots walk and run in a school yard. Exhaust comes out of a car’s tailpipe. Close-up of Brenda sitting in classroom in front of chalkboard.Words on screenOnly nine percent of children get 60 minutes of physical activity per day.Video descriptionWoman standing in school hallway.Words on screenLinda Malcolm, Public Health Nurse, RN, KFL&A Public HealthLindaActive school travel is very important now more than ever because 62 percent of children are being driven to school where most children can either walk or take the bus to school.Video descriptionClose up of LindaLindaThere are many consequences because of this.Video descriptionStudents walk down school hallway and run into classroomsLindaChildren breathe faster, their lungs are still developing, putting them at risk of consequences from air pollution. Research shows that actively getting to school can decrease anxiety and depressive symptoms and children who walk to school tend to be more active throughout the day, whether through organised sports or unstructured active play.Video descriptionStudents sit at desks in a classroom. A Male teacher and two students stand at the front of the classroom pointing at a large drawing on the wall. Large amounts of exhaust come out of a car’s tailpipe. Children walk down the street. Crossing guards help a group of children cross the road. Young students talk and laugh in a group in a school hallway. Children play with a ball outside in a school play yard. Children line up to go back into the school.Video descriptionWoman stands in front of a wall with student paintings on it.Words on screenRuth Noordegraaf, Parent, Polson Park Public SchoolRuthMy family moved to Canada from Holland six years ago and I’m still shocked that driving kids to school is the norm here.Video descriptionLinda stands in a school hallwayLindaAfter school travel involves walking and cycling to school, and when children are younger walking school buses, whereby children walk along set routs with trained volunteers, can help parents and students feel comfortable walking to school.Video descriptionChildren walk their bikes up to a bike rack. Adults in reflective safety vests walk with children down the sidewalk.Words on screenDid you know that taking the school bus is also a part of school travel?RuthDepending on the season our children bus to school. But we walk them to the bus stop, and if we have opportunity to bike or walk, we will. Physical activity that active school travel provides is important but it’s also an opportunity to be social and provides children with a sense of independence, being able to get themselves from A to B.Video descriptionChildren and adults walk hand in hand down the sidewalk. A school bus is pulled up to the curb. Children ride their bikes down the sidewalk. An adult and two children walk down the sidewalk.BrendaAt James R Henderson, most of the children can walk to school and the children who can’t walk are assigned to a bus. In order to affect change it needs to come from within the school. You need a group of volunteers that are dedicated to implementing active school travel. One of our parents, Jeremy Da Costa was instrumental in helping us.Video descriptionMan sitting at a table in a classroomWords on screenJeremy Da Costa, Parent. James R. Henderson Public SchoolJeremyWe started with local school data we looked at how many students were presently coming to school, where they live, and used that data as a basis for determining the right strategies to encourage students to walk, cycle or take the bus. Through this we confirmed that there were a number of critical sidewalk connections that were missing along preferred routes. Which didn’t allow our kids to safely walk to school.Video descriptionArial views of neighbourhoods. Bikes in a bike rack. A school bus pulls away from the curb. Children and adults walk in a group down the sidewalk. Children’s feet walking. Children cross at a cross walk with crossing guards.BrendaLast year we approached the city of Kingston with a plan. We targeted key streets and lobbied for sidewalks along those paths. We were successful in achieving a sidewalk that leads right up to the school on a busy street, where we didn’t have one before.Video descriptionArial view of neighbourhood. Feet walk on a sidewalk. Children approach the front door of the school. Arial view of a rural neighbourhood. Children get off school buses parked at the curb.LindaRural settings are not always ideal for walking and cycling, in which case most students are assigned a bus. Encouraging this is still a part of an active school travel plan.JeremyIf we’re going to encourage kids to engage in active school travel, we need to ensure the resources exist.BrendaAt Henderson, we know the biggest factor in parents driving their kids to school is their work schedule. That is something we can’t help, and they can’t either. But I think awareness is the key. Discussing challenges and barriers, asking questions and coming up with solutions together is an important part of changing behavior.Video descriptionCar backs up, school bus drives down the street, a woman places orange traffic cones outside a school.RuthI understand the hesitation parents have towards active school travel. There’s a natural tendency to worry about the safety of your children. Dropping your kids off in front of the school is easy. Children don’t get cold, they don’t get wet, but when children actively get to school, they have had a chance to socialize and move and they are ready to learn.Video descriptionChildren walk into a classroom, children raise hands in class.Jeremy The message we are trying to send to other parents is when kids come to school together there is safety in numbers. We can support an active transportation model when we work together, and do it together. Video descriptionChildren walk to the school bus. Children get on the school bus.BrendaDon’t be afraid to start small either. We only had 20 kids that participated in the walking school buses last year, but that was 20 kids that were walking to school and we are very proud of that.LindaWe know it’s not always possible but it’s our hope that parents, schools, and communities will start looking at active school travel as a life skill to teach our children and find opportunities to walk, cycle, or take the bus to and from school.Video descriptionAdults and children walk in a walking school bus down the sidewalk. Children wait for a bus. KFL&A Public Health logo on screen. |