SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Standing desks have become more popular in the workforce as employees choose to work on their feet. Classrooms may also adapt and integrate standing desk into school classrooms.
Vallecito Elementary School in San Rafael, California, will be the first in the country to have standing desks in almost every classroom.
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Juliet Starett, founder of the program at Vallecito, wants to motivate students to move throughout the day, and it starts with standing desks, she said.
"It burns off a lot of my energy, so I can concentrate without wiggling in the chairs," said a student at Vallecito Elementary when asked how the standing desk help with focusing.
Nineteen out of 22 classrooms at Vallecito have standing desks. The last three are expected to convert by the end of the school year.
Studies show allowing children to move during the day can increase grades by 15 percent and help students burn 25 percent more calories.
"You increase your muscle tone in your legs, there seems to be an improvement in actually circulation and arterial function, and, of course, expending a few calories extra every hour can lead to big changes," said Dr. Steven Mittleman, of the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles
The conversion could cost up to $6,000 per classroom.
Starett has started "Stand-up Kids," an organization working with corporate and individual donors to raise money for the conversion process.
"Our mission is to get every kid in public school standing in 10 years," Starett said.