FUNDING HELP FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS NOW ON LINE
Steve Cooper

WOODBURY, NY -- A new web site - www.pepgrant.info is now helping educators, schools and districts develop and file a grant application for PEP funds. PEP - Physical Education for Progress Act - Part of the No Child Left Behind Act, will provide $50 million for physical education programs in 2002.

Sponsored by Polar Electro Inc., the site provides the basic framework, background and direction that will assist educators compete for the federal funds. The Woodbury, LI, NY-based company has employed the services of a professional educational grant writing firm, The Funding Connection, to develop the necessary information, and assist educators to meet the Federally-required guidelines. The law requires states and school districts to develop strong systems of accountability based on student performance.

According to Polar's Beth Kirkpatrick, a physical education teacher for more than twenty years, and an early proponent of heart rate monitors, "It has been proven that the way to objectively quantify student PE performance is through a program of technology and reporting, which can be provided by heart rate monitors and fitness evaluation systems." Kirkpatrick is a nationally known speaker who continues to work with schools and teachers to implement the New PE, which integrates health, wellness and fitness into the curriculum.

"We are very fortunate to have President Bush and Mrs. Bush champion new education initiatives. With the raging rates of diabetes and obesity hurting our youngsters, we cannot afford, as a country, to let this continue. We must strengthen the foundation of our future by calling for physical education programs that create a lifetime of wellness. When President Bush signed into law The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, he made it possible for physical education teachers to build, with funds from the PEP bill, fit kids for a healthy America."

According to the PEP Act (Sec. 10999E. Applications; Program Elements) a school's PE program needs to encompass:

  1. Fitness education and assessment to help children understand, improve or maintain their physical well-being;
  2. Instruction in a variety of motor skills and physical activities designed to enhance the physical, mental, and social or emotional development of every child;
  3. Development of cognitive concepts about motor skill and physical fitness that support a lifelong healthy lifestyle;
  4. Opportunities to develop positive social and cooperative skills through physical activity participation;
  5. Instruction in healthy eating habits and good nutrition; and
  6. Provide teachers of physical education the opportunity for professional development to stay abreast of the latest research, issues, and trends in the field of physical education.

Educators can find additional information about these points and the other steps for their PEP Grant applications on the Polar sponsored site.

Polar, based in Woodbury, LI, NY, develops and manufactures heart rate monitors used in the physical education programs of more than 10,000 schools. It's HealthFirst division, located in Albuquerque, NM, provides schools with the TriFIT fitness assessment systems, and creates wellness-based software programs. Other applications for the company's products include health clubs, cardiac rehabilitation centers and physical therapy clinics. Polar heart rate monitors have long been the choice among consumers ranging from casual exercisers to tri-athletes, Olympians and professional athletes.

April 1, 2002