USI Teacher Education Partners With BFit By Bob’s To Create Kids Curricula

The University of Southern Indiana recently partnered with BFit By Bob’s (formerly Bob’s Gym) to create a set of curricula and educational content for the BFit Kids program, hosted in the gym’s onsite childcare facilities. The partnership between BFit and USI’s Teacher Education Department, located within the University’s Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, was orchestrated through USI’s Center for Applied Research.  

Dr. Jill Raisor, Chair of USI’s Teacher Education Department and Associate Professor of Education, along with three USI students within the Teacher Education Program, Sarah Barnes ‘22, Gabrielle Birge ‘22 and Kaiti Siedlin ‘22, worked on the project.  

The curricula, more than 200 pages of content designed for children 3 to 8 years old, was created in monthly themes. The team also created layouts and design for the BFit classrooms to best fit the curricula.  

“Participating in the BFit project has helped my career in teacher education,” says Barnes. “I was given the opportunity to practice several skills such as planning quality activities for students of various ages, designing a developmentally appropriate classroom layout, and collaborating with others. I know having practice with these skills has helped set me up for success in my future classroom because they are vital to support my students’ development, growth and learning.”  

Jeremy Secrest, BFit By Bob’s Director of Marketing, says BFit Kids program staff and parents have had high praise for the new curricula. Children love the activities, and they give them an assortment of options to choose from. Parents also take pride in seeing what their children are working on and knowing they are involved with activities that promote development and growth.  

USI’s Center for Applied Research (CAR), an outreach program, helps to connect businesses with University resources, including access to 600 faculty members, four colleges and 70 academic programs. CAR helps individuals, organizations and communities become more successful through product development, market research, organizational strategies, environmental studies and more.