This document outlines the programs and initiatives of an organization called Treeswing that aims to promote healthy lifestyles for children. It discusses several programs: Get Fit-Get Smart which develops a new physical education curriculum for Seattle schools; JumpUp which distributes free jump ropes and information to kindergarteners; Teen CHAT which engages youth in community health issues; Green Halloween which promotes healthier alternatives to Halloween candy; and Community Education Sessions which provide presentations on children's health topics to various groups. The overall goal is to help children lead active, healthy lives through school programs and community outreach.

1. What We Do
Helping our kids lead healthy lives
www.treeswing.org
 Get Fit—Get Smart is a partnership with the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) to develop
and deliver a new, state-of-the-art, physical-education curriculum. Adopted by SPS in
2008, the curriculum focuses on lifetime wellness and teaching children how to make
healthy eating and activity choices, both within and outside of school. The Get Fit—Get
Smart initiative will reach 46,000 Seattle children in grades K-12, nearly 60% of whom
are non-white—the highest risk groups for obesity.
 JumpUp is a partnership with Seattle Children’s to distribute a free jump-rope kit to
each of the 4,000 kindergartners in Seattle, giving them the opportunity to jump for fun
and fitness. Included with each jump rope is information for parents about the
importance of getting kids to be active from an early age and the risks associated with
childhood obesity. The kit also includes jump-rope songs and games, and kids can earn
a Treeswing “Top-Notch Jumper” certificate by logging their jumping activity on a
JumpUp Challenge calendar.
 Teen CHAT (Community Health Action Team) engages youth in dialogue and problem-
solving about community health and fitness. Youth develop leadership and advocacy
skills as they serve as representatives at local policy meetings and implement youth-
driven projects around healthy eating and active living. TeenCHAT was developed in
partnership with the Austin Foundation through a grant from the Seattle Foundation
Healthy Kids Fund. The successful pilot program in 2007 convened a group of 10 high-
school students from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. CHAT
members served as youth representatives in several local programs, such as the
Kellogg Food and Fitness Initiative, the Cultural Health Initiative and the King County
Overweight Prevention Initiative. The Teen CHAT model will be expanded into two
Seattle high schools in 2008.
 Green Halloween (www.greenhalloween.org) is a nonprofit, grassroots community
initiative to create healthier and more Earth-friendly holidays. The program encourages
and promotes healthy, Earth-friendly substitutes to Halloween candy. It began in the
Seattle area in 2007 with backers such as Whole Foods Market, Overlake Hospital,
Puget Sound Energy, Crayons, Inc. and Clif Bar, and was such a huge success that the
initiative is going nationwide in 2008. In cities across the country, volunteer coordinators
will be working to turn their city’s Halloween holiday healthy and eco-friendly and raising
money for local nonprofit beneficiaries.
 Community Education Sessions are free presentations about children’s health solu-
tions offered to local parent and community groups or organizations, as well as corpor-
ations. The presentations are customized to best meet the diverse needs of each audi-
ence, and focus on issues relating to childhood obesity, family fitness and nutrition,
media literacy, and how to talk to kids about body identity.
2505 Third Avenue, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98121 (206) 443-8427