Fit for a Kid provides mobile exercise and nutrition programs at preschools, private institutions and child-care facilities throughout the Los Angeles area. Launching in July 2011, it will offer weekly sessions as well as educational and physiological education to children.

HOW MENTORING WILL HELP: “Through the 100 Urban Entrepreneurs mentoring program, I hope to obtain sensible advice about avoiding the common mistakes and obstacles that many new entrepreneurs face before becoming successful,” Fit for a Kid founder Naima Woodson says. “I also believe this opportunity will provide a personal support system and open new doors to network and grow with other entrepreneurs.”

HOW $10,000 WILL HELP: “The grant will provide a solid foundation,” says founder Naima Woodson. “Aside from trademarking fees, legal expenses and insurance, the funds will enable us to execute a solid marketing campaign. We’ll also be able to purchase the equipment necessary to operate the classes.”

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THE SORRY STATE of American children’s health has become, by now, something close to a national crisis, with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems evident even, in some cases, in very young children — and rates are higher among minority kids.

Aiming to ameliorate those troubles while instilling in children a lifelong love of good nutrition and physical fitness is Naima Woodson, 34. Fit for a Kid brings a range of exercise and nutrition programs to preschools, private institutions and child-care facilities throughout the L.A. area for “concerned educators and parents seeking to engage their children in meaningful physical activities,” as Woodson puts it.

Fit for a Kid will offer one 45-minute session per week, covering such topics as gross motor skills, good nutrition and basic physiology. “For reinforcement in the classroom and at home, educators and parents will be provided a weekly newsletter outlining the topics covered,” Woodson says. “Unlike formal extracurricular sports and children’s gyms, Fit for a Kid benefits parents with the convenience of having their child participate in our program while they’re at school.”

Those schools, meanwhile, can incorporate the topics covered by Fit for a Kid into their daily curriculum, giving the good-health message extra resonance in impressionable young minds. It’s an important cause — not to mention, you might say, a healthy business model as well. •