Below is a brief sample of the awards that The SPARK Programs have received over the years:

• SPARK was cited in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report as a “School-based solution to our nation’s health care crisis.”
• SPARK has been validated by the U.S. Department of Education and earned “Exemplary Program” status.
• SPARK has received the “Governor’s Commendation” award for improving the health of California’s youth.
• SPARK earned “Gold” rankings from a Cooper Institute funded study examining effective U.S. activity and health interventions. SPARK was the ONLY program to achieve the highest level for K-8 physical education.
• SPARK was identified by the HSC Foundation as a successful model for combating childhood obesity in their report Fighting Obesity: What Works, What’s Promising
• SPARK was identified by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as a national model for programs designed to increase physical activity and combat childhood obesity in their report School-Based Physical Education: An Action Guide
• SPARK is endorsed in the USDA SNAP-Ed Toolkit for the States as an evidence-based policy and environmental change intervention in school settings.
• SPARK was chosen as a “Selected School-Based Intervention” in the report Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance by the National Academy of Sciences.
• A Child Trends report titled What Works for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity Among Children -Link to URL: highlights SPARK as a program that has proven to increase physical activity among students.
• SPARK was cited as a model program in the report Fostering Physical Activity for Children and Youth: Opportunities for a Lifetime of Health released by the Convergence Partnership, highlighting promising organizational practices and public policies that create environments encouraging youth to be physically active.
• SPARK was identified by the National Cancer Institute as a “School-based physical education intervention” recommended by the Guide to Community Preventive Services
• An Institute of Medicine report titled Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School cites SPARK as a proven solution for increasing the quantity and quality of physical education in school.