Five Things You Should Know about the Presidential Youth Fitness Program

by Jane Wargo, Program Director

The new Presidential Youth Fitness Program promotes healthy lifestyles, empowers students and parents, and supports quality physical education. Here are five things physical educators should know about the program:

It's a model: The Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) provides the tools, resources, and a checklist of criteria the partners believe should be part of a quality fitness education process in a quality physical education program. It's up to you how you want to incorporate them into your curriculum.

Physical educators are the program's focus
Professional development is one of the three core program areas for a reason. The program partners believe in the role you play as physical educators in the development of healthier students who are ready to learn. Physical educators traditionally have not enjoyed the attention, resources, and support that classroom or STEM teachers have, but we are looking to change that. You can be a change agent in your school by providing quality physical education programming, including PYFP, which provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to be physically fit and active for life.

Participation is free:
If you visit www.pyfp.org, and click on one of the three program area tabs, (1 Professional Development, (2) Assessment or (3) Recognition, you will be directed to free resources that address that program area. Professional Development includes webinars, a Physical Educator Resource Guide, and a host of additional resources from the program partners. The Assessment tab provides access to the FITNESSGRAM® and Brockport Physical Fitness Test protocols, Healthy Fitness Zone® standards, and a pre-programmed score sheet for FITNESSGRAM scores, as well as score and data entry sheets for use with the Brockport Physical Fitness Test. Lastly, you'll find a free downloadable school recognition certificate in the Recognition section.

Supplemental resources MAY be purchased:
As noted in number 3, participation is free, and with resources you may already have on hand you can begin implementation of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. However, if you want to enhance your program, there are a variety of resources you can purchase.

The FITNESSGRAM® software has many advantages to support you in your role as an educator with individual, class, or campus-wide reporting. Some of you may already have FITNESSGRAM, so the next piece you ought to consider is our Essentials of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program virtual course. In about two hours, you'll have the foundational elements needed to successfully implement the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. Participants in the course have suggested that it offered a fresh perspective on how to approach fitness education with their students.

Even if you don't have FITNESSGRAM, this course is still a good place to start. Finally, there remains the fun, low-cost recognition items that your school (or, perhaps, your PTA) can purchase to encourage students to achieve their health fitness goals. Recently, there was an opportunity to apply for support to receive these supplemental resources for three academic years. While this opportunity is now closed, be on the lookout for future opportunities (available through the program or through other grant-making organizations) to support access to them.

The program is a partnership:
You may encounter a booth at a conference, see an ad, or receive an email from one of our partners, each of which is promoting adoption of the program and has contributed much to ensure you have the tools and resources you need, regardless of budget or experience. The founding partners are the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Amateur Athletic Union; National Foundation for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; Society for Health and Physical Educators (formerly AAHPERD); and The Cooper Institute. The Amateur Athletic Union co-sponsors the President's Challenge program, administrator of the Presidential Youth Fitness Award. In addition, Human Kinetics, publishing partner for The Cooper Institute and SHAPE America, is integral to many program resources, such as, FITNESSGRAM®, Brockport Physical Fitness Test, and the Success with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program virtual training.

For more information about the program, please visit www.pyfp.org and like us on Facebook to stay up to date with program offerings

Jane Wargo was hired as Program Director of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program in November 2012 to lead the development of the school funding program, facilitate program implementation in schools nationwide, and manage the general activities of the program partnership. Prior to her role with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, she worked for nine years at the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition where she managed federal partnerships and initiatives, the Council's science board and the Council's signature President's Challenge physical activity, fitness, and nutrition awards program.

While at the Council, she co-authored two book chapters addressing the development of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and led the development and implementation of a federal physical activity challenge to encourage a more active federal workforce. Jane received her master's degree in wellness management from Ball State University's Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology and her undergraduate degree in English from Butler University. She walks the talk when it comes to fitness and physical activity, training for multi-sport road races in her free time. Her two young children strengthen her passion to ensure the presence of quality physical education and physical activity programs in schools.

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