Source: Press release All Kids Bike | Rapid City, S.D. | A nationwide movement teaches every child in America how to ride a two-wheel bicycle in kindergarten PE Class.
The All Kids Bike® campaign is led by the Strider Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3)nonprofit. The foundation will facilitate donations of their Kindergarten PE Program to elementary schools throughout the country. The programs will be funded by a coalition of parents, educators, health care providers, businesses, nonprofits and members of the general public.
More than 100 schools in 15 states are already participating in the initial stage of the program.
Schools that receive the Kindergarten PE Program will have everything they need to get their students pedaling, including a proven, integrative curriculum, teacher training and certification, patented child-friendly bikes designed specifically to make learning easy and fun, and 5 years of ongoing support.
The program requires no out-of-pocket expenditures by the participating schools since the All Kids Bike campaign matches each school with funding partners in the community.
All Kids Bike funding partners are required to raise $4,000 per school to implement this special program, an amount that educates more than 400 current and future kindergartners. That’s less than $10 per child to teach the milestone, lifetime skill of riding a bike.
The benefits of biking, especially for children, are well documented. Bicycling provides a tremendous cardiovascular workout, building young muscles, strengthening kids’ immune systems, sharpening their minds and elevating their academic performance. Biking also boosts the self-confidence of children. It instills a love of the outdoors. It fosters friendships with other children. And, to the delight of young children, it allows them to ride along with their older siblings and parents on family outings.
Ryan McFarland, the visionary entrepreneur behind the All Kids Bike movement, foresees a positive good for our entire nation when future generations of kids – bike lovers all – grow into active, civic-minded adults who establish our nation’s policies on public health, environmental protection, public transportation and infrastructure.
Inspired by extensive, independent, early-education and childhood health studies that confirm the many benefits of regular biking and exercise for kids, McFarland gathered a small team of like-minded, two-wheel enthusiasts to undertake the task of transforming America into a country where all kids bike – the first nation in the world to make such an audacious commitment.
“Bicycling is much more than a simple recreational activity for children. It’s a proven, lifelong game changer,” McFarland says. “Together, we have the power to chart a better, healthier course for our children’s future. It’s as simple as riding a bike.”
To learn more about the All Kids Bike campaign, host the program at a school, or become a supporter, visit www.AllKidsBike.org.
