KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Getting students to stay fit is one of the main reasons St. Peter's Catholic School cites for starting the "walking school bus" program.

The school doesn't have school buses. Many parents drive their kids to school.

The idea developed for a parent to walk a group of kids from each neighborhood to school and the kids walk home with a different parent.

Students are matched up with walking parents by the school at the start of the school year and continue walking until the weather turns too cold for the kids.

Parents said it helps keep the kids fit and it saves money on gas.

Parent Mariana Gallo named another benefit, "They come home and they have stories. I picked flowers today. It's a great wind-down time."

Raytown's Spring Valley School is rolling the program out this year. Administrators said that depending on the response, they may offer it to other elementary schools in the district as well.