Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol levels and sedentary lifestyles among youth is on the rise.  AFPA is dedicated to making fitness a lifelong habit for our youth thru the development of the AFPA Children's Fitness Specialist Certification course, which goes beyond exercise to promote healthy lifestyle choices and appropriate social behavior.

According to the American Diabetes Association, type 2 diabetes is ever more commonly occurring in overweight children. Statistics indicate that as many as 80 percent of youth may be overweight when diagnosed. Adult health risk factors are appearing in kindergarten to age six populations. These medical conditions have become an epidemic and AFPA is leading the fight by providing educational programming to fitness enthusiasts who are eager help our children toward leading a more healthy life!

The AFPA Children's Fitness Specialist Certification course will show you how to get kids fit and gain self confidence too. It's about giving kids the tools, skills and experience so they can lead a physically active life the rest of their life.

AFPA Certified Children's Fitness Specialist provides a multidisciplinary approach to teaching health-related fitness at the elementary school level. This comprehensive Certified Children's Fitness Specialist course helps practitioners build successful programs that will meet the challenging health demands of the 21st century.

As an AFPA Certified Children's Fitness Specialist working for yourself:

• You can create individual programs for children to meet their specific weigh loss or fitness goals!
• Teach children one on one, or in a group setting.
• Open your own Children's Fitness Franchise Business.
• Create your own work schedule.
• You make all the business decisions.
• You can work from home, in a client's home, or at a facility.
• Some AFPA certified trainers have created their own home gym to train children, working their own schedule with no travel time and expense.
• You can further your credentials by obtaining other AFPA Specialty Certifications and increase your earning potential.

Working for others as an AFPA Certified Children's Fitness Specialist:

• You may work at a Kids Fitness Studio or health club and receive a free membership.
• You may receive employee benefits.
• You may work within a preschool, elementary or secondary school teaching fitness programs.
• You may work within the community recreation department.
• The facility may have extensive equipment that you can use with the children to help them obtain their goals.
• You may get bonuses for obtaining new clients, selling memberships, and setting up new kids fitness programs!

Minimum Prerequisites:

• 18 years of age
• Functional knowledge of english and arithmetic
• Personal Trainer Certification or Group Fitness Certification is recommended.

Children’s Fitness Specialist Certification Course Learning Objectives :

• Develop competitive games and activities based on individual’s skill levels.
• Create a safe environment for children exercising in larger groups.
• Examine motivational techniques to encourage children to exercise and be physically active.
• Administer proper strength and endurance training to minimize injury and increase overall performance.
• Construct a plan of action for involving larger groups of children into an organized, safe and fun activity.
• Differentiate between exercises to enhance sports specific skills and those to enhance physical wellness.
• Construct proper workouts for kids based on the sports and activities they participate in or may like.
• Design cardio-vascular programs to improve over-all health while minimizing children’s risk for obesity and cardio-vascular disease.
• Determine strength levels of children with safe tests for further exercise recommendations.

Children's Fitness Specialist Certification Course Topics include the following:

• Foundations of Fitness Education
• Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health
• Health Assessment/Authentic Assessment
• Behavioral Change and Motivational Strategies
• Motivational Strategies
• Teaching Strategies
• The Spectrum of Teaching Style
• Class Structure
• Principles of Health-Related Physical Fitness
• Fitness Education for Children With Physical Disabilities
• Getting Parents and Your Community Involved

Planning and Teaching Fitness Education

• Fitness Education Lessons
• Teaching Health-Related Physical Fitness Concepts
• Strategies for Teaching Fitness Concepts
• Collaborating With the Classroom Teacher
• Health-Related Physical Fitness Classroom Activities
• Developmental Exercises
• Cardiorespiratory Endurance
• Muscular Strength and Muscular Endurance
• Flexibility
• Exercises to Avoid
• Active Games
• Dance and Rhythmic Activities
• Planning Developmentally Appropriate Activities
• School-Wide Event
• Fitness Field Day
• School Health Fair
• Jump Rope for Heart, Hoops for Heart, and Step for Heart
• Holiday Classics

Special features of the Children's Fitness Specialist Certification Course:

• A sample yearly plan and lesson plans
• A sample thematic unit
• 17 learning activities for integrating specific fitness concepts into your classes
• More than 100 developmental exercises, games, and dance and rhythmic activities
• 11 organized events that could be used for studios, community centers & schools
• Reproducible instructional materials
• Sample letters and contracts
• Authentic assessment instruments
• Fitness education portfolio
• Task card samples
• Motivational strategies
• Guidelines for including children with disabilities

Children's Fitness Specialist Certification Course Includes:

• No travel is necessary.
• All materials & examination are sent to you at the same time - 3 Textbooks, 2 DVDs, 1 CD for your computer with reproducible lesson plans, activities and much more!.
• Study Suggestions, study questions and suggested assignments.
• There are no extra or added fees for course materials and examination.
• Upon successful completion and passage your certificate will read "Certified Children's Fitness Specialist ". AFPA does not distinguish between "home study" versus "in person" certificates as both programs are equally evaluated.
• AFPA Membership packet with wallet size laminated member ID card.
• Toll-Free technical support during and after examination, or email AFPA any time.
• Access to the Members Only section on the web with job listings and career enhancement tools
• Updates on new and exciting programs to advance your career.
• AFPA ENews weekly newsletter with updates, event postings and job listings.
• Continuing Education opportunities with courses and AFPA Fitness Education Conferences.
• AFPA offers many fitness specialty and advanced certification programs when you are ready to expand you're your career options in the fitness field.

Requirements for AFPA Children's Fitness Specialist Certification Course:

• Enroll safe and secure online, mail in application or phone in your order.
• Receive and review all your materials.
• Complete the final certification exam which includes 90 short answer open ended questions and a case study.
• You have up to 6 months to complete your Children's Fitness Specialist Certification course. 
• You may submit your exam once completed anytime prior to the 6 months.
• 90% is required to pass your certification exam.

Re-testing:

• You must receive a passing grade of 90% or better to receive certification.
• If you do not meet this minimum requirement you will be mailed/or emailed your results.
• You will be the opportunity to correct your answers within a 90 day time period.
• Students that do not achieve this score are able to retake a final exam within 3 months at no added fee.
• Additional attempts are subject to a $50 administrative fee.

How to Order, Shipping & Handling:

• You may place your order online anytime with VISA, MasterCard, AMEX and Discover.
• AFPA has a secure online system 24 hours a day.
• You will receive confirm via email once your order has been received.
• Your order is processed for shipping within 24 business hours.
• You may place your order by phone with a major credit card by calling 1.800.494.7782, M-F 9:00am-5:00pm EST.
• You may mail check or money order, along with completed Enrollment Application to AFPA.
• Standard shipping is USPS Priority Mail. Please allow 3-5 business days for delivery.
• Optional Shipping is 2 Day FED EX or Next Day FED EX for an additional fee.
• All international orders are shipped Economy Fed EX to insure delivery.
• Select your shipping option upon check out.
• Orders are processed immediately and shipped w/in 24 business hours.