A Step in the Right Direction

One third of today's children are considered overweight and this national health crisis has many concerned parents, educators and agencies extremely concerned. The condition is generally considered to be a result of poor diet habits and a lack of regular exercise. KID FITNESS was created to help young children learn to have fun exercising and to make more healthy choices. The Kid Fitness PBS television show, website, DVD's and the exciting "Fun Fitness Break" kits for classrooms are a very positive step in the right direction.

Children relate to super heroes and Kid Fitness and his animal friends make exercising fun while providing positive messages and healthy eating suggestions. Having established Kid Fitness as a spokesman for the movement paved the way for expanding his exercises into the classrooms.

The Kid Fitness Fun Fitness Break

With exercises endorsed by the National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), the "Fun Fitness Break" Kits give teachers a flexible tool to energize and organize their students.These 7-10 minute exercise breaks also help schools meet the new federal activity mandates. The children are guided through age appropriate exercises using the teacher's choice of CD's with music and instruction, Exercise cards or DVD's with the cast of the television show. The exercises and instruction also provide the teacher with health information, cognitive learning suggestions and follow-up. Because the "Fun Fitness Breaks" are not curriculum, teacher's have the flexibility to use the program when they feel is appropriate with their classes.

The Fun Fitness Break Kits

The kits have been carefully developed by Kid Fitness and approved by NASPE. They are age appropriate for:

Preschool    Pre K - 1st grade    2nd - 3rd grade    4th - 5th grade
The KITS are delivered to the classrooms in a colorful box and contains the following:

• 8 heavy duty exercise cards with instructions and cognitive learning information
• Music and instruction CD
• DVD with breaks and additional exercise and show content
• Colorful Kid Fitness wall poster with Sponsor Logos and Credits
• Teachers manual and instructions
• Age appropriate classroom book
• Progress wall chart with "paw print" stickers
• "I'm a Kid Fitness Kid" back pack tags for each child.

The Measurement of Success

In 2006 a pilot program was launched with the New York City Public Schools. They had over 250,000 children exercising twice a day and learning good habits. The teachers were delighted with the reception from the children and found that the breaks fit very well into their school day plans. For the 2007-2008 school year Kid Fitness has engaged Dr. Gregory Heath, Principal Investigator; Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to create a multi-year study on the outcome of the program in classrooms measuring physical and other key outcomes among children and their teachers.

The Kid Fitness "Fun Fitness Break" kits will be distributed on a state-by-state basis FREE to schools and childcare facilities. This is a sponsor-paid program covering manufacture, customization, sourced items, assembly and distribution. All sponsors or donors will receive logo credits on the classroom posters and on the opening menus on the DVD's. In addition, all Kid Fitness sponsors will have mentions and links as appropriate on the Kid Fitness website. Your sponsorship can be tax-deductible through earmarking the funds through our coordinating United Way office.

Frazier Griffiths and Associates is the marketing and coordination office:

Phone: (877) 296-2755
Email: fgasoc@comcast.net

United Way of Greater Chattanooga is the pilot sponsoring office. For more information please contact:

Linda McReynolds
Phone: (423) 752-0304
Email: lindamcreynolds@uwchatt.org