“Active kids are healthy kids,” said Arkansas Children’s President & CEO Marcy Doderer, FACHE. “Keeping GoNoodle in Arkansas classrooms is a natural given our unyielding commitment to ensuring our children are better today and healthier tomorrow.”
Little Rock, AR (PRWEB) March 15, 2017
An initiative led and funded by Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) has kids across the state participating in more physical activity during the school day. Since February 2016, Arkansas elementary students have logged more than 80 million minutes of physical activity in their classrooms using GoNoodle’s online movement videos and games. ACH funds GoNoodle for use in the state’s 593 public elementary school in support of its efforts to help engage children in healthy activities early in life. Used by over 6,700 Arkansas teachers, GoNoodle get kids running, jumping, dancing, stretching and practicing moments of mindfulness right next to their desks. Research shows use of GoNoodle improves classroom behavior, student academic performance and childhood health.
“Active kids are healthy kids,” said Arkansas Children’s President & CEO Marcy Doderer, FACHE. “Keeping GoNoodle in Arkansas classrooms is a natural given our unyielding commitment to ensuring our children are better today and healthier tomorrow.”
ACH launched GoNoodle for Arkansas elementary schools in August 2013. GoNoodle is used in all 593 Arkansas elementary schools in the state and is used every county in the state. In 2016 Arkansas ranked as the #1 state for minutes of physical activity achieved by students according to the annual “Kids Movement Index” released by GoNoodle. The Kids Movement Index ranks top U.S. cities and states where elementary school children engaged in the most physical activity through GoNoodle during the school year. Given the use of GoNoodle across Arkansas and continued feedback from teachers and parents about GoNoodle’s impact on student performance and health, ACH recently renewed its commitment to provide GoNoodle for all Arkansas public elementary schools for another three years, with funding through the 2018-19 school year totaling $2 million.
Phillip Carlock, Principal at Stephens Elementary School, values GoNoodle’s partnership with Arkansas Children's Hospital and the benefits that access to GoNoodle brings to students in Little Rock. “GoNoodle is a perfect mix of learning and motion. GoNoodle provides a way for teachers to infuse excitement into their lessons. I have witnessed 100% engagement when GoNoodle is used in the classroom. In this day and time, learning through instruction has been maximized at the expense of physical activity. GoNoodle has effectively found a solution to this challenge by merging learning with physical activity."
According to the CDC, only one-quarter of today’s youth meet the current recommendation of at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Together with Arkansas Children’s, GoNoodle is helping Arkansas students accumulate vital movement minutes with entertaining experiences that feature high-energy dance music, fitness routines, virtual field trips and physical challenges. Through increased movement in the classroom, these elementary students are not only improving their health but also boosting their cognitive processing, focus and academic performance.
"Regular physical activity is critically important to the healthy development of kids. And, we know healthy kids do better in school,” said Scott McQuigg, CEO and co-founder of GoNoodle. “Teachers are using the power of movement to improve student performance, and parents are using GoNoodle to turn screen time into active time. Thanks to the generous support of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Arkansas kids are moving and learning more with GoNoodle.”
Teachers need a computer with an Internet connection and a shared screen such as a projector or interactive whiteboard to access GoNoodle’s online library of hundreds of movement videos and games, including exclusive GoNoodle PLUS videos that integrate movement and core-subjects together to develop fluency in grade-specific math and ELA topics. These short movement videos incorporate kinesthetic and active learning principles by closely tying movement with core content. Both energizing and calming videos are available to help teachers channel kids’ energy for good while incorporating math, spelling and vocabulary. The support from Arkansas Children’s Hospital gives teachers, kids and parents access to GoNoodle for by visiting gonoodle.com or downloading the GoNoodle app in the Apple app store.
About Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Arkansas Children’s, Inc. is the only health system in the state solely dedicated to caring for children, which allows the organization to uniquely shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas. The system includes a 359-bed hospital in Little Rock with the state’s only pediatric Level 1 trauma center, burn center, Level 4 neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care, and research institute as well as a nationally-recognized transport service. It is one of the 25 largest children’s hospitals in the United States and is nationally ranked by U.S. News World & Report in pulmonology and neonatal care. A sister campus is under development in Northwest Arkansas and will bring 233,613 square feet of inpatient beds, emergency care, clinic rooms and diagnostic services to children in that corner of the state. Arkansas Children’s also blankets the state with outreach programs that include telemedicine, mobile health, and school-based health solutions. A private not-for-profit, Arkansas Children’s boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking research and is committed to providing every child with access to the best care available, regardless of location or resources. Founded as an orphanage, Arkansas Children’s has championed children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow for more than 100 years. For more info, visit archildrens.org.
About GoNoodle
GoNoodle (launched in 2013), gets kids moving to be their smartest, strongest, bravest, silliest, bestest selves. Short, interactive movement videos and games make it awesomely simple and fun to incorporate movement into every part of the day with dancing, stretching, running and even mindfulness activities. At school, teachers use GoNoodle to keep students energized, engaged, and active inside the classroom. At home, GoNoodle turns screen time into active time, so families can have fun and get moving together. Currently, more than 12 million kids and over 600,000 teachers worldwide use GoNoodle each month. GoNoodle is used in 80% of U.S. public elementary schools in all 50 states and in schools around the world in 185 countries. Nearly 1.5 million families use GoNoodle at home either through the website or the recently released iOS app. Learn more at http://www.gonoodle.com
Media Contacts
For Arkansas Children’s:
Hilary DeMillo
Senior Media Relations Specialist
demillohh@archildrens.org
501-364-6445 (direct) 501-416-7981 (cell)
For GoNoodle:
Lexington Public Relations
Suki Mulberg Altamirano
suki@lexingtonpr.com
615-649-4000
