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Nebraska

Safe Routes Nebraska
Managed by the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR), Nebraska’s federally funded Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is the source for state coordinator contact details, federal SRTS funding amounts, SRTS applications and guidelines, and state SRTS program information.

Nebraska Department of Roads SRTS Coordinator
Kelly Morgan
(402) 476-7331
kmorgan@sinclairhille.com
www.SafeRoutesNE.com

Click on any of the menu items below for more information.
Nebraska SRTS Federal Funding
Application Guidelines
State Advisory Committee
State Outreach Programs
Evaluation Methods
Success Stories
Nebraska Partner Affiliates

Nebraska SRTS Federal Funding
Nebraska’s SRTS funding totals $5,007,718 and includes the following annual apportionments:

Application Guidelines
Safe Routes Nebraska is the Nebraska Department of Roads’ (NDOR) state-level implementation of the federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. NDOR announced project selections for federal fiscal years 2005-2007 in May 2007. Ten non-infrastructure projects are currently underway, and thirteen infrastructure projects are in the early design stage.

Federal fiscal year 2008 funding awards were announced in February 2008, which allowed for an additional four non-infrastructure projects and five infrastructure projects across the state. These projects are currently being programmed with NDOR and FHWA, with a notice-to- proceed anticipated for Spring 2008.

To ease the federal aid process for funding recipients, NDOR teamed with a consulting firm, Sinclair Hille Architects, and developed Project Implementation Guideline booklets (one for infrastructure and one for non-infrastructure). These booklets assist local public agencies and schools with following the state and federal guidelines associated with federal funding.

The federal fiscal year 2009 application schedule is set and the Intent-to-Apply forms are due September 5, 2008. A formal call for applications will be made in the summer of 2008, along with the announcement of statewide application workshops.

Nebraska has one set of application guidelines with separate sections for each of the project categories. A unique aspect of the Nebraska program is the four-step application process that provides applicants advice and feedback as they go through the application process.

For more information, please see the Nebraska SRTS program. 
 
State Advisory Committee
The Safe Routes Nebraska Selection Committee’s purpose is to help shape program policy and review, score, and recommend projects for funding. The Committee is comprised of five voting members and three non-voting members. The five voting members have expertise in education, engineering, public health, landscape architecture, and law enforcement. The three non-voting members represent the NDOR Government Affairs Division and the NE Division of FHWA.

The SRN Selection Committee first met in April 2007 as an orientation to the program. Since that time, they have met twice to review and score projects for recommendation to the Director of the Nebraska Department of Roads. In addition, they’ve met twice (once after each selection meeting) to review program policy.

State Outreach Programs
Nebraska has created many statewide resources for education and encouragement. These include a partnership handbook, rewards program guide, K-8 curriculum, an in-class jeopardy game, brochures, stickers, book covers, and media kits. These items are all available from the Safe Routes Nebraska website. There are no fees to use these items.

In 2008, NDOR began distributing a quarterly e-newsletter to superintendents, principals, teachers, chamber of commerce, cities, counties, and villages. The e-newsletter, “The Safe Routes Story” provides safe routes to school resources, highlights existing programs, and a Q&A section with Kelly Morgan, the State SRTS Program Coordinator.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008 was the first ever Nebraska Walk to School Day. It was the perfect opportunity to encourage children to get more exercise by walking or biking to school. NDOR provided all safe routes to school contacts with materials to make it easy for communities and schools to organize an event.

Nebraska will continue conducting free statewide application workshops each summer. Additionally, statewide educational conferences, such as the Nebraska School Council of School Administrator Days and the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association have been great opportunities to share important program information. Meeting with each applicant during the funding application process is also an opportunity for outreach.


Evaluation Methods
Nebraska requires evaluation and provides applicants the National Center for SRTS’s Parent Survey and data tools. Some applicants also use other evaluation methods, such as Body Mass Index, and traffic data. The Parent Survey data has proven helpful for local programs to assess needs, and also, for the state program to focus outreach efforts.

Success Stories
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 has worked in partnership with Activate Omaha and with Sarpy-Cass County Safe Kids Coalition at Picotte, Highland, Rumsey Station, and Carriage Hill Elementary schools since 2006-2007. In addition, Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 has worked with dozens of schools/districts nationwide since 1999.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 has an initiative called, “Our Stop! Take 3 To See” that teaches children how to safely cross streets while walking to and from school (and at all other times as well). They also work to educate parents/drivers about the roles everyone plays in creating safe roadways for children and bicycle riders by virtue of driving behaviors. Their teaching initiatives towards drivers include Stop! Take 3 To See when it comes to observing Stop Signs and crosswalks, Be Aware! Drive With Care, and Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, which targets observing the speed limit in residential neighborhoods surrounding school zones.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 has been integrated into Safe Routes to School in Ridgewood, New Jersey, as well as in general school safety initiatives in the Friend, Elkhorn, Norfolk, Platteview-Springfield, Gretna, and Neleigh districts in Nebraska, Tri-Center District in Iowa, Fullerton and Harrison Elementary Schools in Omaha, Nebraska, Wayne and Shrewsbury, New Jersey and State College, Pennsylvania.

Their champions include schools, neighborhood organizations, law enforcement, public works, civic organizations and businesses in communities large and small representing 47 states plus the District of Columbia. Sponsors include Ford Motor Company Fund, GEICO Insurance, Wells Fargo Bank, UPS, Palisades/High Point/Teachers’ Insurance of New Jersey, and many local businesses as well.

Contact:
Tom Everson
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
kkad25@kkad25.org

Lexington Community Fitness Initiative (CFI)
One of Nebraska’s most successful non-infrastructure programs is run by the Lexington Community Fitness Initiative (CFI). This program focuses on traffic enforcement and education near schools, student and parent education, creating awareness of the health problems caused by inactive living, and program personnel training.

Community crossing guards
“The largest success from this grant has definitely been the crossing guard program,” said Dana Steiner with CFI. “It has really had positive support.”  By coordinating volunteer crossing guards at key intersections near the school, CFI has been able to create a safer walking environment. Each of the initial volunteers has been trained by a local police officer. And because the volunteers come from other concerned groups in the community, the program has sparked good word-of-mouth promotion as well as inter-organizational cooperation.  “The program is communitywide so many of the volunteers are members of other groups in the community, so many know of the program and are supportive,” said Steiner. “All of the elementary schools have been supportive and cooperative in helping us to successfully implement this program.”

Getting students up and moving
CFI has also provided each elementary school child with a free pedometer to track success in the “Walk Across Nebraska” interschool challenge. “Each school has a game board that looks like the state of Nebraska,” said Steiner. Each class uses this board to track the progress of the student walkers. “The class that reaches its destination first wins.” 

Public awareness and education
CFI has also been running newspaper and radio PSAs, submitting newspaper articles, posting flyers, and holding events to make the Lexington community aware of the importance of physical activity for children. The group has already hosted two forums for parents featuring expert speakers on Safe Routes topics such as nutrition and activity. Two more forums are planned for the spring semester.

Making it work
Lexington CFI has been successful because of its well-planned, multifaceted approach that targets students, parents, drivers, and the community at large. By earning the support of the community, the CFI Safe Routes program is poised for long-term success.  “The community has been supportive about the implementation of this program,” said Steiner. “Just from our random counting and watching trends, it seems that the number of children [walking] did increase from the first week.”

Contact:
Kelly Morgan
kmorgan@sinclairhille.com
www.SafeRoutesNE.com

Nebraska Partner Affiliates
Find out which organizations in your state have pledged their support for the Safe Routes to School movement.