Our mission is to improve the lives of under resourced youth by increasing access and opportunities to sports in their schools.
THE PROBLEM
Only 5% of youth ages 5-18 reported meeting the federally recommended amount of exercise of 60 minutes per day, 70% of youth stop playing sports by 13 years old (girls are twice as likely than boys to drop out of youth sports by the age of 14), and household wealth is a primary driver of kids athletic participation. Compared to their peers whose families make more than $100,000, youth ages 6-12 whose family income is under $25,000 are nearly three times as likely to be inactive.
Participation in school-based athletics has many short and long term benefits for student-athletes. Unfortunately, not all students have access to play and not all schools have adequate equipment and apparel. The reality is black and brown schools and communities are undeniably impacted more than affluent white schools and communities, and are likely to experience longer term health disparities due to the lack of adequate access to resources such as health care, food, and even athletics.
OUR SOLUTION
School-based athletics is one of many solutions that support students. Sports In Schools believes our role is to support schools and communities to ensure ALL students have equitable access to play and schools have equitable access to quality equipment and apparel, so that student-athletes can experience the benefits that come with participating in school-based athletics. We support low-income, under resourced middle and high school-based athletic programs mostly in King and Pierce Counties in Washington State. By supporting these school communities, we’re not only advancing our mission to increase access to opportunities by increasing access to sports in schools, but we are participating in creating healthy students and encouraging healthy lifestyles that will go beyond the classroom, field, court, mat, or track. To achieve our mission, we offer:
Equipment, apparel, and financial resources for new or existing school sports and student-athletes year round
Annual Middle School Tennis Program
Annual 3-day, 2-night High School Girls Leadership Camp
Annual 1-day High School Girls Leadership Summit
Just Athlete Scholarship Program
OUR IMPACT
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$1,200,000+ = The amount of resources SIS put into school-based athletics since 2009
10,000+ = The number of student-athletes impacted since 2009
Apply for your school’s athletic program today or make a request as an individual athlete!
Short-term benefits of school-based athletics
Improved Attendance
Improved Academic Performance
Improved On-Time Graduation Rates, and more likely to attend and graduate college
Improved Social-Emotional, Mental and Physical Health
Long-term benefits of school-based athletics
Student-athletes experience 7-8% higher annual earnings than non-athletes
94% of women executives played youth sports
77% of active adults 30+ years of age played youth sports (which leads to lower long-term health costs)
Getting people active could save the U.S. $28 billion in health costs
Sources: The Aspen Institute Project Play, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), USA Today
