Treeswing, a Seattle nonprofit, partnered with Seattle Public Schools to introduce a new K-12 physical education curriculum in 10 schools. Called the "Five for Life" curriculum, it will focus on teaching students lifelong wellness habits. The curriculum will be fully implemented in all 92 Seattle public schools by 2009-2010, reaching over 46,000 students. Treeswing raised funds for the initial adoption process and committed $250,000 towards the remaining $750,000 budget, aiming to create a successful PE model that other districts can replicate.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tracy Bennett
Executive Director
(425) 466-4748
Helping our kids lead healthy lives tracy@treeswing.org
www.treeswing.org
Seattle Public Schools Introduces New K-12 P.E. Curriculum in 10 Schools
Treeswing-sponsored program will serve as model for schools nationwide
SEATTLE (Sept. 30, 2008) – Treeswing (www.treeswing.org), a Seattle nonprofit organ-
ization advocating increased physical activity to combat childhood obesity, joined Seattle
Public Schools today to announce the adoption of a new K-12 physical-education curric-
ulum. The Treeswing-sponsored program marks the first time a PE curriculum will have
been adopted district-wide in Seattle.
The “Five for Life ” curriculum is being introduced in 10 schools this school year
and will be fully implemented in all 92 schools for the 2009-2010 school year. The cur-
riculum will reach 46,000 children in grades K-12, almost 60 percent of whom are non-
white and 40 percent of whom are from lower-income families—the highest-risk groups
for childhood obesity.
“Despite its critical importance to children’s health, physical-education programs
—and even recess—are being cut back in many districts around the country,” Seattle
Public Schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson said. “This curriculum will give
our students the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to take care of their physical
and emotional health.”
The curriculum adoption is the latest outcome of Treeswing’s Get Fit—Get Smart!
initiative, a two-year-old partnership with Seattle Public Schools to select and implement
a PE program that meets the needs of the district’s diverse student and staff population.
Treeswing convened and led a committee of PE teachers, principals, community mem-
bers, and pediatricians to identify and develop a curriculum focused on teaching stu-
dents lifelong wellness habits.
“Schools need to do more than simply encourage physical fitness—they need to
foster a lifelong commitment to healthy activity,” said Lori Dunn, Seattle Public Schools
PE Program Manager. “Once this curriculum is implemented, Seattle will have created a
successful model that districts across the country can replicate to enhance and expand
their own PE programs.”
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2. P.E. Curriculum release
Sept. 30, 2008
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Dunn herself is another example of Treeswing’s successful efforts within the Get
Fit—Get Smart! alliance. Budget restraints led Seattle Public Schools in 2003 to cut the
position she now occupies, but Treeswing and an ad-hoc committee of PE teachers and
school administrators persuaded the district to reinstate the position in 2007.
Treeswing raised the initial funds needed to begin the curriculum-adoption pro-
cess and has committed to raise $250,000 of the project’s remaining $750,000 budget.
The organization has secured researchers from the University of Washington’s School of
Public Health to evaluate the initial implementation phase and identify refinements.
“Integrating health and fitness concepts in an active, fun PE environment is a criti-
cal first step in reversing the epidemic of childhood obesity we’re seeing,” said Jeanne
Bastasch, a PE teacher at Greenwood Elementary and member of the SPS curriculum-
adoption committee. “This program has something engaging for students of all skill lev-
els, and will better enable them to make healthy lifestyle choices as they age.”
“What makes this curriculum so intrinsically motivating,” said Treeswing Execu-
tive Director Tracy Bennett, “is that it’s all about students’ individual efforts, and geared
to help them achieve their goals without being compared to anyone else.” Bennett said
she expects to see measurable improvement in student’s knowledge of health and nutrit-
ion and an increase in overall activity levels when the research results of the program’s
first phase are compiled. Her organization will be working to educate parents and care-
givers as well, she added, “to stimulate a ripple effect in homes.”
The model curriculum is being rolled out at Rainier Beach and Roosevelt high
schools; Washington, Denny, and Hamilton International middle schools; Lafayette,
Stevens, Dearborn Park and Thornton Creek elementary schools; and Catherine Blaine
Elementary and Middle School.
About Treeswing
Treeswing (www.treeswing.org) is a Seattle-based, nonprofit organization committed to
improving children’s health by promoting increased physical activity to combat the
growing prevalence of childhood obesity. Through education, advocacy and innovative,
targeted programs, Treeswing works to build balanced, healthy environments for children
by removing barriers to daily exercise within schools, homes and communities.
Treeswing partners with institutions, advocates and experts at all levels of the childhood-
obesity issue, leveraging resources and creating opportunities to effect systemic,
sustainable change by developing research-based, scaleable models that can be easily
replicated and implemented by other organizations.
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