Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accreditation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Boulder Parks and Recreation achieves national accreditation from CAPRA; department highlights cross-team work and continuous-improvement plan
Summary
Staff announced that Boulder Parks and Recreation completed the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies process and met a high share of CAPRA standards; the department described the multi-team effort, a public-facing fee policy and ongoing reaccreditation requirements.
Boulder Parks and Recreation staff told the advisory board that the department successfully completed the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) review process and met a high share of the national standards.
Staff described CAPRA as a voluntary accreditation administered by the National Recreation and Park Association. They said fewer than 2% of U.S. parks agencies achieve accreditation and that the process assesses operations across 154 standards in chapters such as administration, planning, facilities, safety and equity. The department said it had assembled cross-functional matrix teams across the organization to document processes and to prepare the evidence library required by the evaluators.
What staff said it will change
- Public documentation: Staff said the department has published a clear, transparent fee policy and other materials to make charging and fee-setting easier for users to find.
- Continuous improvement: Accreditation requires ongoing updates and re-accreditation every five years; staff said the department will continue to report improvements and updated procedures to maintain the designation.
- Organizational benefits: Presenters said the process improved internal collaboration, surfaced opportunities for modernization (data, inventory and asset-management practices) and provided professional-development opportunities for staff who led documentation and standards work.
Staff asked the board to celebrate and to use the accreditation as a visible sign that the department is following best practices for governance and accountability.
