West Richland’s Rosie Gregory has three sons, with the oldest two being pretty active.

But her youngest, Drew, preferred television over physical activity.

“He hasn’t really been an outdoors active-type of kid,” she said.

That changed in October, when Drew got a Sqord, an activity-tracking device for kids.

Think Fitbit, but for grade-schoolers.

The wristwatch device communicates to an app to record how much activity the children complete. Unlike Fitbit, it is not a step counter.

What the device has done is change Drew’s routines.

“I think it is really fun,” said the  Wiley Elementary School fifth-grader. “It kind of gets me to want to exercise more.”

And that is the goal, said Edna Felix, a respiratory care specialist at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland who is also the Kadlec Academy and Sqord facilitator.

“Our goal is also to expand this program,” she said.

Kadlec is in the second year of the Sqord program.

Last year, six Tri-City area elementary schools participated.

“This year, we have 10,” Felix said. “Four in Richland, four in Kennewick and two in Pasco.”

A Sqord costs about $35. But through this program, which typically involves fifth-graders, a child and family who sign up, get the Sqord for free.

“We are able to get a little bit of a discount,” Felix said. “The bigger costs involve getting them to the students.”

Felix said the program began a few years ago in Snohomish County through Providence Health and Services. Now that both Providence and Kadlec are affiliated, it made sense to bring the program to the Tri-Cities.

For the past seven years, Kadlec also has run Kadlec Academy, an after-school program that teaches elementary school-aged children the benefits of being healthy.

The Sqord program was the next step.

“We’re trying to find ways to get our children active,” Felix said. “This is a key time. If you’re overweight in fifth grade, there’s a chance you could be overweight in 10th grade. If they’re not active outside, they can get some bad habits.”

Felix says each classroom is its own team, and that team competes against other schools’ classes.

To promote safety, “we have random user names so each child’s identity is secure,” Felix said.

Felix has been getting some good reviews about the program.

“One group of kids were running around their desks to keep active,” she said. “Others were standing, jogging in place while they talked.”

Felix realizes not all students and their families can afford a computer.

So Kadlec provided an iPad Mini to each school for those who want to track their activity report.

“In the summer, we’ve paired up with the libraries so that kids can check on their progress,” Felix said.

It’s all about keeping kids active.

For the Gregory family, the program has seemed to work.

“I do know it has definitely encouraged my son to definitely be more active,” Rosie Gregory said.

Gregory says her son has asked to walk the dog more.

“And he’ll sleep with it on because he says he moves around a lot in his bed while he sleeps,” she said.

The program has made her and Drew believers.

“I’m really surprised,” his mother said. “I thought (the interest) might fizzle out after a month when he started in October. But he’s still doing it.”

That’s music to Felix’s ears.

“Kadlec and Providence are very committed to improving kids’ health,” Felix said. “We believe that healthy kids equal healthy families, and healthy families equal healthy communities.”

Drew is on his way with that philosophy.

He asked for and received a Simply Fit board for Christmas and looks forward to using it.