PHQP_0029 Sample Staff Fitness Standards

In episode PHQP_0029 Sample Staff Fitness Standards, Jeff follows up on a promise made in episode 23 to share sample staff fitness standards. Episode Video Watch Now: PHQP_0029 Sample Staff Fitness Standards Episode Notes PHQP_0023 Fit For Care Why American Kids Grow Up Hating Exercise The Sample Staff Fitness Standards Transcript Welcome to the Playvolution HQ podcast. I'm Jeff Johnson. Thanks for pushing play on with the show. So, my dogs Slinky and Gigi are getting old. Slinky was napping today and it was time to go out and I just kind of gave him a little nudge with my foot to wake him up and he just shook like a bowl full of jello and didn't, I thought he passed away during his nap and I was befuddled and I nudged him again and oh hey, hey boss, ready to go? And we got up, but he is filling up with tumors and someday I'm gonna, he's just not gonna be awake from his nap and I'm gonna be heartbroken. Gigi is slowing down too. When we first moved to the beach three years ago, we'd go for five mile walks every morning and then maybe again in the afternoon, we'd put a couple miles in and about a year ago, Slinky just stopped going for the beach. He just goes outside and takes care of his business now and that's about it. Now Gigi's slowing down and why am I throwing that here in the podcast? Because life comes at you fast and you gotta make the most of it and enjoy those moments that are good when you can because sometimes the more savory, less sweet moments come up and that's kind of what I'm going through with my pups now and it kind of breaks my heart knowing that at some point in the probably not too long future for Slinky and the mid-range future for Gigi, it's gonna be the end for them. So that's kind of a depressing way to start the podcast but if you got thoughts about little pets, let me know. On with our one topic for this week. I said I'd come back, episode 23, I think it was, I talked about staff fitness standards and the lack of them and maybe the need for them because it is important to have staff who can keep up with the kids if you want kids to be physically active. And so I said in that episode, I don't wanna rehash that whole episode but I said I'd come back with some sample fitness standards and that's what we're gonna get into this episode. I know I wanna preface this, I talked about this in episode 23 as well. We need to be able to make accommodations in fitness standards because people are differently abled and we want to have those people working in the early learning profession because I think it's good for them and good for the children and good for the culture and civilization as a whole. On the other hand, we need to have enough people on staff who can meet the physical standards, some basic physical standards for health and safety reasons. And so while I throw these sample standards out there, I'm not saying every single person on the staff needs to be able to meet these, but absolutely there need to be enough staff people in the ratio at any time, on the premises at any time, that can handle the physical demands of the job. And beyond that, we make accommodations for people. Let's take a look at these though. So first, I think strength is, one of those standards we need to have. You need to have a certain level of strength before you can successfully work in this profession. There's a lot of lifting, a lot of toting to do, not only of kids, but of equipment. And so I think a reasonable strength standard for the early learning profession is the ability to repeatedly lift and carry up to 40 pounds. That's getting a almost preschooler toddler up on the changing table when you need to. That's moving tires that are out of the playground as loose parts around. That's hefting and hauling the water play table around the playground, those kinds of things. Filling up, carrying a cooler up to the playground for a picnic lunch,