The Cooper Institute® Partners With US Games To Improve The Health Of Children Nationwide

DALLAS, March 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlighting its commitment to combating increased rates of physical inactivity and childhood obesity, The Cooper Institute has signed a new strategic partnership agreement with US Games, a leader in physical education equipment and programming, under which US Games will serve as the exclusive provider of FitnessGram® to schools and districts throughout the country. 

FitnessGram, created by The Cooper Institute in 1982, is the national health-related fitness assessment tool adopted by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program and is the most widely used children's fitness assessment in the world. It serves as a student-centered assessment, reporting, and educational tool used to promote children's health-related fitness and activity levels.

Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, Founder of The Cooper Institute stated, "There is a direct correlation between a student's physical fitness and school performance, and we are proud to build on our existing relationship with US Games to keep students active and healthy. US Games' existing and far-reaching partnerships with schools across the country will help ensure FitnessGram reaches as many kids as possible with a quantum leap in adoption and awareness of this vital assessment tool."  

Kurt Hagen, Executive Vice President for US Games added, "We've seen firsthand the power of The Cooper Institute's youth fitness programs to transform lives and school communities. FitnessGram is an essential part of this mission, and we are delighted to partner with The Institute to support FitnessGram while investing in new and innovative means of expanding its presence to schools throughout the country."

As part of a comprehensive and far-reaching commitment to improving the physical education and fitness of school-age children, US Games also recently announced the launch of OPEN, the Online Physical Education Network, which is based on the basic premise that every child deserves effective physical education. US Games has committed to providing the OPEN curriculum free of charge to all school districts throughout the country. For more information about OPEN, please visit http://openphysed.org/.

About The Cooper Institute

Celebrating its 45^th anniversary, The Cooper Institute is a nonprofit preventive medicine organization dedicated globally to health and fitness research and education. Founded by Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, The Cooper Institute translates the latest scientific findings into proactive solutions that improve global health. Key areas of focus are research, adult education, and youth programs. Through these initiatives, The Cooper Institute helps people lead better, longer lives now and Well. Into the Future. For more information, visit CooperInstitute.org.

About US Games

US Games offers an online store and catalogs including roughly 300 pages of fun-filled physical education products designed for primary and physical education programs. With a focus on early childhood development, physical activity, and health, this division offers virtually every product and service needed to outfit today's elementary or middle school. US Games also offers an array of educational services, including national workshops and evidence-based curriculum for physical educators.

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SOURCE US Games