When it comes to rites of passage, learning to ride a bike is a significant accomplishment in a child’s life. At least that was the case in the 1950s and ’60s. Not so much today.

 In 2008, only 27.7 percent of U.S. kids ages 6-12 regularly rode bikes. Unfortunately, that number dropped to 17 percent by 2020.

 Screen time, however, has markedly increased among American youth. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that children ages 8-12 average four to six hours daily in front of a screen.

 Pandemic lockdowns also negatively impacted children across the country. Even kids who didn’t get sick missed out on physical activity, spending time with friends and maintaining normal routines.

 Marc Robertz-Schwartz, president and founder of Leesburg video production and marketing company Red Apples Media, grew up in the era when every kid had a bike. Today, he’s doing his best to introduce today’s youth to the joys of the two-wheeler.

 On April 17, 2023, he came across a newspaper article on All Kids Bike®, which teaches American children how to ride bikes in kindergarten PE classes. Launched in 2018, the national program was created by the Strider Education Foundation and partnered with Strider® Bikes.

 “One reason this resonated with me is that one of the most challenging times for me was teaching my daughter Cadi (Acadia) to ride a bicycle. She was around 4 when we first started teaching her,” Marc says.

 Today, Cadi, a graduate of Lake County schools, is currently a senior at the University of Florida, and Marc and wife Nanci remain committed to educating children.

 Marc is a board member of the Education Foundation of Lake County, which connects the community with public education and secures resources “to enhance the quality of education.”

 The more Marc learned about All Kids Bike®, the more he believed the program should be a reality in his town.

 “As a local business, we know there’s direct correlation when it comes to the quality of schools, and the impact it has on the community and developing future leaders,” he notes.

 As an active member of the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Marc received feedback about the bike giveaway at the end of last school year to reward second grade students for reading.

“It was a sobering reality check to learn that many of these second graders didn’t know how to ride a bike,” he says. Marc has faith that the All Kids Bike® program will change that.

“As a local business, we know there’s direct correlation when it comes to the quality of schools, and the impact it has on the community and developing future leaders.”

—Marc

All kids Bike^® 

Although the cost of the All Kids Bike® Kindergarten PE Program is underwritten by the Strider Education Foundation, it requires local support through donations from individuals, businesses, organizations and government agencies.

Once a school administration applies for All Kids Bike®, the program is purchased through donor funds and/or school fundraisers.

Physical education teachers at participating schools then undergo training for program certification. After their training, bikes and helmets are shipped to the school. 

The All Kids Bike® Kindergarten PE Program includes eight lessons, starting with learning how to walk a bike and gain balance. After the teacher converts the bikes to pedal mode, kids are soon riding. Training wheels aren’t part of the process.

As of late 2022, All Kids Bike® Kindergarten PE Programs existed in all 50 states, with more than 100,000 students impacted annually.

Across the country, there are now 1,014 schools teaching kids to ride through the program, with 566,375 students projected to learn to ride in the next five years.

The broad smiles on students’ faces as they pedal around the courses are proof that the All Kids Bike® program is a success.

Local impact

The majority of the investment for the program in Leesburg was carried by Red Apples Media and the Education Foundation of Lake County.  The Lake County School District also donated.

Red Apples Media contributed $2,500 per school for three Leesburg elementaries: Leesburg, Rimes, and Beverly Shores.

The Education Foundation matched those amounts, and the Lake County School District contributed the final $1,000 per school, for a total investment of $6,000 per school.

“The $6,000 per school covers 24 bikes, helmets, and the certification course for the designated PE teachers to take. The bikes then belong to the school. As long as they take care of the equipment, they should get several years out of this,” Marc says.

“I fully expect there will be other elementary schools across Lake County that will want this. We had to start somewhere, and these schools are in the backyard of where our business is located,” he says.

Red Apples Media created logos and stickers, which were applied to the helmets and delivered to the schools. The bikes were delivered in late August.

The local program was aptly named “Red Apples Riders.”

Making it happen

“When the idea of having the All Kids Bike® program was presented by Marc at a meeting of the Education Foundation board of directors a few months ago, I was immediately excited by the possibility of bringing the program to our schools,” says Lake County Schools Superintendent Diane Kornegay.

“Learning how to ride a bike safely is an opportunity that no child should be without. We are always looking for innovative ways to make school exciting and fun for every student. This program certainly does just that,” she adds.

All Kids Bike® stirred memories of a similar program Diane participated in during her own elementary school years.

“I fondly remember riding my bike around the obstacle course of orange cones set up in the school parking lot and how it felt to successfully complete each task,” she recalls.

“This program is an example of how schools are providing fun and engaging lessons to increase student engagement and self-confidence while giving our children an important skill that will benefit them for a lifetime,” Diane says.

In addition to learning to ride, students also learn the importance of bicycle safety.

“I suspect that absenteeism will not be a problem on bicycle class days because it is something no child will want to miss,” Diane says. 

The All Kids Bike® Kindergarten PE Program includes eight lessons, starting with learning how to walk a bike and gain balance. After the teacher converts the bikes to pedal mode, kids are soon riding. Training wheels aren’t part of the process.

Joint effort

“We specifically selected neighborhood schools with a higher population of at-risk students,” notes Education Foundation of Lake County Executive Director Carman Cullen-Batt. “We anticipate that the program will stimulate attendance rates. Safety is a priority on all fronts for our students, so the program touched on multiple areas of our funding criteria.” 

Attendance data and the number of students who successfully participate will be used to evaluate program effectiveness.

“The bikes we have purchased have an anticipated life span of five years. If the data shows the program to be successful, the board of directors could potentially fund additional schools,” Carman adds.

“Our school has been very fortunate to be on the receiving end of a community who wants to support our students,” says Susan Jordan, principal of Leesburg Elementary Leadership Academy, where all 133 kindergarteners have the opportunity to participate in the program.

“We have funds to take care of the educational needs of our students, but we do not have funds to incentivize them for coming to school or reward them for their hard work and efforts. These funds come from constant fundraising or donations,” Susan explains. “If our students can associate school with enjoyable and memorable activities like learning to ride a bicycle, then they are more likely to have a positive attitude toward school and, consequently, better attendance.”

“Students love riding bicycles, and I think we all know what that sense of freedom and independence feels like when you are on a bike. If we can marry that excitement with coming to school to learn, then that’s one more skill we can teach that our students will carry with them the rest of their lives,” Susan says. 

To better understand the program, Susan completed the All Kids Bike® training certification along with her school’s P.E. teacher and two P.E. teacher assistants. 

Looking ahead

“Thanks to sponsors such as Red Apples Media and the Education Foundation of Lake County, we are able to get the program started at three elementary schools,” says Diane Kornegay.

Expanding the program into the future would require additional funding. To that end, the county welcomes the support of other organizations and local individuals who are interested in starting a program in their schools.

“It’s my hope to inspire other area businesses to help put the program in all Lake County elementary schools,” notes Marc Robertz-Schwartz. “If this is a catalyst for other small businesses to jump on board, wouldn’t that be an awesome problem to have?”

Making a difference

The broad smiles on students’ faces as they pedal around the courses are proof that the All Kids Bike® program is a success.

Susan Jordan, principal of Leesburg Elementary Leadership Academy, points out that learning to ride a bicycle helps boost students’ confidence and self-esteem, fosters social interaction with their peers, increases problem-solving skills and helps relieve stress and anxiety that may come along with academic pressures. 

“As students come home from school and parents ask what they learned today, they can go outside and demonstrate what they have learned,” she adds.

“For our families, this can help promote quality bonding time through shared activities, help create joyful memories together, and also promote healthy lifestyle choices for parents and siblings.” 

www.AllKidsBike.org