Helping all children get 60 minutes of physical activity every day

Experts recommend at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity for children. Physical activity provides important benefits for children, such as reducing the risk of obesity, building strong bones and muscles, and improving academic performance. Research has found a benefit of more than $32 for every $1 invested in school-based physical activity and physical education (PE) programs, such as reduced healthcare costs and increased labor participation. Despite these findings, there are no federal requirements for school-based PE or physical activity and few states require a minimum weekly amount of time spent in PE or physical activity.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which authorizes federal education programs, promotes school-based PE and physical activity in multiple ways, such as expanding the federal definition of a well-rounded education to include physical education; allowing federal funds to train classroom teachers and other school personnel on how to incorporate physical activity breaks into the classroom; permitting the integration of PE-related measures into their state report cards; and requiring that PE or physical activity programs be used as indicators of school quality in school accountability plans.

In addition to ESSA, the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages schools to help students get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, while Physical Activity Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provide guidance for policymakers and health professionals on the types of physical activity with the most health benefits.