Rebecca Droke, Post-Gazette Rohit Kancharna, 6, Matthew Secen, 7, and Ryan Allen play ball during recess Thursday afternoon at Poff Elementary School in Hampton.

By Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's all work and no play for kindergartners in the Woodland Hills School District.

Their school day starts at 8:40 a.m. and continues to 3:10 p.m., with no designated break for recess.

"Kindergartners do not have [unstructured] free play," said Maria McCool, public information officer for Woodland Hills, which has three elementary schools. None of the schools offers recess for kindergartners. First-, second- and third-graders get recess at the discretion of the teacher, Ms. McCool said.

With so much emphasis nationwide on passing math and reading tests, some fear recess may become a thing of the past. Currently, up to 8,500 schools nationwide do not have recess.

Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette Dana Bearce with her daughters Evie, 5, and Caroline, 8, at the playground for Pittsburgh Urban Christian School in Wilkinsburg. The Bearces put Caroline in the school in first grade because Woodland Hills only offered recess for about 5 to 10 minutes a day. Caroline is now in second grade and Evie will start kindergarten in the fall. The family is from Forest Hills. Click photo for larger image.

Several state and national organizations have kicked off campaigns to help save recess in light of several studies that suggest free and unstructured playtime is a necessary part of child development, physical fitness and stress management.

But even though schools are free to set their own policies, the lack of recess in Woodland Hills is an exception among local schools.

More commonly, schools in this area allow elementary students to have at least 15 minutes a day for good, old-fashioned playtime.

Christine Munchak, state president of the Pennsylvania PTA based in Scranton, said, "I'm not sure how prevalent it is that recess is being cut back, but it is a concern of many parents that it could become an issue and many PTAs are taking a proactive approach."

A group called Pennsylvania Recess launched its "Rescuing Recess In Pennsylvania" campaign in December urging state legislators to mandate at least two recesses in Pennsylvania schools consisting of at least 15 minutes each, once before lunch and once after lunch.

"We feel that recess should not be taken away as a form of punishment or any other reason unless absolutely necessary," its petition said.

Past efforts to legislate recess have failed.

A state House bill introduced two years ago would have required all school districts to make 30 minutes of recess a mandatory part of the school day, but it quickly died on the House floor.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association lobbied against the recess proposal sponsored by Rep. Jess Stairs, R-Mount Pleasant. Its members were strongly opposed to having recess regulated at the state level.

"Our concern was about cost," said Scott Shewell, spokesman for the PSBA. "If school districts were not already offering recess, it would require adding minutes to the day. It's more difficult than it seems because that would be a collective bargaining decision and it would add costs to the budget."

The school board union estimates the legislation statewide would cost about $47 million in salary alone to add 15 minutes to the school day.

From a health and physical fitness standpoint, Steve Karas, of Forest Hills, wishes his 6-year-old daughter, Ava, were able to have recess at Edgewood Primary School so that physical activity might become a lifelong habit for her and her classmates.

"She has a lot of energy when she gets home, for sure," said Mr. Karas, a physical therapist.

At least two other Woodland Hills parents have opted to send their children to private school or a different school district because they believe recess is important.

Rather than enroll their daughter, Rose Wetzel, at Edgewood Primary when she entered first grade, Amy Brizill and Nathan Wetzel moved out of the Woodland Hills district to Swisshelm Park. Rose now attends Dilworth Traditional Academy in Highland Park.

"It wasn't only because of recess, but for me the recess issue was a red flag," Ms. Brizill said. "If you are going to have kindergartners all day, they need recess. I know it's challenging. Schools are being asked to do a lot of things. But I feel recess is a basic right."

Ms. Brizill is volunteering this year as a lunch/recess coordinator at Dilworth. "It seems like the more they miss recess, the more they misbehave," she said.

Dana Bearce, of Forest Hills, became a member of the American Association For the Child's Right to Play following her clash with administrators at Edgewood Primary.

"I was working on trying to increase the amount of recess offered at Edgewood Primary in 2004," said Mrs. Bearce, whose daughter, Caroline, was attending Wilkins Primary at that time. "They were offering no recess for kindergarten and only five or 10 minutes of recess for first, second and third graders."

Her daughter attended Wilkins Primary for kindergarten because it was the only school in the district that offered a half-day kindergarten program. Caroline would have had to attend Edgewood for first grade because that is the school she was assigned to. They now pay tuition of $4,100 a year at Pittsburgh Urban Christian School.

"I was not able to increase recess," she said. "We ended up sending our child to Pittsburgh Urban Christian School. I felt it would be unfair to put my child in a situation where she would have no outlet. A school without recess was unacceptable."

Jean McAteer, the principal at Edgewood Primary, and Dr. Roslynne Wilson, the district superintendent, declined to comment.

Of about two dozen school districts contacted by the Post-Gazette in Allegheny County, Woodland Hills was the only one that did not have a designated time for recess at its elementary schools. Recess at the other schools lasts from 15 to 30 minutes a day.

Mt. Lebanon School District offers recess for kindergartners through third grade in the morning and the afternoon for 15 minutes apiece. Chartiers Valley School District K-5 students get a 30-minute lunch and then a 30-minute recess. Recess is outside unless rain or a wind chill factor below 32 degrees forces them inside.

Avonworth School District offers 20 minutes of recess prior to lunch so that kids won't try to wolf down their food to rush outside and play.

Recess lasts 25 to 30 minutes a day at all three elementary schools in Hampton School District.

"It gives them a chance to blow off steam," said Dr. Mike Mooney, principal of Poff Elementary in Hampton. "We work them pretty hard the rest of the day in the classroom, and we believe recess helps promote a healthy lifestyle."

Elizabeth Forward School District provides a 20-minute recess for K-5 students. However, the kids are required to either walk or run one lap around a quarter-mile track at the beginning of recess.

"After that, they are free to throw Frisbees, play hopscotch, jump rope, talk to their friends, play kick ball, or basketball outside," said Jane Milner, the public relations officer.

"The reason for the required track exercise is to encourage the students to be lifelong walkers so they'll always know walking is a good way to get exercise."

Pittsburgh Public Schools have not eliminated recess and it's unlikely they will.

The teachers' contract requires a 45-minute lunch break for elementary teachers. And within that 45-minute period, students eat lunch and principals can be creative with what they do with the remainder.

"In Pittsburgh Public Schools, every elementary school student has time for recess," said Dr. Barbara Rudiak, executive director of K-5 schools. "What recess looks like may be different from school to school. They have an opportunity to spend time with their friends and play."

Because it's been tied to the teacher's contract since 1992, there's no discussion about taking recess away.

"Children need to play," Dr. Rudiak said. "Play is children's work. We expect them to be attentive and learn in the classroom. But it's really important they have an opportunity to socialize with their friends, play kickball, jump rope and learn how to negotiate social situations. They need time to have fun."

According to a 2006 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 7 to 13 percent of U.S. elementary school kids never have recess.

That means there's no recess for 4,620 to 8,580 elementary schools -- serving 2.3 million to 4.3 million children in grades 1 through 5.

Recess not only allows pupils to develop social skills outside the classroom, but some of those combatting childhood obesity also are fighting for recess.

The Robert Wood Foundation, the nation's largest health philanthropy, recently announced it will commit $500 million over the next five years to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in the U.S.

"We expect to impact the entire nation, including Pennsylvania," said Dr. Dwayne Proctor, senior program officer for the foundation, based in Princeton, N.J.

"With this announcement, we are letting the world know this is an urgent public crisis and our goal is to improve nutrition and physical education in schools, and we feel recess is very important to keep kids physically active."