Greater Richmond Fit4Kids, Inc.

Fit4Kids has matured as an organization, we are approaching our 15th birthday. We have settled into our vision and mission and are setting big, audacious goals. This is the most exciting strategic plan in our history and we have the right people at the table to achieve this. Over a decade of strong relationships with school leadership in multiple districts, community and nonprofit partners, and funders engaged in children’s health and wellness. Our Plan is marked by three areas - Programming Excellence, Community Collaboration, and Organizational Health.

The Programming Component of this plan is incredibly exciting. For the first time, we have the goal to reach early childhood through college! Also, we will take one of our programs, Learning Gardens, to scale FOR THE FIRST TIME! We want every Title I school in the communities we serve to have access to Learning Garden programming - this is a game changer.

Community Collaboration - With an emphasis on amplifying parent and community voices, Fit4Kids will be a leader in Children’s wellness advocacy - universal school meals, healthy hydration in schools, and active transportation. And in this pillar we have another audacious goal - every RPS school to have adequate crossing guards! Five years ago they had 5, we have gotten them to nearly 100, and just like with the gardens, we want every busy street near an RPS school to have crossing guard coverage.

Organizational Health - Diversity, inclusion, and equity remain a priority because fostering diversity and a sense of belonging within our board and staff is necessary if we are going to lead culturally responsive programming in our community. We aim to be very thoughtful about what our team looks like, how we support their professional growth, and how we show up as a partner. We also want to increase awareness of Fit4Kids and become a known entity locally.

Fit4Kids empowers teachers and school administrators to lead their own wellness programming by providing free educational resources, including lesson plans, on our website. The organization also connects schools with grant funding to support ongoing program implementation. Fit4Kids is actively engaged in the regular evaluation of its programs to ensure that programming is effective and meets the needs of students, teachers, and other stakeholders.

Fit4Kids has a dedicated staff who work alongside community volunteers to implement health and wellness programming in the greater Richmond region. The organization has the support of the local school divisions in Richmond, Hopewell, Petersburg, Henrico, and Chesterfield to implement its in-school programming. In addition, Fit4Kids has a strong relationship with other nonprofit, education, and community partners in the health and wellness space.

In ten years of operation, Fit4Kids has made tremendous strides towards its goal of reducing the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the greater Richmond region. The organization has transitioned its flagship Wellness Integration program to sustainability in multiple participating schools, and expanded this program to reach new schools throughout Richmond and the surrounding counties. Fit4Kids has added new programs, including Safe Routes to School and the and our policy work.

Going forward, Fit4Kids hopes to expand its programming to reach a greater number of adolescents. Fit4Kids continues to work in partnership with the Greater Richmond Coalition for Healthy Children and the VCU Healthy Lifestyles Center to collect data that will hopefully serve as additional evidence-based support for the organization's programs.