- The Walking School Bus made its way through Southeast Tallahassee Thursday morning.
- The walk is an opportunity for fathers and father figures to bond with kids on their way to class.
- Watch the video above to see why a short walk can go a long way toward a child's education.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
According to National Fatherhood Initiative, children benefit from closeness with father figures. It's why dozens of FSUS fathers in Southeast Tallahassee showed out to take part in a Walking School Bus.
I'm neighborhood reporter Kenya Cardonne. I joined them as they walked their kids to school and spoke to me about why an act like this is important, now more than ever.
The school day started a little differently for some Florida State University School students on Thursday. At least 70 children hit the pavement for a 25-minute walk to school— each one hand-in-hand with their father figures.
Whitney Ray, Parent - "Well we got up really early **laughs** rushed to get these boys dressed, get their books packed and everything and now we're walking to school!"
Whitney Ray was among dozens of fathers who participated in the 'Walking School Bus'— a tradition of almost 10 years at FSUS where dads walk their kids to school together.
Ray talking to his son - "Isaiah are you excited to do this? Yeah."
A father to young boys Elijah and Isaiah, he tells me it can be hard for working parents to have day-to-day school interaction like this.
Ray - "So it's really good just to kind of see their friends, see other dads, see the school, get on campus.. you know they're only young for so long."
PTSA President Douglass Cooke tells me this short walk comes with a long list of benefits.
Douglass Cooke, FSUS PTSA President - "There's been research and studies that show kids that walk to school are more attentive, ready to learn, more involved within the classroom and easier for the teachers to teach."
U.S. Census data shows nearly 1 in 4 children live without a biological, step, or adoptive father at home.
Christopher Bush, Parent - "It's real scary to even just walk out your door now."
Fathers I spoke with tell me they gained something extra themselves— reassurance.
Especially during a time when they tell me it can be scary to send their kids to school.
Cooke - "Everyday I tell my daughter, 'you got to wake up and be thankful and grateful because tomorrow is not promised.'"
FSUS Students and their father figures can participate in this tradition every third Wednesday of the month throughout the school year.
