Chicago Public School (CPS) elementary students at high risk for obesity and diabetes are dancing, running and jumping their way to better overall health – all while performing better in the classroom.

Since January 2015, at-risk kids in 65 intervention schools (those with above-average obesity rates) have been getting fit with GoNoodle. An innovative classroom technology that pairs learning with movement, GoNoodle provides teachers short, interactive videos and games that give kids bursts of physical activity while challenging them in math, spelling and vocabulary.

CPS students will continue to benefit from GoNoodle in the 2015-2016 school year, thanks to a partnership with IlliniCare Health, a leading Medicaid health plan that recognizes the need for more in-school wellness opportunities in the communities it serves.

IlliniCare will sponsor a year-long subscription to GoNoodle Plus, which allows teachers to log and track students’ physical activity, as well as customize GoNoodle’s content to their curriculum.

Participating teachers are already witnessing a difference in kids, particularly those who do not have access to rec sports leagues, fresh, nutritious food or safe playgrounds and parks – the go-to recommendations for improving kids’ wellbeing.

Thanks to IlliniCare and GoNoodle, these students can now move and groove regularly throughout the school day, building their confidence and improving their overall health.

(From left to right) Tommy Simmons / Citizens for a Better Westside; Scott McQuigg / CEO, Co-founder, GoNoodle; Jeff Joy / President and CEO, IlliniCare Health; Wanda Carey / Principal of Willa Cather Elementary School; Alderman Walter Burnett / Chicago’s 27th Ward; Nedra Jones / Chief of Staff, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt; Tyrone Jet Tucker / President, Jet Petitioners and Community Organizer; Dr. Phalses Binion / President, Westside Ministers’ Conference; Rev./Dr. Christopher Hill, Jr. / Monumental Baptist Church.