Presidential Youth Fitness Program is a comprehensive school-based program that promotes health and regular physical activity for America’s youth. This is a voluntary program that offers educators free access to a health-related assessment for youth fitness, professional development for meaningful implementation, and motivational recognition to empower students to adopt and maintain an active lifestyle.
Program Highlights
Physical activity is critical to our children’s health and well-being. Studies show that physical activity not only helps kids stay active and healthy, but it can enhance important skills like concentration and problem solving, which can improve academic performance.
Since 1966, the President’s Council has promoted the Youth Fitness Test. While the Fitness Test has changed over the years, the current test continues to assess physical fitness using data from the 1985 National School Population Fitness Survey. The President’s Council teamed up with leaders in the field to evolve the current test to a comprehensive program that provides training and resources to schools for assessing, tracking, and recognizing youth fitness. The new program has moved away from recognizing athletic performance to providing a barometer on student’s health.
The Presidential Youth Fitness Program places emphasis on the value of living a physically active and healthy lifestyle — in school and beyond. The program minimizes comparisons between children and instead supports students as they pursue personal fitness goals for lifelong health. By adopting the program, schools gain access to a robust selection of resources to promote lifelong physical activity — web-based access to test protocol, standards for testing, calculators for aerobic capacity and body composition, promotion of PALA+, online training, school recognition programs, and more.
Everyone has a role to play in ensuring a bright and healthy future for our children. Explore the resources below to discover how the Presidential Youth Fitness Program can support children in a journey toward lifelong fitness.
Resources
Program Checklist [PDF - 281 KB]
Physical educators can use the Presidential Youth Fitness Program checklist to guide program implementation.
Physical Educator Resource Guide [PDF – 2.24 MB]
The Presidential Youth Fitness Program Physical Educator Resource Guide provides an overview of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program.
Inclusive Physical Education [PDF – 386 KB]
Nationwide, youth with disabilities are 4.5 times less active than youth without disabilities. Here are practical strategies to promote quality, inclusive fitness education.
