When I was old enough to ride, I rode to school, there were no special programs, no helmets were required. All we were required to do was to lock our bikes in the fenced bike parking area. I was a BMX fan until junior high school, and rode every day the weather allowed. Until I was old enough to drive, I was something of a bike nerd, helping around at a bike shop (I wasn't old enough to "work"), and riding a century almost every weekend. I kept my bike in the back room at the library, as it was a little too nice to put in the bike parking.
Then I started driving, and didn't get back onto bikes until some years later. When I was attending university, and commuting by car 110 miles per day, cycling to school was clearly not an option.