Welcome to Happy Outdoor Families, the podcast that encourages and equips families to spend more time exploring and playing together outside. Today I'm excited to talk all about recess advocacy, and Summer Belloni is the perfect person for this conversation! As a credentialed teacher, she has experience teaching in both public and private schools. On the parenting side, when her own children entered school, Summer served on a district level student health advisory council where she began to really understand the importance of recess. She began to advocate locally for district policy, and went on to start Texans for Recess, an organization that advocates for recess policy on the state level. Continuing her passion for school and learning, summer is currently finishing coursework and assessments for her preliminary administrative credential and a master’s degree in education focusing on administrative leadership. Her current research focuses on teacher perception of recess, and Summer also serves on the board of the International Play Association, USA as their recess chair. Most importantly, she is raising two children who love to play outside as much as possible. I am excited for you to hear more of Summer’s story and her wisdom on recess advocacy.

Some resources mentioned in the show and places for further learning:

The LIINK project: https://liinkproject.tcu.edu/

IPA USA: https://ipausa.org/

Texans for Recess group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1879894452038819

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