1. Understand the purpose of the grant and write to the grant requirements.

2. Be brief and consistent.

3. Make sure the proposal answers each question in the RFP using the rubric developed by Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. (See February 26)

4. Establish goals and activities that are clear

5. Be sure to consult with required stakeholders and get appropriate approvals to submit the grant early in the process

6. Make sure the solution meets NCLB requiremen…

Organizing play for kids has never seemed like more work. But researchers Adele Diamond and Deborah Leong have good news: The best kind of play costs nothing and really only has one main requirement — imagination.

Researchers say unstructured play helps children learn to control their own emotions and behavior -- abilities that are a better predictor of a child's academic success than IQ. The regulated play many modern children experience doe…

If you are considering submitting a PEP grant don't forget to include the School Health Index data for Physical Education and Nutrition Services at very least.

The School Health Index is a free assessment tool that can be downloaded from the Center for Disease Control DASH website. The SHI Index is mentioned in the PEP Application question 2a & 3a. Those questions with a combined point value of 30 points specifically state "If the ap…

State Legislatures, a publication of the National Conference of State Legislatures, featured this article, "PE Makes a Comeback," in its December 2007 issue. It gives an excellent overview of state legislative initiatives going on around the country.


Read more on PE MAKES A COMEBACK

Journal Advocate Sterling, CO




If you’ve ever tried to get a child to eat a new kind of food, you know it can be challenging. That’s why a group at Colorado State University has developed the Food Friends Program.

The program, which is currently being used by Iliff Head Start, has two parts. One involves trying new foods, which Joan Marin, a teacher at Head Start said they’ve been doing for six or seven years now. The other, “Food Friends Get Movin…

The following download is a 2008 PEP Grant Scoring Rubric developed by Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer. The rubric indicates the scoring and points possible for each of the 4 questions and the Competitive Priority question worth 5 bonus points.

Other PEP Grant writing materials can be downloaded at www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/grants.htm

Don't miss the second PEP Grant technical assistance call in opportunity today.

Don't miss the final two technical assistance phone conferences for people interested in applying for 2008 PEP Grants.

Below is the call-in information for the PEP Technical Assistance calls:

Call Date - 2/28/08
Panel Chair - Debbie Kalnasy
Time - 2:30 pm ET
Duration: 1 ½ hours
Toll-Free Number - (866) 209-6102
Conference ID # - 36180127
"You don't need to re…

IF you are planning on applying for a PEP Grant check out the Peaceful Playgrounds PEP Grant writing materials.

1. 2008 Grant Summary Application Information

2. PEP Narrative for Peaceful Playgrounds Program

3. PEP Budget for Peaceful Playgrounds, We Count Walking Program and Fundamental Movement Programs.

4. PEP Budget

5. 2008 PEP Grant Application


6. PEP 2008 Application Scoring Rubric

Ed Week ran a story called, "Say Yes to Recess"
The following is a response from a CA Physical Educator who addressed the many benefits of recess.

Being free to make choices and to play is absolutely necessary to children as they develop social skills, which todays children seem to lack, as well promoting creativity. Only play/exercise truly develops these skills, at a young age.

The neuro-scientists have been telling us, for some time n…

Written by the PELINKS4U Staff

One of the most popular sessions at the 2002 AAHPERD Convention was a presentation by last year’s PEP grant recipients. A packed room of PEP hopefuls listened intently in 2003 as their colleagues shared grant-writing tips. The following PEP GRANT REVIEWER FEEDBACK summarizes their suggestions.

This information is provided to you courtesy of PELINKS4U
http://www.pelinks4u.org

An updated playground is more than play space
Boeckman - Fitness and creative play are emphasized with the school's improvements
Thursday, February 21, 2008
CATHIE ERICSON
Special to The Oregonian

A peaceful playground -- isn't that the dream of all students, parents and educators? Where recess is a time of socialization, fresh air and physical activity, rather than a period marked by conflict and bullying.

That's the concept behind the ne…

Estimated Available Funds: $33,850,000 for 2008

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, the Department may make additional awards later in FY 2008 and in FY 2009 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.

Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$500,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $300,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 112.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

All appl…

Watch and enjoy. Be patient. It takes a minute to load but it's worth it!!

If you want your child to be more active, try throwing him a ball
Tara Parker Pope / The New York Times

Simple playthings such as balls, jump ropes, hula hoops and riding toys do more for encouraging physical activity than swings, jungle gyms and other stationary playground equipment, according to a recent report in the ‘American Journal of Preventive Medicine’.
The findings are important because they show that schools and day-care centers don’t ne…

NEW PEP GRANT BLOG: Go to the new PEP Grants Blog and sign up for a RSS feed or subscribe via an email message to be sent daily to your mailbox.




Tulsa Public Schools has piloted a new program. They are adding fruits and vegetable bars in their schools in an effort to curb childhood obesity and to add nutrition to their diets.

Lee Elementary is one of the first schools to try it out.

So far the students are enjoying the extra options to keep them …

We have a new blog devoted to people working on 2008 PEP Grants.

Go to the new PEP Grants Blog and sign up for a RSS feed or subscribe via an email message to be sent daily to your mailbox.

Last Friday the Department of Education released the 2008 PEP Grant Application.


PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This program provides grants to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs for K–12 students in order to help them make progress toward meeting state standards for physical education.

TYPES OF PROJECTS

Funds may be used to provide equipment and support to enable students to participate actively in physical education activities. Funds …

We are often ask about the contents of the Peaceful Playground Program Package. The list is below:
• (4) Activity Guides: Preschool/Kindergarten; Grades K-3;Grades 3-6; and Field Games.
• (4) Blueprints: Preschool/Kindergarten; Grades K-3; Grades 3-6 and Field Games
• 41 stencils: letters, numbers, feet and shapes
• Playground good sports coupons
• Playground good sports award
• Program overview video or dvd
• Equipment checkout form
• Playground proce…

A first-period exercise class is helping Illinois teens prime their brains for the day's coursework -- a model that should be expanded nationwide, some education and medical experts say. "There's sort of no question about it now," said Dr. John J. Ratey, a Harvard Medical School associate professor of psychiatry. "The exercise itself doesn't make you smarter, but it puts the brain of the learners in the optimal positio…

The escalating campaign against childhood obesity gained a resourceful new ally this month when the national YMCA said it intends to become America's leading anti-obesity crusader. With a pervasive local presence and fitness facilities, YMCA branches will bring many welcome assets to the effort.

The challenge now is to link community agencies such as the Y and local schools with health care professionals who can help children and their famili…

From Capitol News, Channel 9, NY by Kaitlyn Ross

Math...A+. Science...B-. Body Mass Index?

Registered Dietitian Judy Carr, said, "There's been a lot of discussion and a lot of debate as to whether this should be included in a child's report card."

The ratio of your child's height to weight could soon make on the report card right next to reading, writing and arithmetic.

Both Arkansas and Illinois have passed legislation, and it…

Should Recess Be Mandatory?

Remember recess? Kids playing kickball or tag, hopping on the swings or skipping rope. Recess is endangered at many schools. To meet the demand for better academic performance, schools are cutting back on recess time. In some schools recess is more like study hall in a classroom. Is the decline of recess contributing to childhood obesity? Does recess help kids get along? Should the state make recess mandatory for all s…

Source: General Mills
Program: Hamburger Helper’s MYHOMETOWNHELPER.COM
Eligibility: Hamburger Helper will give funds directly to the public school, 501(c)(3), or 501(c)(4) entity, such as civic leagues and social welfare organizations, that sponsors an application for funding (“Qualifying Organizations”). Visit www.myhometownhelper.comfor more information.

Purpose: General Mills Sales, Inc. (“General Mills”) and Hamburger Helper are searching f…

The Peaceful Playgrounds Online Playground Supervisor Training is designed to introduce administrators, teachers, substitute teachers, physical educators, parents and playground supervisors to the responsibilities and techniques associated with keeping children safe on a playground. This fast paced course delivered with video will serve as a professional development experience.

This course details playground surfacing, play structure safety, and…

QUESTION FROM A KDG TEACHER:
“I am looking into alternatives to taking away recess as a form of
punishment. At our elementary school, the children have a 30 minute recess
period every day. However, if a child does something during the day (hitting,
biting, etc.) the punishment is usually missing recess. Our board has determined
that this is not in keeping with our new wellness policy. I am researching
alternatives.”
ANSWER:
Given the value of recess in …

Dairy consumers are changing, and they want a product the way they want it -- not the way dairy farms produce it.

"Change sneaks up on you," Erwine said, noting that by 2020, 47 percent of the U.S. population will be 50 years old or older, 75 percent of career executives will be women. In addition, 49 percent of the U.S. population eat on the go and 36 percent of all pregnancies last year were single mothers, they said.

Those figures, pa…

NEW CORPORATE FUNDING RESOURCE: SPRINT AHEAD FOR EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM


Through the Sprint Ahead for Education grant program, the Sprint Foundation will award grants to school districts and individual schools to fund the purchase of resource materials, supplies, equipment and software that facilitates and encourages character education among K-12 students. With a national reach, the program is open to all US public schools (K-12) and US public …

The pedometer, a simple and inexpensive step-counting device, significantly increases daily activity levels and even promotes weight loss, according to a recent study directed by Dena Bravata, a senior research scientist at Stanford’s School of Medicine.

Bravata and her team of researchers analyzed study results from 2,767 people, mostly overweight and inactive women, who agreed to keep records of their physical activity while using a pedometer o…

Posted on The Elementary Educator - Written by blogger Mark Pullen a third grade teacher from Michigan.


Amid all of the current pressures to get students to achieve on standardized tests, school administrators in some districts around the United States have created extra academic time for their students by getting rid of something that they feel no longer is useful: recess.

“There’s too much to do,” says Rosemary Agneessens, principal of Creighton…