CYCLE Kids, Inc.

CYCLE Kids is committed to working with schools in underserved, racially diverse communities to ensure the basic rights of children to a physically and emotionally healthy start in life. Our program addresses the important social issues of inclusion and equity. Riding a bike should be something every child has a right to. It gives children a sense of accomplishment, freedom, and control. Many children living in low-income communities have never been on a bike. The CYCLE Kids program makes sure these children have access to learn and fall in love with riding, ensuring they can take advantage of infrastructure and events communities are developing as our lives become more bike centric. It’s an activity that gets kids outside, learning about their neighborhoods and appreciating nature. CYCLE Kids pioneered bike education in the schools in 2004. It was created by Julianne Idlet, a former marketing executive who worked in technology startups and as a coach for the Harvard University cycling team. She worked with Harvard Graduate students and a faculty member of the Harvard School of Education to implement the first programs. With support from graduate students and academics at Boston University, it has grown into a comprehensive curriculum taught in classrooms nationwide. It is research-based and meets national core learning standards for physical education and academics. CYCLE Kids sustainably impacts communities across the country, helping give children a foundation upon which to become confident teenagers and adults. Since 2004 we have reached 45,000 students; there at 6,900 students in our programs each year, and this number is growing. Over the past 19 years of giving programs to schools, 90% are still active. Children living in poverty face many challenges each and every day. Sometimes school is the only place a child receives positive feedback and the support to believe they can become anything they put their minds too. CYCLE Kids works with schools to give them tools to help their students succeed in the classroom and beyond. When children fall in love with biking and master the skill, they feel confident and proud. They learn how to take a risk and overcome fear. They come out of the program feeling more in control, successful, and ready to face new challenges. They also gain a greater appreciation of cycling and how it can be another way to commute without the need of a car. CYCLE Kids has a national footprint. Our programs are sustainable and reach critical mass in communities, as they are taught in multiple schools, making a meaningful difference. In the past year, the number of children we reach on an annual basis grew by 43%. The Founder of the organization was a 2013 recipient of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Community Leadership award, in 2015 was named one of the most influential women in cycling, and in 2022 was honored by the United Nations as a laureate for World Bicycle Day for her leadership and excellence in promoting cycling for children.