Williams Academy in north St. Louis offers new bike program

Jul 31, 2023

Photo by Getty Images

Yonnick Jones, co-owner of Williams Academy STL, grew up in North Carolina and remembers riding his bike to his father’s local bar and grill for his favorite treat: the cheese sticks. “I loved those cheese sticks, and my bike took me there to get them,” he recalls.

Cycling, whether to a specific destination or just around the neighborhood, is a childhood memory cherished by many, and Williams Academy STL wants to ensure it’s shared by the school’s kindergarteners. To make that happen, the STEAM-focused Montessori academy is teaming up with the Strider Education Foundation to introduce the All Kids Bike program.

The academy is raising $9,000 to obtain a fleet of 24 strider bikes with pedal conversion kits, helmets, a teacher instruction bike and teacher training materials. Using the All Kids Bike equipment and materials, including video training in the curriculum, Jones will teach kindergarteners to progress from balance to independent riding in eight lessons. The academy will keep the equipment, which is expected to last for up to a decade.

“We are going to teach these kids to balance, and it’s not just about balancing on a bike, but balancing in life,” Jones says. “They might get a few bumps or scrapes along the way, but that’s a life lesson, too. Today’s technology is great, but sometimes it’s good for children to do something more rudimentary away from their tablets and screens. And the kids in our North County area are clamoring for the opportunity.”

The Strider Education Foundation has established more than 1,000 learn-to-ride programs in public and private schools across the country. “Our mission is to teach every child in America to ride a bike in kindergarten gym class,” says Bethany Carbajal, the foundation’s school logistics specialist. “Schools work really hard to fundraise, and any support is greatly appreciated! We want to give all children the opportunity to [partake in] this rite of passage of riding a bike.”

The program is based on research that indicates 4- to 12-year-olds learn new skills more effectively than other age groups, and it focuses on key benefits of teaching young children to ride a bike: motor skill development, improved focus, safety skills and increased self-esteem.

“This program will make an immediate impact in expressing the need for healthier sports options outside of basketball and football to this community of predominately African-American students,” Jones says. “Additionally, biking is another form of transportation that could be used in a community like this one where most of our families might not be able to afford a vehicle. Most of our youth are living below the poverty line.”

Donations can be made at allkidsbike.org.

Williams Academy STL, 6814 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, 314-391-5085, williamsacademystl.com

All Kids Bike, allkidsbike.org

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