PITTSBURGH – The debut Jump with Jill Digital Tour ran from April 26 to June 10, 2021, in 48 Pennsylvania and Texas schools. The pilot was supported by the National Watermelon Promotion Board, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Hess Brothers Fruit Company.
Armed with catchy songs, upbeat dance moves and a hip wardrobe, the world’s only rock & roll nutrition program, Jump with Jill, uses the same tools normally used to sell junk food and inactivity to empower kids to make healthy choices. Jump with Jill is the brainchild of Registered Dietitian and musician, Jill Jayne, MS, RD who specializes in making learning about nutrition an engaging and entertaining educational experience.
Since its inception in 2008, over 1.3 million kids have enjoyed Jump with Jill’s unmatchable rock & roll nutrition show. In the previous live tour model, students would attend an in-school assembly to dance and sing behaviorally-focused songs that get kids excited about healthy foods and exercise. The Jump with Jill touring cast brought all the technical production to convert spaces used for gym class into a performance venue for large, enthusiastic audiences. When this was no longer an option, the Jump with Jill team underwent an innovative pandemic pivot, utilizing skills in video production and content creation to reimagine the signature nutrition education show for the screen.
In the spring of 2021, an exclusive virtual portal welcomed 509 highly engaged educators who spent 1,027 collective hours over six weeks with unlimited access to:
- A 50-minute recording of Jump with Jill: THE MOVIE!;
- A treasure trove of shorter follow-up content;
- Standards-matched lesson plans;
- Emails with tips on how to integrate messages into the classroom; and
- And for Pennsylvania schools, a mailer of physical materials to the school contact and an Apple Party!
This impactful pandemic programming reached 23,059 students and was mainly implemented asynchronously in PE classes and individual classrooms. As expected, The Movie! was the most utilized tool. Testimonials from educators praised the quick creativity of the Jump with Jill team to respond to the new learning environment.
This impactful pandemic programming reached 23,059 students and was mainly implemented in PE classes and individual classrooms. Testimonials from educators praised the responsiveness of the Jump with Jill team to adapt to the new learning environment. Exit survey data shows that Jump with Jill attracts highly engaged educators and continues to motivate teachers to incorporate nutrition and movement into the classroom. Metrics on the digital platform demonstrated high use of coaching emails and follow-up materials.
In conclusion, the digital adaptation of Jump with Jill:
- Empowered school leaders to asynchronously implement an effective movement-based nutrition program;
- Increased engagement with follow-up content;
- Expanded accessibility for a wider range of locations, abilities, and teaching environments; and
- Enabled real-time adjustments to the program based on user behavior.
About Jump with Jill
As a leader in interactive educational experiences since 2008, the music-based nutrition education program, Jump with Jill, makes healthy rock. Created by a singing Registered Dietitian & her band of extraordinary educators, Jump with Jill’s memorable anthems celebrate the power of healthy eating and exercise. The evidence-based content of this award-winning production company has melted the faces of millions of kids around the world. Dare you not to move at www.jumpwithjill.com.
