Written by: Abby de Riel

From daily fitness breaks to a Coaches Summit, the 2023–24 school year showed us the strength and breadth of Coach for Kids. The pilot year of our new Coach program brought our Let Kids Play spirit to 27 public schools and over 100 Physical Education teachers in partnership with the training company Exos and NYC Public School’s Office of School Wellness Programs (OSWP). 

In the school year 2023-24, WITS Coaches engaged 9,850 students in daily fitness breaks. Students got to experience a multitude of fun movements from jumping jack competitions to starfish breathing mindfulness moments. We hosted over a dozen school-wide events to engage students,  teachers, and parents in movement. As a team, we led professional development workshops for school recess aides, staff, and PE teachers district-wide so that the adults in the school buildings were excited to model healthy habits and movement techniques for all of the children. The response to programming has been so extraordinary that we will expand by four WITS Coaches for the upcoming school year, so students will have a consistent (weekly) role model to provide in-person movement breaks, manage live virtual breaks, offer professional development and school events in all Coach for Kids schools. 

Beyond the numbers, it’s the connections our WITS Coaches have with their students and school communities that have made this year so special. Below, we share some of those special moments and extend our gratitude to those making wellness and movement a priority in their school environment. 

The PS 160 Queens community has led the pack of our 27 Flagship schools, having had the most classrooms sign on for daily fitness breaks throughout the entire school year. The enthusiasm for fitness is apparent in every student and teacher in the school building. At this June’s WITS Play Day event, students from the classroom with the highest attendance to movement breaks, proudly wore their Coach T-shirts to look just like our WITS Coaches, stopping briefly for a photo before running onto their next fitness activity. 

In her first year as a WITS Coach, Kit Greenberg has been an adored role model for hundreds of students. This classroom of students in PS 311 Lucero Elementary is one of her favorites and lights up when she walks into the door, ready for a movement break. Here, they are learning to balance: stand on one foot and make arm circles at the same time. It’s easier to practice when done in a fun and positive environment and surrounded by lots of giggles. 

The smiles never end when you’re with a group of kindergartners. In our first year at Samara Community School, WITS Coach Errol Jones has built up students’ confidence week after week, starting with movement breaks in classrooms and culminating in a spring WITS Play Day. Before this classroom of six-year-olds danced around the auditorium in a Zumba class, Coach Errol captured their attention to remind everyone to be safe and have fun! 

A WITS Family Fitness Fun Night event provides students and their families an opportunity to participate in fitness activities and then eat a complimentary meal together. The PS 63M community moved with our WITS Coaches in the gymnasium and then traveled to the cafeteria for hydration and a nourishing dinner. Our WITS Coaches and WITS Chefs partner together to support the school’s wellness environment during the school day, so a Family Fitness Fun Night is the perfect opportunity to come together in the evening and celebrate their collective work. 

If there is a school community that enjoys Zumba the most, it might just be PS 70 in the Bronx. On a very rainy evening, students and their families made the most of their time indoors and let their energy run wild in a Zumba class. From the littlest to the oldest, everyone was up and moving to the music. WITS Coaches encourage students to move outside of school, too, when they are at home with their families and friends. The memories from this night will last a lifetime!