With PEP grants gone as we knew them, where will funding come from for Health and Physical Education? For years health and physical educators have fought to receive any little bit of funding for their programs. We put on events, fundraisers, write grants, even beg, at times we have even had to go against something we may believe in order to provide needs for programs (such as putting in a new Coke machine so that the revenue could go to our program). I will focus my next series of blogs to address this as I know it in order to help you. I will start with the obvious, ESSA.
While the landscape may be changing, we do have hope. PEP may be gone as we know it, but we need to still advocate for it as its part of Title IV ESSA. I am sure that SHAPE America is preparing another quality instructional day meeting on this during SPEAK Out Day (April 25-26 http://www.shapeamerica.org/events/speakoutday/).
Because ESSA includes Health and PE as part of the Well Rounded definition, this also allows us to use other monies within ESSA. I can share more if needed. I believe the key here is to tie into your school priorities. I often say in my Keynotes, we need to "make friends before we need 'em". I encourage people to go now and talk to your principal and coordinators and enlighten them that health and physical education are now included in the definition to use those funds. You will be surprised how much you can enlighten people with just a few bits of information. (Contact me for more if needed). Tell them about your program standards and outcomes and how you play a role in the school priorities. Don't underestimate how important this is. Share with them the links to evidence of activity and academic performance (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/) and include yourself as part of the team. Finally and most important, share yourself as a solution, not a problem. We are the only curricular area that teaches mental health, empathy, social skills, and stress management. Can't this relate to a healthy and safe school?
But we still have a lot of mountains to climb. In part 2, I will share more thoughts on other various funding. As always, my goal regardless where I work, live or play is to help make a difference in my loved profession. So if I can help you, let me know.
While the landscape may be changing, we do have hope. PEP may be gone as we know it, but we need to still advocate for it as its part of Title IV ESSA. I am sure that SHAPE America is preparing another quality instructional day meeting on this during SPEAK Out Day (April 25-26 http://www.shapeamerica.org/events/speakoutday/).
Because ESSA includes Health and PE as part of the Well Rounded definition, this also allows us to use other monies within ESSA. I can share more if needed. I believe the key here is to tie into your school priorities. I often say in my Keynotes, we need to "make friends before we need 'em". I encourage people to go now and talk to your principal and coordinators and enlighten them that health and physical education are now included in the definition to use those funds. You will be surprised how much you can enlighten people with just a few bits of information. (Contact me for more if needed). Tell them about your program standards and outcomes and how you play a role in the school priorities. Don't underestimate how important this is. Share with them the links to evidence of activity and academic performance (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/) and include yourself as part of the team. Finally and most important, share yourself as a solution, not a problem. We are the only curricular area that teaches mental health, empathy, social skills, and stress management. Can't this relate to a healthy and safe school?
But we still have a lot of mountains to climb. In part 2, I will share more thoughts on other various funding. As always, my goal regardless where I work, live or play is to help make a difference in my loved profession. So if I can help you, let me know.
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