Let’s go big this year and celebrate the 27th^h annual Walk to School Day! These events are not only fun for kids, but serve as important opportunities to encourage physical activity and promote safety in neighborhoods and near schools.

This year, put your best foot forward... Walk To School!

On your mark, get set, register! We’ll send you banners and posters to advertise your event, stickers and zipper pulls for the kids, and educational spoke cards and bookmarks to share with students to schools that register to share on your event day. Please register by Friday, Sept. 22

Join our MnSRTS Photo Contest and share where you love to walk. We will highlight winning photos all month long. Please help us encourage more walking in Minnesota.

More than ever, students will benefit from physical activity, fresh air and increased focus.

Plan and market your event:

• Check out these ideas for Walk to School Day 2023 from the National Walk and Bike to School Day website for inspiration at the family, neighborhood, or school level.
• Here are some resources to help you plan. These can be used in-school, by classroom or physical education teachers in a distance-learning context, or by families at home. Download our Walk to School Day Marketing Materials, premade posters, social media ads, flyers and post card mailers in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong

Fun and educational activities to promote walking and biking:

• Walk! Bike! Fun! Curriculum
• Walking Word Search: Easy and Hard
• Walking Bingo: Places to Go
• Walking Bingo: Things to Do
• Walking Bingo: Things to Find
• Walking Safety Crossword
• Mileage Tracker

This is a good time to reflect on why you and your community care about walking to school. You can use Walk to School Day to solidify commitments and work toward needed changes to make it safer, easier and more convenient for children to get around by walking, rolling or biking.

Walk and Bike Safety Education for K-8 Students 

Thanks to a new state law, all public-school students in Minnesota must receive instruction in safe walking and bicycling skills at the beginning of the school year. This new requirement went into effect on Aug. 1. MnDOT has frequently asked questions, educational materials, and more to help schools and school districts implement this requirement.

SRTS in the news:

• How Minneapolis became a top U.S. bike city - “Hand in hand with … investments is a tangible plan for lowering barriers to bicycling through youth education. Currently, Minneapolis Public Schools are rolling out universal bike education for fourth- and fifth-gradersin two-thirds of the city’s public schools, with plans for it to eventually be districtwide. After all, an all-ages and abilities bike network only benefits youth that know how to ride.”
• MnDOT award $55,000 in Safe Routes to School grants to southeastern MN schools

Upcoming Grant Opportunities

We have finalized some grant timelines and are working on more new funding opportunities, so stay tuned for webinars, dates and more info.

• Fall 2023:
  • SRTS Infrastructure grant
  • TAP infrastructure funding available (Greater Minnesota only)
  • SRTS Coordinator grant
  • Engineering Studies
• Spring 2023:
  • Planning Assistance grant opportunity
  • Boost non-infrastructure grant opportunity
  • TAP infrastructure grant opportunity (Twin Cities metro only)

Upcoming events:

Oct., 5, 10-11 a.m. – MN SRTS Network Call

• Share and learn with whose working on SRTS from across Minnesota.
• To join the Minnesota Safe Routes to School Network and receive log-in information, please email dot@state.mn.us
• View past recordings and slides

Sept. 29-30 – Southern MN Active Transportation Summit

Oct. 4, 2023 – Walk to School Day

Feb. 7, 2024 – Winter Walk to School Day

May 8, 2024 - Bike to School Day 

Resources

Check out the web-based Minnesota Bike Map, order free printed MN Bike Maps, and order MN Bicycle Handbooks (available in English, Spanish or Somali) for your organization’s events!

Learn more about the Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum, bike fleet trailer request, and future training opportunities.

More about MnSRTS

Visit: mnsaferoutestoschool.org

Follow us on Facebook! facebook.com/MinnesotaSafeRoutestoSchool/

_{MnDOT invites and encourages participation by all people in their programs, services and activities.}  

• _{If you need an ASL, a foreign language interpreter, or documents in an alternative format (such as braille, large print or in a different language) at no cost, please email your request to Janet Miller at ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us or call 651-366-4720. Relay service: 711.}
• _{If you need any another reasonable accommodation to participate (such as seating modification or auxiliary aids), please email your request to Accessibility.DOT@state.mn.us or call 1-833-400-8432. Relay service: 711.}