Miscellaneous

Aquatic Facility Operator

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) began offering the Aquatic Facility Operator (AFO) certification in 1995.1 Governed by the National Certification Board, the AFO is one of four certifications offered, being joined by the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP), the Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE), and the Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI).

1. “Certification Programs.” The National Recreation and Park Association. < http://www.nrpa.org/certification/ > 28 Aug. 2011.

Certified Park and Recreation Executive

The Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE) certification is a mastery-level certification program for park and recreation management and administration professionals. The CPRE is offered by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), with the first examination conducted at their 2011 Congress and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia.1

1. Keating, Michael. “Association launches park/recreation credential program.” Govpro. 7 Aug. 2011. < http://govpro.com/parks_recreation/content/NRPA-certification-20110807/ > 10 Aug. 2011.

Certified Park and Recreation Professional

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) offers the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification for professionals in the parks, leisure, and recreation fields. Administered by the National Certification Board of the NRPA, the CPRP is based on national job analyses conducted in 1989, 1999, and 2006 concerning the core components of the leisure service profession.1

1. “CPRP Agency Discount.” The National Recreation and Park Association. < http://www.nrpa.org/Content.aspx?id=2960 > 10 Aug.

Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights

The California Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBR) identifies ten outdoor activities that the California Roundtable on Recreation, Parks and Tourism chose to represent the basic outdoor needs for healthy childhood development. Encompassing such activities as “Play in a safe place” and “Camp under the stars,” their vision is that by the age of 14, all children will participate in these recreational and cultural activities and thus increase the quantity and quality of time they spend in the outdoors.1

1. “Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights.” CA.gov Parks and Recreation. < http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24952 > 21 March 2012.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a United Nations legally binding treaty that incorporates respect for all children's needs, including their civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights.1 The CRC includes basic humanitarian law and defining principles concerning children. The 54 articles of the CRC and its two Optional Protocols are based on four core principles: non-discrimination; the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival, and development; and respect for the views of the child.2

1. “Rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.” UNICEF. < http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_30177.html > 21 March 2012.
2. “Convention on the Rights of the Child.” UNICEF.

Decade for Childhood

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) and Alliance for Childhood joined together to launch a 10-year initiative, the Decade for Childhood 2012-2022, during the Global Summit on Childhood held in Washington, D.C. in March of 2012. Concerns about the rapid cultural and technological changes currently occurring combined with the ongoing problems of poverty, neglect, and abuse prompted the need for a platform to support a global conversation about childhood and the threats to the healthy development of children.1

1. “The Decade for Childhood.” Association for Childhood Education International. < http://www.acei.org/programs-initiatives/the-decade-for-childhood-2011-2021.html > 11 April 2012.

IPEMA Certification

In October of 1995, the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) was formed by a group of twelve playground equipment manufacturers. They saw the need for a trade organization that would provide third-party physical validation of compliance to the safety standards as outlined in the ASTM International (ASTM) F1487. Though these manufacturers were already working together under the auspices of the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA), that organization chose not to allow the new certification program due to liability concerns.

Natural Energy Park

The Natural Energy Park is an experiential playground design that focuses on how movement, the sun, magnets, and water create power to operate different parts of the play equipment. Through moving a spinning wheel children can cause LEDs on a kite string to light up, and by pointing a solar panel toward or away from the sun they can cause the optical illusion plate to speed up or slow down.1

1. “Green.” reddot. < http://www.red-dot.sg/concept/porfolio/o_e/GR/B004.htm > 18 Aug. 2011.

No Child Left Inside

On September 18, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the No Child Left Inside Act, H.R. 3036. The legislation was authored by U.S. Representative John Sarbanes of Maryland and passed with a bipartisan vote of 293 to 109. The NCLI Act was initiated partially because of the consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act, which narrowed the focus of the schools on standardized testing and left children with little or no outdoor or environmental experiences.1

1. “House Approves Legislation to Strengthen Environmental Education for America’s Schools.” Committee on Education and Labor Press Release, September 18 2008 U. S. House of Representatives. < http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/edlabor_dem/091808NCLI.html > 4 Aug. 2010.

Play Every Day Act

The PLAY Every Day Act was a bill proposed to help promote the national recommendation of physical activity to kids, families, and communities across the United States. It was introduced in the Senate on February 15, 2007, by Sen. Thomas Harkin on behalf of himself and Sen. Hillary Clinton.1

The purpose of this Act was to help children, families, and communities achieve 60 minutes of physical activity every day, which is the national recommendation.

Congress made the following findings:

1. PLAY Every Day Act, 110th Congress, 1st Session S.651. 15 Feb. 2007.

Red Swing Project

The Red Swing Project is the result of a University of Texas School of Architecture assignment as an urban intervention within the city of Austin, Texas. In February of 2007, one student began to anonymously hang red swings in public places to infuse a sense of playfulness into the urban environment. The assignment took on the feel of a science experiment as reactions to the red swings were observed.1

1. “About.” Red Swing Project. <http://www.redswingproject.org/?page_id=17> 18 March 2011.

The Play & Playground Encyclopedia

In 2009, Curtis Stoddard developed the concept the business plan for a play and playground encyclopedia. Curtis had been participating in many aspects of the playground industry and had amassed thousands of books, articles, and other information about play and playgrounds. The encyclopedia idea appealed to Curtis as he had a high regard for history, and an encyclopedia would be a wonderful way to record play and playground history.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent federal regulatory agency that protects the public from unnecessary harm or death due to use of consumer products. One way they do this is to establish and enforce standards against dangerous consumer products. On August 14, 2008, Congress passed the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. This law was necessary to “establish consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children's products and to reauthorize and modernize the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.”1

1. “An Act.” Public Law 110-314-Aug. 14, 2008. 122 Stat. 3016. Consumer Product Safety Commission. < http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf > 22 June 2011.

Universal Design

Playground design has evolved over the years to offer a wide array of equipment and features from traditional steel structures fixed in concrete and arranged in a row to contemporary structures with imaginative and innovative elements to engage children’s interest.1

1. Frost, Joe L. Play and Playscapes. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers Inc., 1992. pp. 133-134.