April 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 45

Growing Interest-
Obstacles And Resistance
Despite the weak economy, there is a
growing interest in certification. " Consumers, risk managers and insurance
companies demand assurance that experiences provide accountable, quality
outcomes and certification ... is viewed
as essential to the provision of quality
outcomes, " Carter says.
On the CPSI front, Teri Hendy, a principal with Site Masters Inc. in Cincinnati, a consultant on playground safety,
says " The benefit of receiving the CPSI
certification is that some agencies now
require certification as part of a job
description. Many agencies require
their playground inspectors and maintenance staff to be certified. In California, state law requires that all new
playgrounds be inspected by a certified inspector prior to being opened to
the public. "
Kalousek agrees that legislation may
eventually make the case for certification much more compelling. He notes
that several states have passed laws
mandating that public playgrounds comply with either CPSC or ATSM guidelines-or both.
Despite that growing interest-and
even requirement for certification in
some places-there has been some
slowing in the actual growth of certified parks professionals for several reasons. There are fewer opportunities to
gain the education and experience requirement because fewer colleges offer
the requisite major than when certification evolved in the 1980s. Additionally,
a decline in federal financing for public
agencies has reduced the size of professional staffs at all levels.
A lso contributing to less rapid

acceptance of certification is a persistent resistance-based mainly on cost;
and, perversely, fears of increased
accountability.
" It is still not common to have certification. One of the challenges with this
certification is that it has not developed
in a way that it will guarantee additional
salary, " Geden says.
" Resistance remains even though
the idea that 'If I don't know something,
then I can't be held responsible,' has
been knocked down by experience, "
Kalousek adds.
" Arguments against certification can

be debunked by relevancy reviews
of agencies and professionals who
do have the credential as compared
to those that don't, says Carter says.
" Those comparisons show a consistency in performance across geographic
locations and types of institution. "
Some employees, Hendy adds, " may
say they don't need the certification because they are not inspecting playgrounds. " Others, she said, are fearful of
taking the certification class for fear of not
passing the exam.
" If you are in the business of designing play areas, supervising people who

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APRIL 2010

Parks & Recreation 43

April 2010 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2010 - Parks & Recreation