Davenport students get walking to school safety tips

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation stopped by Deanna Davenport Elementary this week as students returned to school for the start of the academic year.

The Foundation spoke to parents and teachers and provided safety tips for an amazing year of learning. The tips included advice on walking, biking and carpooling to school, as well as advice on sleeping and rest, nutrition and safety.

The tips were courtesy of Healthy Children, an outfit powered by pediatricians to help parents provide a healthy living for their children.

“I want to thank the Paso Del Norte Health Foundation for being a great partner in our efforts to improve the lives of our students and their families,” said Davenport Principal Guadalupe Montañez. “The students and parents even got hands-on experience in walking safety tips. It was very informative and useful.”

Here are some walking to school safety tips:

• Make sure your child's walk to school is a safe route with well-trained adult crossing guards at every intersection. If your child will need to cross a street on the way to school, practice safe street crossing with them before the start of school.
• Be realistic about your child's pedestrian skills. Because small children are impulsive and less cautious around traffic, carefully consider whether or not your child is ready to walk to school without adult supervision. Children are generally ready to start walking to school at 9 to 11 years of age.
• In neighborhoods with higher levels of traffic, consider organizing a "walking school bus," in which an adult accompanies a group of neighborhood children walking to school.
• Bright-colored clothing or a visibility device, like a vest or armband with reflectors, will make your child more visible to drivers.

To view all the back-to-school tips click here: https://buff.ly/44RlBQs.