HEALTHY KIDS, HEALTHY FUTURE
Improving youth fitness through assessment, science and research.
I am so happy to join the Youth Division at The Cooper Institute. In this new role, I get to use my passion for health, nutrition and fitness to collaborate with school and community partners to build a healthier generation. Our youth initiatives reach students near, such as with our Healthy Zone Schools program, and far with the NFL Play 60 FitnessGram Project .

Schools are the lifeblood of our communities where students are molded and shaped into the workers and community leaders of tomorrow. By helping them form healthy habits, we can put them on the path to success and good health. I have worked with schools who have started school gardens, offered healthy and tasty snack options to their students, and increased physical activity throughout the school day in fun ways that students love. Small changes can lead to big results that last Well. Into the Future . This is going to be an exciting year as we move forward on this journey to improve the health of children everywhere.

Jeannine Rios,
Executive Director of Youth Programs
Childhood Obesity:
What can parents do?

Obesity continues to be one of the greatest health threats to children and teens across the country. Parents play a critical role in establishing healthy habits to prevent childhood obesity.

Our Director of Youth Research and Education, Dr. Andjelka Pavlovic, PhD, examines the research and shares what parents can do to make sure their children grow up healthy.
FitnessGram Test Day Tips
Hey teachers! Are you excited to implement FitnessGram into your school but don’t know where (or when) to start?

Download or print our newest resource Test Day Tips . Designed to help you feel well-equipped for testing day and all things FitnessGram, Test Day Tips recommends action items and provides accompanying resources to help support each activity.
 
*Also available in FitnessGram software under SmartCoach Resources .
Healthy Zone Schools Are Back In Session

Teachers and administrators from over 50 schools across North Texas gathered together in early September for the 2019 kickoff of the Healthy Zone Schools program. Hosted by The Cooper Institute in partnership with United Way of Greater Dallas, the event provided opportunities for learning and networking for school leaders committed to improving student fitness and nutrition for over 159,000 students in the Dallas area. 

Hear our recap of the event and learn how your school can become a Healthy Zone School.
NFL PLAY 60 FitnessGram Kicks Off

The National Football League takes youth fitness seriously. The Cooper Institute is proud to be a partner in this journey to improve student health through the NFL PLAY 60 FitnessGram Project . Learn more about what this project is doing to help kids get active and get healthy through 60 minutes of daily physical activity. 
FitnessGram by The Cooper Institute is both a fitness assessment and data-management software to accurately measure student physical fitness levels. FitnessGram measures the fitness of more than 10 million students across the country in over 20,000 schools.
The NFL PLAY 60 FitnessGram Project is a partnership between the NFL Foundation and The Cooper Institute. Together, we are encouraging students to get active and get healthy with 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
The Healthy Zone Schools Program is a partnership between The Cooper Institute and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas to support and recognize schools that are fighting the childhood obesity epidemic and creating healthy school environments.