December Newsletter

home stretch

Hello, hello!

It’s hard to believe there are only 23 days left until 2023. Here’s hoping you are getting moments to enjoy the people you love, and pockets of time to reflect on the ups and downs of the past year. What a year it has been!

We are happy to share a few end of year updates, an exciting new space for play in the outer Richmond, and details about our final event of the year on 12/10 (your last chance of the year to pick up some Recess approved toys, say hello, see friends, and play!).

We didn’t quite meet our Giving Tuesday goals, but are moving in the right direction and hoping to hit our end of year goals. If you would like to support our mission, and have the resources to make a year end donation, we’d be so grateful.

Babies’ brains develop fastest from before birth to age three. So, their relationships with caregivers and early experiences—both positive and negative—build the foundations of brain architecture, which supports their ability to learn, their behavior, and their overall health.

This is why it’s critical to support parents and babies early, so caregivers can prevent infants and toddlers from experiencing prolonged stress that can disrupt healthy development. Access to mental health resources, quality child care, and networks of community support are critical to set families on a path for success.

Every child deserves a strong start in life, but not every child starts from same place. In 2023, our goal is to expand our mobile programming to communities throughout the city.

You can invest in changing the experience for families and the lifelong health of the future generation.

Thank you for following along on our journey, and thank you for letting us follow along on yours.

Take good care,
xx
lisa

read our full newsletter here

an international day of giving

If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that community and connectedness are absolutely vital to our well-being.

Each year, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the world comes together to generously support one another.

It’s the international day of giving and Recess Collective is excited to share that we aim to raise $25,000 in that 24 hour period. These funds will fuel our programming for 2023.

They will bring play to communities, support to new parents and play to families who need it most.

Check out the info below to see what kind of impact you can have on the lives of families, or text the code "PLAYTODAY" to 44-321 to support.

Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships

Parenting can feel overwhelming at times. You want what is best for your child, but through the exhaustion, overwhelm, and social pressure, how do you ensure they are going to develop properly, and have all they need to grow during this busy time of development? The answer is incredibly reassuring. The MOST IMPORTANT thing your child needs to grow a healthy brain is you, and your ability to connect with your new babe.

Building that Relationship

You’ve likely heard that in the first few years of life, babies and children are building neural connections at an astounding rate. In fact, more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second!

Early experiences affect the quality of that brain architecture by establishing either a sturdy or a fragile foundation for all of the learning, health and behavior that follow.

But what influences this growth?

And how are those neural connections created and strengthened?

Your baby's brain develops through use — by your baby interacting, observing and doing things. By interacting with attentive caregivers.

It’s through interactions and experiences with loved and trusted adults that babies begin to make sense of the world. Scientists call this back and forth, between parents and children, “Serve and Return.”

• Background info - This two-minute video explores the science behind serve and return, including how connections are made in a child’s brain in response to serve and return interactions with an adult. Serve & Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry

Here is how you can participate in this crucial aspect of your child’s development

Learn how you can support your baby’s thinking skills from 0-12 months. Below, find a couple resources that give step-by-step instructions on how to respond to a child’s serves in a way that builds their brain.

5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return

This step-by-step guide shows how serve and return interactions unfold, and gives practical advice on how to recognize a child’s serves and respond. (It’s easy!)

How-to: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return

Watch serve and return in action! For those who prefer to view instead of read, this video walks you through the five steps of serve and return with examples of real children and their caregivers.

A peek into our groups

Recess’ new parent groups are held at the incredible Black Bird Bookstore and Cafe. It’s a beautiful space that is much more than a bookstore…It’s a community space, art gallery, and they even host weekly activities for families (most Saturdays).

We are a bookstore open to all. Our mission is to be a community space that brings people together through books, happenings, and an open door. Come in and hang out with us, climb in the treehouse, stay for storytime, or linger over a great new book in our backyard. Everyone is welcome here.

Recess is lucky enough to get to host our groups for newborns and infants in this oasis. Here’s a peek into our sweet groups: