The right to recess

By Noelle E. C. Evans,

Published May 23, 2025 at 2:27 PM EDT

Three smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman back left has long curly red hair and is wearing a multi-colored shirt; a man back center has short brown hair and a brown mustache and beard and is wearing a grey sweater; a woman at right has long brown hair and is wearing glasses, a grey dress, and a grey blazer — Sharon Peck and Mike Bulger with guest host Noelle Evans on "Connections" on Friday, May 23, 2025

A smiling woman with chest-length brown hair smiles. She is wearing a black top. — Noelle Evans

Local advocates with the Healthi Kids Coalition and Common Ground Health recently traveled to Albany to support a state bill that would study and expand access to daily recess.

While Rochester schools require 20 minutes of recess for K–6 students, enforcement varies — and access to play is often shaped by race, income, and neighborhood. Experts and families say 20 minutes isn't enough, and that playful learning should extend from pre-K through 12th grade.

With the pandemic underscoring the need for movement and connection, guest host Noelle Evans asks: why is recess essential, and how can schools make it more equitable and effective?

Our guests:

Mike Bulger, director of Whole Child Health Advocacy with the Healthi Kids Coalition
Sharon Peck, parent advocate and associate professor of literacy at SUNY Geneseo