As Safe Routes to School programs have increased across the country, a clear need for better data management at the national level has become apparent. Many communities have used Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping in assessments of the built environment, but because there is not a central place to store data, this information is stuck, in a sense, at the local level.

Hi, my name is Kathy Cooke, and I'm network coordinator for the Safe Routes Partnership! Even though I battle daily to get my two sons to put on a jacket or long pants during Portland's rainier months, I've found ways to make sure other "systems" are in place that help them get safely to and from school.