The National Recreation and Parks Association

Let’s take a moment to look back at a few of the top stories and our collective successes that transpired this year in parks and recreation.

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Park and recreation professionals have several reasons to find hope and joy this holiday season.

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Here’s how programs important to parks and recreation made out in the final FY15 spending package.

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What exactly is CAPRA and what does it mean for you and your department? Here are four common questions and answers to help you learn more about this distinguished accomplishment.

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Here's a story of how attaining Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) helped a park and recreation professional and their agency unwrap their potential.

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Here at NRPA headquarters, we’re invested in supporting the Three Pillars of Conservation, Health and Wellness and Social Equity.

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Linda Oakleaf, Ph.D., provides the “why” and “how” for using Twitter to help your park and recreation agency achieve more visibility and build relationships.

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If you are a playground owner or operator you already know that your choice of playground surfacing is one of the most important decisions you will make.

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Completing the Park and Recreation Maintenance Management School at Oglebay Resort was, a shot of adrenalin to an attendee's career in the parks and recreation field. Find out why and get his inside story on why Maintenance Management School is so valuable.

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Just as you may serve up traditional family meals year after year, we thought it would be fun to bring back our list of 10 reasons why we are thankful for parks and recreation.

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The New York Times reported that Facebook will again change the rankings of posts from business pages making it harder than ever to organically show up in your fans’ newsfeeds.

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On a given work day, 69 million children are in child care programs or school, separated from their families. If a disaster should strike your community are you prepared to protect those that may be in your care?

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I have been in the field of parks and recreation for about 15 years, with most of my work focusing on special event management.You won't believe what happened to our festival after I came back from Event Management School.

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Now is the time for you to submit your ideas for an education session for the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference. Here are five tips for submitting a successful education session proposal.

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Many people don’t know just how influential the moustache has been in the advancement of parks and recreation in America. Here is a brief summary of some of the most significant lip brows in American parks and recreation history.

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More than 1,000 attendees completed the post-conference survey and shared what they thought about their experience at the 2014 NRPA Congress in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Park and recreation agencies are the largest public provider, outside of schools, for USDA-funded feeding programs. These initiatives provide healthy meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during out-of-school times.

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The GOP control of the Senate will impact three very important NRPA legislative priorities for the coming year including the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s (LWCF) State Assistance Program, funding for active transportation, and the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization.

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What does the park of the future look like? One thing is certain: parks must serve visitors digitally as well as they serve them physically. People expect to get information they need in the snap of their fingers, and in the palm of their hands.

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For those making the pilgrimage to the 2014 NRPA Congress in Charlotte, we’re giving it to you straight. Here are the seven things you need to know to make your experience just a little bit easier!

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The NRPA Congress Guide, 49, quietly passed away at its home in Ashburn, Virginia.

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The first Friday in October will be Visit a Park Day! Visit a Park Day is organized by the YPN along with the NRPA to encourage people to visit a local, state, regional or national park.

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Jason Genck, General Operations Manager of the City of Westminster, Colorado and seasoned NRPA Congress attendee offers these 8 lessons on how not to waste your time at NRPA Congress.

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Long-awaited national guidelines on the design, development and management of nature play areas were recently released. These guidelines will be invaluable to the park and recreation profession.

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In his Speed Session at NRPA's Annual Conference, John R. Johnson shared tips on using a cell phone for photography – a beneficial skill for park and rec professionals working to raise awareness of programs through communications.

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NRPA's Commit to Health campaign supports the implementation and evaluation of Healthy Eating, Physical Activity (HEPA) standards in park and recreation sites.

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NRPA’s Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs Kevin O’Hara continues his series of dispatches from urban park and recreation agencies. Here, he details a visit to Austin, one of Texas’ best-loved cities.

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In a recent NPR story on play, the author made the case that play is good for the developing brain. As a parent and former educator, I couldn’t agree more. I am often struck by the determent of unstructured play by parents, teachers and caregivers.

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Mat Duerden, Ph.D., shares his story of attending NRPA's Annual Conference. Duerden shares his perspective of education sessions he’s been involved in from research all the way to leading a NRPA Live session!

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Saint Paul Parks and Recreation provided NRPA and friends, a tour of the Recreation Center and highlighted the lunch that was being served through the USDA Summer Food Service Program.

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Brand+Aid is the finest focused-topic conference I’ve attended in my career.

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Director Joe Turner and his team also have the privilege of removing wild boar from their parks—how many urban park systems can say they do that?

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As park and rec professionals, we need to remind our constituents that our agencies offer the kind of services and assurances that can help turn back the clock to a time when the public trust was a bit stronger and children’s free time was spent outside with friends or the family dog, rather than constantly under their parents’ watchful eyes.

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Summer camp is the ultimate adventure for a kid. It’s a place to discover new things, push comfort zones and experience the outdoors. Browse 9 ways to keep kids busy and happy while gaining a whole new appreciation for nature.

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Gateway Park is a success story – a success story of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State Assistance Program – one of over 40,000 LWCF State Assistance program successes across America.

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Using inspiration from our members and social media followers, here are 10 ways to get OUTside this July that may be a bit different from the usual.

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The playground is a place where “high-five” moments are made and remembered. Well these moments are coming soon to the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Park as part of the Parks Build Community project.

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“I knew I wanted to lead my own department in the future.” These were the exact words Cindi Wight, CPRE, MR wrote in a blog post in May 2013 about her intoxicating, incredible experience at Directors School.

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A first-time NRPA Annual Conference presenter shares a little bit about her session on the importance of assimilation for your agency employees.

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Park and Recreation Month is here and soon all the brainstorming, planning, preparing and more will be put into action.

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I recently shared an article about the insurance industry’s assessment of “five global certainties that will impact insurance, business, and the world.” What do they mean for parks and recreation?

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My husband and I both grew up in camping families, and when our son was born, we knew we wanted to take him camping often to help foster a love for the outdoors. I encourage you to pack up the kids and the tent and head to your local park.

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How much time do you spend outside during the week? For the average adult in the U.S., chances are the amount and time spent outdoors is relatively brief.

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The U.S. Forest Service manages more than 4 million acres along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range, and in recent years, the land has been inundated with problems due to illegal trail building by mountain bikers in the area.

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Virginia’s Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation has a mission to be the happiest, healthiest place to live, learn, work and play. Recently, the department pledged with NRPA to Commit to Health.

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For the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) in Fairfax County, Virginia, certification of staff through the NRPA Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) program has essentially become part of the culture for their staff.

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The people that choose to attend Directors School are management level professionals that, in many cases, have as much to offer as the instructor. It is this facilitated knowledge sharing that makes the school so unique.

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NRPA recently visited Knoxville Parks and Recreation Department in Tennessee, one of 50 agencies that recently received a grant through NRPA and the Walmart Foundation to provide better access to healthy meals.

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On May 13th, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell visited St. Louis, Missouri and lauded the important work of practicing conservation, promoting recreation and building parks!

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Zombie Survival Camp, a week long day camp program in which children learn basic wilderness survival skills, emergency disaster planning and teamwork all while fighting off occasional attacks from what I call “real” fake zombies.

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Out of school time (OST) programs were seen as safe havens where kids could spend the late afternoon hours while their parents were still at work. Park and rec agencies quickly got involved in this evolving industry.

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Spring is a great time to visit a park to enjoy the wonders of the natural world as plants and wildlife reemerge from their winter rest.

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The NRPA Young Professional Network (YPN) is back with information on the importance of training and certification for youth sports coaches.

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Danielle Taylor, traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Park, NRPA’s Parks Build Community (PBC) project. Learn why this site proved to be a lesson in the importance of park access.

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Each month, as you crack the spine of a fresh Parks & Recreation Magazine, we hope the experience is both exciting and familiar.

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According to new analysis reported on in Time, Fridays may be the best time to post on Facebook to get the most visibility. Roxanne Sutton offers ways for you to take advantage of this new information.

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Earth Day and Earth Week week wrapped up this past Friday and I think I can speak for NRPA staff; it is amazing how much good you can do in just a little bit of time.

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In the April 2013 issue of Parks & Recreation Magazine, Samantha Bartram wrote about play deserts and their effects on community and national health and wellness. Explore resources to combat play deserts in your community.

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Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22—a reminder that we’re all part of this world and we’re responsible for taking care of it.

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Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation (GCPR) recently joined the National Recreation and Park Association’s Commit to Health Initiative.

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NRPA Young Professional and Administrator’s Network offers NRPA members the opportunity to participate in a mentoring program.

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Briana Yelverton, Marketing and Communications Specialist for Clayton County Parks and Recreation, discusses ways they have found success in engaging their community with Park and Recreation Month.

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Advocates from many states descended on Capitol Hill to educate their elected officials about the good work park and recreation professionals do in their communities, and how federal programs can help them do this work.

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What is a dog park and what is the demand for dog parks like—especially in urban areas? Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission staff share their experiences.

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Every time I attend The NRPA Annual Conference, I’m inspired by the ideas and strategies that are presented throughout the week.

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Did I ever expect to win a National Award? I guess not; but I would have never known or had the chance if someone did not take the time to nominate me.

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Internship opportunities for young park and recreation professionals abound in the world of Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), even if you don’t have your sights set on a career serving the military.

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In the February issue of Parks & Recreation (“Seizing the Day”), we shared the story of “Parke Diem” — a grassroots campaign for volunteering and raising awareness of park needs. We built a citywide coalition of 50 park-supporting groups for two days of stewardship.

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Learn how park and recreation pros can easily start to incorporate videos into regular communications.

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As we put our February issue to bed, those of us at Parks & Recreation Magazine pondered our colorful cover, meant to illustrate the excitement of adult sports trends. Our graphic designer Matt Brubaker pointed out, “even with all that color there is a lack of diversity.

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“Without change there is no innovation, creativity or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.” This quote by William Pollard, might seem like a lofty quote to describe the process of rebranding a blog.

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It’s time to explain what hashtags are and how parks and recreation can use them with a good ol’ who, what, when, where, why and how.

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Here in the mid-Atlantic region, we have experienced a winter of wild temperature fluctuations and, most recently, an unusually heavy snowfall. For me, a “snow day” involves entertaining a busy toddler who would rather be out tromping through the fluffy white stuff.

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The January cover story about homelessness in parks is “Out of the Shadows.” I hope to gather stories of successful programs that park agencies have implemented to work with the homeless people living in their parks.

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Research demonstrates that students who learn in the field gain greater command of their subjects and enjoy their time learning. The charge of “reconnecting youth to nature,” focuses on the need to fashion environmental stewards.

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How do we think about things in a fresh manner and seek to increase the performance of what we are doing within the field of parks and recreation?

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