AG, ABC, & REP

At P.S. 63, the school featured in this ABC Channel 7 News story, Asphalt Green's Recess Enhancement Program has helped improve classroom behavior and the quality of homework. The program has also reduced bullying by 60 percent.

 Visit ABC 7online.com to view Video: Recess as a learning tool

Recess Enhancement Program (REP)

Ask any child what his or her favorite part of the school day is and almost unanimously the response is, "Recess!" Safe, active play is essential to a child's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth processes. In spite of this, increased testing, budget cuts and other challenges have left less time for children to play and be active during the school day. This trend has no doubt contributed to the fact that nearly half of the city's 1.1 million school children are overweight. To address this problem and reclaim what has become an under-valued time of the day, Asphalt Green has developed the Recess Enhancement Program (REP).

REP transforms the culture of recess in New York City public schools by engaging students and staff in a variety of cooperative games. The program creates a safe environment where children can have fun and be physically active while maintaining a sense of independence and ownership of the recess period. In addition to physical benefits, REP also helps children develop leadership and social skills by empowering them to lead and teach games to their peers. The end result is an educated community of students who utilize the entire recess period to play games they love that keep them physically active and safe on the playground.

Begun in 2001, REP now operates in 35 public elementary schools throughout New York City, directly reaching over 10,000 children. Participating schools are also offered training and workshops for their recess personnel.

To find out how your school can participate, please contact David Ludwig, Director of Community Programs, at 646-981-2243 or Dludwig@asphaltgreen.org.

To support REP and get more children active during the school day, click here to make a donation.

A copy of Asphalt Green’s latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from Asphalt Green or from the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.