During the 2008-09 school year, Buena Park School District(BPSD) launched a truly transformative, district wide student health and fitness improvement project called Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH). BPSD principals now have the tools needed to train, equip, and support classroom teachers so they can provide 100 minutes of active PE every week and increase fitness scores. Using the Standards-aligned CATCH physical education curriculum, teachers provide lessons that maximize student fun and participation in cooperative games and sports-skills activities.

With 5800 students at six elementary schools and one junior high school, 60% of BPSD student are low income and 58% are Hispanic/Latino. 20% of 5th graders passed the 2007 CA Fitness Test and 40% are overweight. First year project evidence indicates BPSD has positively impacted the health and physical fitness of 1000 4-6 grade students at the 3 pilot schools: Whitaker, Pendleton and Gilbert. Minutes of physical education instruction has increased by over 50% and teachers report providing more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in each PE lesson than ever before. Teachers now use FITNESSGRAM for physical fitness testing 2-3 times a year and parents and students get to see and use test results immediately. Preliminary data indicates a substantial increase in the number and percentage of BPSD CATCH pilot school students passing the Fitness Test this year as compared to previous years and other BPSD school sites.

BPSD's Project is replicable in other school districts throughout California. Working closely with partners: Network for a Healthy California and the Orange County Department of Education, BPSD believes health, fit kids achieve more - both inside and outside the classroom. The Spotlight Award will help BPSD school leaders promote and expand the project in all grades and at all BPSD schools over the next 3 years.