Associations Between School-Based Recess Interventions and Student Chronic Absenteeism in Low-Income California Schools

Background: Recess-based interventions promote physical activity, socioemotional development, and positive school climates and may also influence attendance, but remain understudied. We examined the association between exposure to recess-based interventions through the nonprofit Playworks and chronic absenteeism in low-income California elementary schools.

Source

Journal of School Health

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In 2025, UC Berkeley published a study on the relationship between Playworks programming and chronic absence rates at Title I schools during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. Results showed that schools with Playworks programming had lower chronic absence rates than schools without Playworks programming. These lower rates were statistically significant, even after accounting for characteristics like school size, enrolled students’ family income, and race/ethnicity.

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Associations Between School-Based Recess Interventions and Student Chronic Absenteeism in Low-Income California Schools

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Resource Link

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