Valley woman gets 'walking school bus' rolling

PHOENIX - Walking to school has its ups and downs, but a Valley woman has developed a simple solution that benefits local students.

Remember walking to school? Perhaps you had to walk two miles uphill both ways through several feet of snow or pouring rain.

Today's youngsters still walk to class, and some of them even have escorts.

Christina McKenny organized a walking schoolbus program for the children in her neighborhood.

"I asked around and the biggest concerns people had were safety," said the mom.

So McKenny organized a group of parents to walk with their children to the neighborhood school.

So far, more than 20 students walk together with a handful of parents.

The children get excercise and most importantly, stay safe.

The walking schoolbus is part of the Safe Routes to School program.

It's funded by federal dollars which are distributed by state transportation departments.

In this case, it's the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Beginning in September, $5 million will be available for parents or groups to use for starting similar programs.

The money can be used for prizes that encourage children to participate or even to improve infrastructure like crosswalks to keep kids safer.

To learn more about the program, contact ADOT .