Last week, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition was proud to join the partners of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) to recognize Georgia as the first state to fully implement the program. The Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which was launched in September 2012, encourages schools, districts and states to meet criteria that will provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to be active and healthy for a lifetime. 

Through the Georgia SHAPE initiative, Georgia leaders embraced the need to utilize a health-related fitness assessment as a critical component of physical education. To recognize the work of Georgia, the Presidential Youth Fitness Program resource partners recognized students with a Presidential Youth Fitness Award.

The work of Georgia shows the possibilities when leaders from across government, non-profit and private sectors align to support student health. The opportunity to create lasting and sustainable change can become a reality. Congratulations to all of Georgia’s public schools, teachers, and administrators for their efforts to develop healthy and fit youth who are ready to learn. Now, which state will be next?  Will it be yours?