Many communities have expressed interest in beginning their own WSB programs. The Baldwin County Trailblazers (BCT) are happy to provide insight into how our WSB was developed.
Here are a few of the initial major ingredients BCT found to be necessary:
1. The school needs to be totally "on board" with the collaboration of creating a WSB program and agree to allow 2-4 teachers to participate in the WSB as a part of their morning duty
2. Purchase WSB program insurance: A nonprofit or some other entity is needed to obtain the insurance policy.
3. A champion organizer is needed to spearhead the project through the initial implementation stages. We suggest that a stipend be provided to a central champion/coordinator and other coordinators who will insure the following tasks are performed:
Register each WSB student, enter into spreadsheet/database software and e-mail distribution system
Keep emergency information updated for each student
Keep daily attendance records and update data monthly
Conduct a survey for all WSB parents
Provide monthly incentives and year end awards to “high mileage” students
Obtain & analyze data for evaluation purposes & monitor any safety issues
Communicate all activities to school, parents, media, Facebook, and websites
Recruit, train, and monitor all WSB volunteers
4. A safe morning "gathering place" needs to be established that is connected to sidewalks that lead to the school.
5. A local source of funding needs to be developed to cover stipends for essential positions & materials.