Resources for Revisiting Recess Before Lunch

In “Revisiting Recess Before Lunch,” June/July 2018’s “To Your Credit” article, Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, covers a radical scheduling concept that makes a switcheroo in the school day in order to improve learning—among other benefits. Hayes, a school nutrition and social media consultant, knows that plenty of United Stated government agencies and other national organization are in full-support of Recess Before Lunch, and even list it as a best practice. In this Bonus Web Content, SN provides you with links to those government organizations; there you’ll find detailed information and resources for implementing this scheduling concept.

In addition, SN has included a bibliography of recent research to help facilitate your understanding of this program-altering, child-serving initiative.

National Support

A long list of U.S. governmental agencies and other national organizations support Recess Before Lunch as a best practice. The ones listed below provide detailed information and resources for implementing RBL:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Recess
• US Department of Agriculture (USDA): Food Waste Challenge K-12
• Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK): Recess Before Lunch
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG): Recess
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): The Crucial Role of Recess in School
• Institute for Child Nutrition (ICN): RBL Best Practice Checklist
• Play works: Recess Before Lunch
• Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE): Guide for Recess Policy

Bibliography

The following research articles have been published since the previous version of the Montana Recess Before Lunch Guide.

• Cohen JFW, Smit LA, Parker E, et al. Long-term impact of a chef on school lunch consumption: Findings from a 2-year pilot study in Boston middle schools. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112(6):927-933.
• Hunsberger M, McGinnis P, Smith J, et al. Elementary school children’s recess schedule and dietary intake at lunch: A community based participatory research partnership pilot study. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1):156.
• Fenton K, Rosen NJ, Wakimoto P, Patterson T, Goldstein LH, Ritchie LD. Eat lunch first or play first? Inconsistent associations with fruit and vegetable consumption in elementary school. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115(4):585-592.
• The University of Washington School of Public Health. Lunch time at school. How Much is enough? An assessment of school lunch seat-time in Seattle public schools. http://depts.washington.edu/nutr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Time-For-Lunch-FINALNUTR531-winter2015-1.pdfPublished March 2015. Accessed September 30, 2017.
• Strohbehn CH, Strohbehn GW, Lanningham-Foster L, Litchfield RA, Scheidel C, Delger P. Impacts of scheduling recess before lunch in elementary schools: A case study approach of plate waste and perceived behaviors. J Child Nutr Manag. 2016;40(1):1-13.
• Chapman LE, Cohen JFW, Canterberry M, Carton TW. Factors Associated with School Lunch Consumption: Reverse Recess and School “Brunch”. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2017 Sep;117(9):1413-1418.

Other Resources

• Read more in the 2017 Strategies for Recess Success.
• Read more about Creating Comfortable Cafeterias on Team Nutrition website.