The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department has earned national accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). The formal announcement was made this afternoon at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) 2011 Congress and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department is only one of 104 agencies in the country to receive national accreditation, which confirms an agency’s commitment to quality and efficiency.
CAPRA recognizes park and recreation agencies for excellence in operation and service while providing assurance to the public that the agency meets national standards of best practice. CAPRA’s standards for national accreditation provide an authoritative assessment tool for park and recreation agencies. Through compliance with the standards of excellence, CAPRA accreditation assures that an agency has been independently evaluated against established benchmarks as delivering a high level of quality.
 National accreditation is a rigorous and extensive process, which the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department has been working towards for two years. Accreditation is based on an agency’s compliance with the 144 standards for national accreditation. To achieve accreditation, an agency must comply with all 36 fundamental standards and at least 85 percent of the remaining 108 standards. The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department successfully met 142 standards.
CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies. Accreditation is a five-year cycle that includes three phases: development of the agency self-assessment report, the on-site visitation, and the Commission’s review and decision. Within each of the four years between on-site visits, the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department must submit an annual report that addresses its continued compliance with the accreditation standards.
The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department serves the seventh largest city in Florida with a population of nearly 180,000. Blessed with over 3,000 hours of sunshine each year and pleasant year-round ocean breezes, the agency offers premier opportunities for recreation, relaxation and enjoyment by providing a safe, superior environment and unique, quality programming for our diverse community.
Overview of the Agency Accreditation Process
The Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) standards for national accreditation provides an authoritative assessment tool for park and recreation agencies. Through compliance with the standards of excellence, CAPRA accreditation assures policy makers, department staff, the general public and taxpayers that an accredited park and recreation agency has been independently evaluated against established benchmarks as delivering a high level of quality.
Every park and recreation agency, whatever its focus or field of operation, is rightfully concerned with the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations. With the importance of park and recreation programs and services to the quality of life, each agency has an essential role in the lives of the people it serves. CAPRA accreditation is a quality assurance and quality improvement process demonstrating an agency’s commitment to its employees, volunteers, patrons and community.
Accreditation Process
Accreditation is based on an agency’s compliance with the 144 standards for national accreditation. To achieve accreditation, an agency must comply with all 36 Fundamental Standards and at least 85 percent of the remaining 108 standards (92).
CAPRA accreditation is a five-year cycle that includes three phases: development of the agency self-assessment report, the on-site visitation, and the Commission’s review and decision. The on-site visitation follows the agency’s development of its self-assessment report. If accreditation is granted by the Commission at its meeting following the on-site visit, the agency will develop a new self-assessment report and be revisited every five years. Within each of the four years between on-site visits, the agency will submit an annual report that addresses its continued compliance with the accreditation standards. The complementary publication, CAPRA Accreditation Handbook, sets forth in detail the accreditation process and procedures.
The steps involved in the accreditation process are as follows:
- Preliminary Application
- Formal Accreditation Application and Self-Assessment
- Visitation/On Site Evaluation
- Accreditation
- Annual Report
Understanding Standards
A standard is a statement of desirable practice as set forth by experienced professionals. In evaluating an agency for accreditation, the standards are a measure of effectiveness using the cause and effect (“if . . . then”) approach. If one acts in a certain way, then it is expected that there will be a certain outcome. In practice, if an agency complies with a given standard, then it is expected that the agency’s operations related to that standard will be positively affected. Viewed holistically, if an agency complies with the vast majority of the standards (i.e., all fundamental standards and at least 85 percent of the remaining), then it is understood that the agency is performing a quality operation. Standards enable evaluation by comparing what is found within an agency operation to what is accepted by professionals as desirable practices.
These standards are not a quantitative measure of the local availability of funds, lands, personnel, etc. and should be distinguished from other types of standards which address specific elements, such as open space standards, which are population-based, and playground equipment standards, which are product-based. These qualitative standards for accreditation are comprehensive, dealing with all aspects of agency operations.
The standards provide an effective and credible means of evaluating a park and recreation agency’s overall system. The standards apply to all park and recreation systems, inasmuch as they are considered to be the elements for effective and efficient operations. Most agencies administer both park and recreation functions; however, some agencies only administer recreation programs and services, not park systems, and others only administer park systems, not recreation programs and services. Additionally, the jurisdictional structure of agencies differs throughout the country, with many agencies operating under municipal authority, while others operate under county, park district, or other structures. Further, the standards apply to agencies of all sizes in terms of personnel, budget, and population served. It is recognized that each community is unique and may meet the standards in differing ways.
History of CAPRA Standards for National Accreditation
A forerunner of the CAPRA standards was a document titled, Evaluation and Self-Study of Public Recreation and Park Agencies, first issued in 1965. The standards in the document were initially determined by leading professionals in the Great Lakes District of the then National Recreation Association. Eight years later, in 1972, a statewide study in Pennsylvania encompassing thirty municipal park and recreation departments resulted in the document being updated and revised; and, after twenty years, it was replaced by the CAPRA standards.
The CAPRA standards were developed by a special committee initiated in 1989 by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The standards and accreditation process were field tested at park and recreation agencies of varying characteristics. In 1993, the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies was established to implement and administer the accreditation program. Since then, the CAPRA standards have been reviewed and revised several times, notably in 1996, 2001, and 2009.
In 1998 work was begun to adapt the accreditation program to military recreation. An Army version of the standards, developed by the Army, was approved in 1999 and a representative of military services was added to the Commission board. In 2007, the Department of Defense proposed a revised set of military standards that applies to all military services; and was approved by the Commission in 2008 for use by all military services. The military accreditation standards are available as a separate document.
About the Commission
The Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies is a 13-member board composed of representatives from:
- American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (4 representatives)
- National Recreation and Park Association (4 representatives)
- International City/Council Management Association (1 representative)
- Council of State Executive Directors (1 representative)
- American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (1 representative)
- National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials (1 representative)
- Armed Forces Recreation Society (1 representative)
The Commission is administratively sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association, but acts with independence and under its own authority in determining accreditation standards and conferring accreditation of applicant agencies.
For more information, please visit the National Recreation and Parks Association website at www.nrpa.org.
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