Fit Kids

Fit Kids is a non-profit that provides structured physical fitness activities to underserved youth. Our goal is to increase kids’ physical activity levels to develop physically fit, healthy children. Physical activity is essential to a healthy childhood, but far too many young children, especially in underserved communities, lack the opportunity to engage in structured physical activity. Ashley Hunter founded Fit Kids in 2011, still serves as Executive Director, and as of Spring 2018, has helped more than 5,000 K-8 students fall in love with fitness. Fit Kids prepares kids for healthier lifestyles, including participation in sports, the improved academic performance that studies associate with physically active kids, and a variety of other social-emotional benefits. The Fit Kids program – whether delivered by our trained, professional coaches at our Innovation Sites or coaches employed by our Partner and Member sites – helps children improve their strength, power, coordination, balance, aerobic capacity, body awareness, and agility. The programs also develop basic movement and motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination, running, and throwing. The curriculum includes hundreds of different exercises, fitness tests and fun activities, challenges and games. Each Fit Kids program includes: Annual Professional Development training for coaches and administrators Access to Fit Kids’ proprietary curriculum All necessary program equipment (hula hoops, medicine balls, rope ladders, etc.) Site visits from Fit Kids’ Director of Programs Monthly online surveys to monitor usage and impact. Our innovative, progressive program includes a total of 50 classes, broken into five units (team-building, communication, locomotor skills, chasing/fleeing, and hand/eye coordination) that each contain 10 lesson plans. Each lesson plan is for 60 minutes of physical activity but is adaptable to smaller units of time for partners that don’t have a full hour available to implement the Fit Kids program. Periodic fitness tests measure the program participants’ improved fitness, and anecdotal evidence from coaches and administrators testify to social-emotional advances.