Decatur Safe Routes to School Program

Welcome to Decatur, IL SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM webpage! This site will keep you up-to-date on the latest news and info regarding DECATUR AREA SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL FUNDING APPLICATION.

A disturbing trend in children under 19 years of age is the decline of walking or biking and lack of physical activity in general. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese. With more sedentary lifestyles, today’s children may be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. This leads to health problems such as obesity, diabetes and other epidemics. The Decatur area is no exception. With parents working and having busy schedules, it can be challenging to encourage the kids to get physical activity. Well, allowing your kid to walk or bike to school could be one of the best alternatives.

A team, comprised of the City of Decatur, Decatur Public School district #61, Macon county Public Health Department, Decatur Park District, and Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO), is embarking on a major initiative to encourage walking and biking safely to and from schools for the Decatur children in grades K-8. This team will be working together to secure the Illinois Safe Routes to School Program funding for the Decatur Area.

Contact Information: Vasudha Pinnamaraju, vpinnamaraju@decaturil.gov, (217) 424-2778