I Am Moving, I Am Learning

I Am Moving, I Am Learning (IM/IL) is a health promotion and obesity prevention program for Head Start programs. It was first launched as a pilot program in 17 Head Start programs in West Virginia, where childhood obesity rates are nearly double the national average. The program aims to (1) increase children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; (2) improve the quality of structure movement activities facilitated by adults; and (3) improve healthy nutrition choices for children. The innovative approach is designed to reinforce the importance of the mind-body connection and the relationship between physical fitness and early learning. In addition, IM/IL provides strategies and resources for infusing quality physical movement and healthy nutrition choices within their familiar curriculum daily classroom routines. A key feature of IM/IL is that it provides implementation flexibility and allows programs to tailor and individualize strategies and activities to meet local program needs. The program requires Head Start teachers to attend a 2 ½ day training, where they participate in interactive workshops and develop strategies for program implementation. The training arms Head Start staff with state-of-the-art resources and best practices for addressing childhood obesity in an intentional and purposeful manner.

The goals of the I Am Moving, I Am Learning program is to prevent childhood obesity by (1) increasing the quantity of time children spend in moderate to vigorous physical activity; (2) improving the quality of structured movement activities in the classroom; and (3) promoting healthy food choices among Head Start children.

I Am Moving, I Am Learning was designed as a research-to-practice initiative and incorporates a variety of best practice guidelines and policies. An extensive implementation evaluation was conducted of the pilot sites. In addition, programs participating in the pilot study have reported back a variety of positive outcomes for children, staff, families and communities during the two and a half year implementation period. Outcomes included a doubling of moderate to vigorous physical activity in participating classrooms; children who were previously sedentary became active, children experienced improvements on the BMI-for-age and gender growth curves, motor centers were established in classrooms, extraordinary increases in parent participation, parents were receptive of physical fitness and nutrition topics at parent meetings, and parents began substituting healthy treats in their children’s lunches instead of candy and sweets.