The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) announced that the Erie Parks & Recreation Department has received re-accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). This distinguished accomplishment was awarded during the NRPA’s 2022 Best of the Best Ceremony on Wednesday, September 21.
National accreditation through CAPRA is an extensive multi-year process, which includes the completion of an application and detailed self-assessment report, a site visit by a committee of leaders in the park and recreation profession, and a final assessment completed by the agency and CAPRA. Accreditation is valid for a period of five years.
CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management, and service to the community. This mark of distinction indicates that an agency has met 154 rigorous standards related to all areas of our operations: Administration, Planning, Organization, Human Resources, Finance, Programming, Facility and Land Use Management, Risk Management, Public Safety, and Evaluation. As a Department, we successfully demonstrated compliance with 100% of the fundamental standards and 97% of the non-fundamental standards.
There are over 10,000 agencies in the United States who are eligible to apply for CAPRA accreditation. As of now, there are only 199 agencies who are accredited, resulting in less than 2% of all agencies with accreditation. Only ten park and recreation agencies in the State of Colorado, including Erie, are accredited.
For more information about CAPRA accreditation, visit www.nrpa.org/CAPRA.
Community Benefit of CAPRA Accreditation
The Erie Parks & Recreation Department strives to be the best and bring our best to the community each day. Accreditation enables us to take an in-depth look at the functional capabilities within our organization while solidifying our strengths, challenges, and, most importantly, the opportunities that exist to provide the services that support our community. Accreditation is another way we can demonstrate our commitment to the community while continuing to hold ourselves to a high standard and doing our part to make Erie, Colorado the best place.
About the National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. With more than 60,000 members, NRPA advances this mission by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals and advocates — the catalysts for positive change in service of equity, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.