We've restored a daily 20 minute unstructured recess period for over 1 million public elementary school students in the State of Florida!
Bring Back Daily Recess! (Polk County)
Welcome, All.
WE DID IT! Thank you for partnering with us to achieve our mission of guaranteeing 20 consecutive minutes of daily unstructured, free-play recess for elementary school children attending traditional public schools throughout the State of Florida!
Recess is a critical component of healthy child development. The benefits include but are not limited to:
- Lifelong skills acquired for communication, negotiation, cooperation, sharing, problem solving, and coping are not only foundations for healthy development - but more predictive of future success than any other measure.
- Optimizes social, psychological, emotional, physical and cognitive development.
- Maximizes learning effectiveness and retention.
- Improvements in classroom behavior, memory and attention.
Recess as part of the school day is well researched and supported by leading national organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education, the National Wildlife Federation, the National PTA and the Florida PTA, the Florida Education Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Recess is also supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.
The evidence is indisputable: Recess Matters!
Moving Forward.
- Please visit our bill page for information on the recess mandate.
- Join your school’s PTA! Before we were Recess Moms, we were PTA Moms – and we still are! Our school, county, and state PTA groups have been behind us all the way. From spreading the word about petitions to local units, to providing the bus ride for our very first trip to Tallahassee, to advising us on how to reach out to our legislators, to connecting us with other organizations that would help provide the resources and encouragement we would need to see this dream come to fruition, PTA has been instrumental and we could not have done this without their support and guidance.
- Search below for a link to the Facebook group started by recess advocates in your county. There’s a good chance the group has moved on to another important issue, and they’ll need your help. Some of these issues include: less testing, healthier food and drink options in cafeterias, modifying school start times, nursing shortages, etc. There is much work to be done, and we encourage you to stay involved. Recess was never intended to be a starting point. This was one change we could make NOW to improve the lives of our kids while we work on the tougher stuff. We have always been well aware of the many reasons WHY recess time dwindled or disappeared in our state, and we are committed to continuing to advocate for change in that regard.
County FB Pages :