Recess for All!

POWER-PAC’s Recess for All! Campaign is aimed at reinstating recess for all Chicago elementary school students across the city.

The campaign grew out of POWER-PAC’s work on school discipline through the Elementary Justice Campaign.  As parents examined the root causes of discipline problems in schools, they were shocked to learn that 82% of all Chicago public school children do NOT have recess. Teachers, students, youth workers and families alike share stories of children filled with pent-up energy who acted out in class because they have so little time for breaks and so much pressure to perform.

POWER-PAC leaders launched the Recess for All! Campaign believing that recess improves the children’s behavior in class and helps students to develop socially, emotionally, and academically.   As the campaign developed, the families also began to look at the health and physical fitness aspects of recess – leading to an alliance with groups fighting the epidemic of childhood obesity.

POWER-PAC’s campaign has gained extensive media coverage and been endorsed by more than 50 citywide leaders and organizations. The campaign has been successful in getting recess reinstated at several local schools, and currently the organization is working with legislators to pass a bill to mandate a minimum of 10-minutes of recess in all Chicago Public Schools.