Let’s Go NC! was developed for the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation and the state Safe Routes to School program by NC State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE). This program is an all-in-one package of lesson plans, materials, activities and instructional videos that encourages children to learn about and practice fundamental walking and biking skills that build safe habits.

Child safety and well being is paramount to NCDOT and is part of its mission and goal to make North Carolina safer for persons of all ages and abilities. Teaching both the pedestrian and bicycle lessons will give children the skills necessary to be safe, healthy and active in their daily lives. The goal of the curriculum is to develop walking and biking skills for active lifestyles that can be carried into adulthood. The purpose of the program is to help children transfer the knowledge they learn into automatic responses in their behaviors. These behaviors will benefit future generations and will work to promote a healthy, well informed culture for safe active living and will improve transportation choices for all North Carolinians.

Let’s Go NC! adheres to the North Carolina standard course of study recognized by the Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction and offers lesson sets that go beyond physical education and offers hands-on learning and skill building activities in math, reading, social studies, science, art and music.  All curriculum materials, including lesson plans, lesson videos and instructor materials are accessible online here. 

Beyond the school centered teaching of Let’s Go NC!, clubs, after school programs, law enforcement and many other groups have the opportunity to use the curriculum to help children from K-5 develop the foundation of their understanding of traffic safety, encourage kids to lead healthy and active lives, and build self-esteem and independence.

Let’s Go NC! Start getting this fantastic new safety and education program out to as many children as possible this summer and into every school this fall!