The day before school started this year at Hillsdale Elementary in North Highlands, Jill Rogers learned her children's morning and afternoon recesses would be cut from 15 to 10 minutes. Their noon break for lunch and recess would drop from 45 minutes to 30.

Rogers pictured her 10-year-old daughter, Nicole, and 8-year-old son, Jared – and several hundred other boys and girls – all trying to jam into the restrooms or get through the lunch lines so they could get out on the playground, only to hear the bell ring a few minutes later.

"It seems like they're taking their childhood away," Rogers said. "Kids need time for fun. If anything, they need longer recesses, not shorter."

Rogers' concerns echo those of other parents and teachers in the Twin Rivers Unified School District. Earlier this summer, the district decided to build 25 to 30 more minutes of teaching time into the school day in elementary schools.

The change was hailed by many as a productive move that would help raise student achievement.

But in some schools it came at a price that parents and teachers believe is too high: a loss of recess time.

It was not an unusual trade-off.

Across the country, schools have been under pressure from the federal No Child Left Behind program to improve academic performance. A number of schools have dipped into recess to come up with extra instructional minutes.

According to survey data released in February by the Center on Education Policy in Washington, D.C., recess was reduced by 20 percent of districts that reported altering the amount of time they spent on various subjects between 2001 and 2007. During the same time, 58 percent of those districts increased time spent on English and language arts, and 45 percent devoted more time to math.

The goals of No Child Left Behind were squarely behind the Twin Rivers decision, officials said. Too many kids were behind in their skills, and something had to change.

Twin Rivers is a new district, formed July 1 when four smaller districts merged. Because different schools had different schedules, the changes varied from place to place. Some extended the school day. Some shaved minutes from lunch. The bulk of the time, however, came from a part of the day that both children and adults often refer to as their "favorite subject."

The scheduling decisions made for a tough balancing act, said Ken Gammelgard, principal of Hillsdale Elementary.

"Children need recess, but they also need the extra instructional time," he said.

The loss of recess minutes has generated consternation in communities across the country. In 2006, the National PTA and the Cartoon Network launched a campaign called "Rescuing Recess" to raise awareness about the need for children to have adequate time to play, exercise and relax during the school day.

This Thursday, two other national education groups – the National School Boards Association and the Center for Public Education – will tackle the issue in an audio conference. Their message will carry a more positive tone.

The two groups' research has found that although schools, particularly those in urban areas, have been under pressure to devote more time to instruction, most have managed to preserve recess. Their review of national data shows that the vast majority of schools schedule regular recesses, most daily. For example, 93 percent of schools provide recess to first-graders, 91 percent to fourth-graders, and 87 percent to sixth-graders. On average, children receive 24 to 30 minutes of recess a day, depending on the grade.

Making sure students have time to socialize and play during the school day is critical to their overall growth and well-being, said Fran Cleland, professor of kinesiology at West Chester University in Pennsylvania and president of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Recess provides time for boys and girls to engage in physical activity, enjoy movement, engage in play-acting and fantasies, and learn to cooperate and problem-solve with others.

"Play is really important in their development," Cleland said.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends children receive at least one recess of at least 20 minutes every day. The association, along with other national health experts, recommend children participate every day in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

About one-third of children are overweight, and sedentary lifestyles have become the norm in many homes, said Craig Buschner, professor of kinesiology at California State University, Chico, and the past president of the National Sport and Physical Education Association.

Daily recesses, along with well-taught physical education classes in schools, can go a long way toward developing healthier children, he said.

Buschner said 10-minute recesses barely give children time to gather their jump ropes, start a game or break a sweat. "Ten minutes is really short," he said, noting that a single 20-minute recess would be preferable.

Danny Price, a fifth-grade teacher at Dry Creek Elementary School in the Twin Rivers district, sees it first-hand every day. "Most kids probably have three to five minutes to play," he said.

Teachers also are struggling with the shorter breaks, Price said. By the time they escort children to the cafeteria or playground, they often don't have enough time to eat lunch, make calls to parents or run copies for classroom needs.

In the Sacramento area, recess times vary widely. Some districts have one each day, some two. The Sacramento City, San Juan and Elk Grove districts all have at least some schools with 10-minute recesses, though slightly longer ones may be found at other points in the day.

In the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, most schools offer 20-minute recesses in the mornings, and 35- to 40-minute noon breaks for lunch and recess.

Call The Bee's Deb Kollars, (916) 321-1090.