Leave your mark!

News of Recess' Potrero Hill location's closure has been met with notes of appreciation, gratitude and a bit of sadness.  We are slated to open our new location later this fall, but need your support to get it up and running.  

“As much fun as my kids had, you saved me when I was at my lowest... you gave me a place to see other parents (aka adults), a place I knew my kids would have fun and be safe, and a community which helped pull me through PPD, even if they didn’t know it. I wish you all the best in your next endeavor and look forward to hearing all about it. Thank you for being part of my SF village!!!”

— CG

We have secured a long term lease, and have the benefit of ten years of experience necessary to create build a sustainable community for families in San Francisco.  In order to become operational, we need to raise $20,000...and we have a long way to go.

Over the past 10 years, we've served over 12,000 families.  We've hosted parties, provided a safe space to play for infants, toddlers & preschoolers, donated monthly visits to Nurse Family Partnership to give first time at risk mothers an opportunity to meet up & play for the past 2 years, we've partnered with Our Family Coalition to provide respite services to LGBQT parents and worked with countless other small businesses and nonprofit organizations to make San Francisco a better place to raise children, get support from other parents and caregivers and lighten the load for families with young children.  

“Without the infallible and incredible support of your staff and facilities, I would have never ever made it through my daughter’s infant stage. You affected this first time mom’s life in a way that could never be measured. Thank you and we look forward to Recess Collective.”

— MM

This kind of center must continue exist for the wellbeing of new moms, for the sanity of those caring for and raising young children and for the health of our society.  We do not want a lack of funds to stop us, but the financial realities have set in and we need to ask for support in order to move forward.  

Leave your mark

Please consider purchasing a founding community tile which will be proudly displayed in the lobby of Recess Collective.  Tiles range from $75 to $500.  We'd love to be able to see your name, your child's art work, or a note on there from you every day. 

View fullsize

If you can donate $10 or $100, or even purchase/gift a 2 year membership to the new location for $1000, please do so today.  We need your support to (re)create this oasis for families in SF.  

Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions, potential sources for funding, or just to say hello.  Our community has been integral to our success over the past 10 years and we know it will continue to be for decades to come.  

Looking forward to the future, 

Lisa

August at Recess + Details about our New Location

As you probably know, Recess in Potrero Hill is open through 8/31 for play, parties & classes and then we'll be moving out to our new home on Taraval.

Read below to check out all the fun that's in store for both locations & our pre-opening deals this month and beyond.

Join us this month for:

- Saturday 8/11 for Family Yoga with It's Yoga Kids (10:30am, $25 for the whole family!). 
- Tuesdays 8/14 & 8/21 for our last two toddler chefs classes (4:30pm, sign up ahead of time!)
- Monday 8/20, Dance Party with Charity Kahn! (noon, $30, includes a day of play)

EXPECTING PARENTS - We have three spots left in September's Childbirth Prep Class, and 2 each in the October Childbirth prep & Newborn Care classes. https://www.recesscollective.org/prenatal

We'll be taking the month of September to relocate to our new location on Taraval, called Recess Collective & should be ready to welcome you this October/November! If you'd like to secure the cheapest prices for membership, join before August 31 with one of our founding packages.

Thank you to all of you who have already become part of our new community. We are super excited & grateful for your support. Looking forward to building a wonderful, cozy, inclusive community with you this year in our new home. I can't wait to share all the great programming we have in store! 

www.recesscollective.org/programs

Recess' Next Chapter

The silver lining of Recess' restructuring & relocation is that our services, partnerships, staff and incredible community will live on through Recess Collective.  Recess isn't going away, we're evolving. 

Our new home will be 2226 Taraval, at 32nd Avenue, in the Outer Sunset.  We will have a great playspace designed for children & their parents, ages newborn through 4 years.  Our classroom will continue to offer workshops & fitness classes to support your journey as a parent or caregiver...CPR classes, Childbirth Prep, Newborn Care, Baby Sign Language, Parenting your toddler, Potty Training, Sleep & more.  Our moderated playgroups will help to build community while supporting new parents.  And, of course, our office space will be available for co-working while your little one has childcare in the playspace.

Subscribe to Receive Recess Collective's Updates

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

So, Recess is changing and we are moving but, fundamentally, our community space for families with young children will still exist!  We hope you take this opportunity to become part of the community in the new location before the space even opens.  We're thrilled to offer some great deals to those who enroll now.  

Check Out the Pre-Opening Offers:

Dear Recess Community...

Dear Recess Community,

Despite a flourishing community of incredible families with young children, dedicated caregivers, remarkably talented professionals, and a staff that couldn't be better, we are sad to announce that August will mark Recess' last month of business.  Recess will close the Potrero Hill location for its final day on August 31st, although that won't be the end! 

Our plan is to go full force until then! We have CPR classes, precess drop off program, our monthly dance party with Charity Kahn, sensory lab, and even date night drop off slated for the next couple of months. We hope you will join us and continue to support Recess until the very end. We need it.  If you'd like to build the nonprofit from the ground up together with us, there are several ways to do so (click here).  Any questions about Recess Collective or offers of assistance can be directed to hello@recesscollective.org. 

Closing Recess and leaving the community that has helped us grow up has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made.  Anyone focused on the numbers (and not on the impact we have on families) would argue that we should have closed 4 years ago when our rent doubled.  I naïvely believed that if we rolled up our sleeves at that time, we could piece it together, and continue to make Recess a success. Since then, we've spent nearly $1 million in rent and have reduced our profit margin to zero. Our building recently sold again, and the asking rent for our space is now increasing another 35%. I'm very simply not able to do it anymore. We cannot increase pricing for families coming to play (it’s already too high), we must pay our staff the living wage they deserve, and I owe it to my family to be able to bring home some kind of income.  So this is the end of this chapter for Recess. It has been an incredible experience getting to see children grow up, families create lasting memories and to know that parents are able to breathe a sigh of relief when they walk through our doors.

It really does take a village and you’ve been our amazing village.  Our very first member, Jenny Sagstrom, was an early believer and continues to support Recess with in-kind donations of design services from her company Skona. Beth Freeman, was another early adopter (in fact the first person to see our space as we were moving in).  Beth hasn’t used Recess in several years, as her daughter is nearly done with middle school, but she couldn’t come to terms with “quitting” Recess so decided to have us continue billing her $20 a month as a supporter. PREFund is a Potrero Hill based organization that has also helped Recess to flourish.  We have had the opportunity to work together with them on their mission to keep families in San Francisco by community building and supporting education. Of course, stories like this could go on for days. I am not sure how we’ve been so lucky.

You made this community, and you have allowed it to last over a decade.  We are incredibly thankful you chose to support our mission.  Stay tuned for announcements about celebrations we have slated (for current members and alumni) to come together again before the end of August.  While we’re closing Potrero Hill, it is all of you who have inspired us to keep playing a part in improving the landscape of San Francisco for families with young children. As we shift gears and look forward, we hope to bring the same joy and sense of support with us.  

If you share the belief that Recess (or something like it) should absolutely continue to exist in every neighborhood, as I do, please consider supporting our new nonprofit effort, Recess Collective. As a non-profit entity, our hope is to grow beyond the scope possible as a for-profit and reach even more families choosing to stay in the city.

Thank you to every single one of you.  We have been blessed to be surrounded by parents, small business owners, dedicated caregivers, educators & professionals in the community who have given support, shared feedback, and helped us flourish.

As Recess closes its doors, we hope you will please keep playing with those amazing children, supporting one another, and visiting us in our new home on Taraval.

All the best,
Lisa

PS. RECESS MEMBERS:  We will still be taking care of you & you’ll hear from us within the next week with a note specifically addressing next steps for your membership.