Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS), PlayCore, GameTime and Cunningham Recreation are aligning resources and strategically partnering to promote best practices in parks and recreation, provide quality education, and arm communities with evidence-based resources.
Complimentary professional development symposiums were hosted last month in multiple cities across the state of Virginia. The sessions helped participants effectively fuel their community's passion for play and recreation and empowered stakeholders to become champions for high quality outdoor play and recreation environments that meet the diverse needs of the community in modern times.
The goals of the initiative are to provide training on current trends and research-based practices for play and recreation destinations, funding opportunities for high-quality projects across five service areas and to demonstrate VRPS as an essential contributor to improving the quality of life of families in Virginia.
PlayCore's Center for Outreach, Research & Education is providing statewide professional development services, and GameTime, a PlayCore company, will provide up to $1.5 million in matching funds to assist parks in the VRPS districts create play and recreation destinations that have been thoroughly reviewed to align with research-based best practices. These projects will serve as National Demonstration Sites (NDS) and serve as national models for promoting physical activity, fitness, nature engagement, and inclusion.
Each city's local parks and recreation organization hosted the symposiums designed for mid to upper level professionals in the fields of park and recreation, landscape architecture, and education. The sessions offered Continuing Education Units for professionals and promise to be lively, informative, and educational. Lunch and educational resources were provided by GameTime and Cunningham Recreation.
