Fathers accompany children from Southeast Tallahassee to the “Walking School Bus”

• The Walking School Bus set out through southeast Tallahassee on Thursday morning.
• The walk is an opportunity for fathers and father figures to bond with their children on the way to school.
• Watch the video above to learn why a short walk can make a big difference in a child's education.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE MESSAGE:

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, children benefit from being close to father figures, which is why dozens of FSUS fathers in Southeast Tallahassee participated in a Walking School Bus.

I'm local reporter Kenya Cardonne. I accompanied her on her way to school and talked to her about why such an action is more important now than ever before.

For some students at Florida State University School, the school day began a little differently on Thursday. At least 70 children made the 25-minute walk to school – each holding the hand of their father figures.

Whitney Ray, Parent – ​​“So, we got up really early **laughs**, rushed to get the boys dressed, pack their books and everything, and now we’re walking to school!”

Whitney Ray was one of dozens of fathers who participated in the “Walking School Bus” – a tradition at FSUS that has been going on for nearly a decade in which fathers walk their children to school together.

Ray speaks to his son: “Isaiah, are you excited about it? Yes.”

As the father of two little boys, Elijah and Isaiah, he tells me that this kind of school routine can be difficult for working parents.

Ray – “It's really nice to see their friends, see other dads, see the school, come to campus… you know they're only young for a certain amount of time.”

PTSA President Douglass Cooke tells me that this short walk comes with a long list of benefits.

Douglass Cooke, President of FSUS PTSA – “Research and studies show that children who walk to school are more attentive, more willing to learn, more engaged in class, and easier for teachers to teach.”

U.S. Census data shows that nearly one in four children lives at home without a biological, stepfather, or adoptive father.

Christopher Bush, parent – ​​“It’s really scary to just walk out the door now.”

Fathers I have spoken to tell me that they themselves have gained something additional – peace of mind.
Especially at a time when they tell me that sending their children to school can be scary.

Cooke – “Every day I tell my daughter, ‘You have to wake up and be thankful because tomorrow is not guaranteed.'”

FSUS students and their father figures can participate in this tradition every third Wednesday of the month throughout the school year.