Physical activity is an important component of The School District of Palm Beach County’s Department of Afterschool Programming. In fact, Afterschool Programs offer a minimum of thirty minutes up to an hour of physical play as part of their daily rotation schedule. Afterschool site directors work in collaboration with the school’s Physical Education teacher to ensure that all students participate in age appropriate activities using age appropriate equipment. All afterschool site staff is required to have a playground safety training at least once annually. This can be done either through the Afterschool Site Director or the Department of Risk & Benefits Management.

• default_titleSPARK PE Afterschool Premiere Training - In continuing alignment with the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant awarded to The School District Palm Beach County this school year, the Department of Afterschool Programming hosted a SPARK PE Afterschool Premiere training on August 13-14, 2012 at Westgate Recreational Center. Thirty afterschool site directors, assistant directors, and activity leaders attended a two-day physically active workshop in which they were provided with:
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• default_titleOrganizational, management, and instructional techniques to teach active physical education
• default_titleInstruction on how to develop, maintain, and increase student health and physical fitness
• default_titleInstruction on how to improve fundamental movement and sports skills
• default_titleInstruction on how to motivate children/adolescents to become active outside of school
• default_titleTechniques that encourage students to commit to a lifetime of health and physical fitness
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  Afterschool Physical Games - The Afterschool Physical Games training was designed to teach afterschool site staff the policies and procedures for physical activities in an afterschool setting. This hands-on training provides staff with strategies for incorporating physical activities that are easy to implement, provide inclusion, and are fun and age appropriate for students. Emphasis is placed on keeping students active for the entire period designated for physical play. 90 staff participated in the six trainings offered during the 2012-2013 school year.

• default_titlePlayground Safety - The Department of Risk & Benefits Management provided five Playground Safety trainings for 230 afterschool employees throughout the 2012-2013 school year. This training reviews measures for keeping students safe during outdoor activities as well as discussing the new procedures for reporting accidents.
• default_titleUnited States Tennis Association (USTA) - Training is provided to afterschool site directors and staff by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) several times per year to ensure that at least one staff member per site is trained in the implementation of a tennis program. In the 2012-2013 school year, approximately 134 afterschool staff participated in this training. Upon completion of the training, participants were given a playbook filled with tennis activities requiring little equipment and no courts – allowing tennis to be played anywhere with minimal instruction.
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Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is a research-based, academic enrichment curriculum developed by Instructional Specialists, and supported by The School District of Palm Beach County. STEM was established to support and enrich science and math benchmarks taught during the regular school day in grades kindergarten through five while introducing students to the fields of technology and engineering. The STEM initiative utilizes the inquiry-based 5E Learning Cycle allowing students to engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate topics using manipulatives in a hands-on, cooperative learning environment. 39 Afterschool Programs in The School District Palm Beach County participated in STEM during the 2012-2013 school year. These programs were given the opportunity to explore topics that encouraged a STEM approach to age appropriate physical activities, including:

• Human Body by Marc GaveA one week study in which students learned about different parts of the human body and how exercise promotes healthy living.
• Plants We Use by Judith HodgeA one week study in which students learned about a variety of plants and how they contribute to the production of clean air as well as being ingredients in some medicines.
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In the 2008-2009 school year, 94 Palm Beach County School District Afterschool Programs received equipment and Quickstart Tennis curriculum from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to initiate a USTA Florida Afterschool Tennis Program at their sites. Training by the USTA was provided to all afterschool staff. In the 2009-2010 school year, 20 sites actively participated in the program, either as clubs or as part of their regular physical activity rotation schedules. The number of participating sites increased to 37 during the 2010-2011 school year. In a survey conducted by the Department of Afterschool Programming, 22 afterschool site directors responded that they continued to use the tennis equipment as part of their regular physical activity rotation schedules. With the introduction of the USTA Kids Tennis Club in 2012, the number of afterschool sites implementing a tennis club in their programs is expected to increase. The Kids Tennis Clubs are designed to provide a sample of tennis to students through structured, supervised play.

To support increased physical activity for children and adults in afterschool and to support the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant implemented in the regular school day, the Department of Afterschool Programming sent a representative to San Diego, California, in June 2013 to become a certified SPARK instructor. This will allow the department to support SPARK curriculum implementation throughout the 96 elementary afterschool programs in the District as well as all fifteen 21st CCLC sites.