April 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 70

N R PA U P DAT E

Host a Kids to Parks Day - May 18

e're proud to once
again partner with the
National Park Trust to
celebrate Kids to Parks Day, Saturday, May 18. Kids to Parks Day is a
nationwide celebration of the great
outdoors and is designed to connect
kids and families with their local,
state and national parks and public
lands. Through discovery and exploration of our parks and public
lands, kids across the country can
learn about park stewardship, outdoor recreation, the importance of
physical activity, STEM (science,
technology, engineering and math)
and much more. And, teaching
our kids to appreciate and enjoy
our parks and public lands can fos-

ter future outdoor enthusiasts and
create the next generation of park
stewards and caretakers of these
important places.
By offering a wide variety of
park activities and events on a single day, Kids to Parks Day attracts
first-time park visitors, as well as
existing park enthusiasts. Together we will be able to protect and
preserve our country's public lands
and waters by cultivating passionate park advocates and stewards.
For more information, or to host
a Kids to Parks Day event or find
an event near you, visit www.parktrust.org/kids-to-parks-day/.
We've also put together a helpful
toolkit so that your Kids to Parks

Day event can double as a Park
Champion event. We encourage
you to invite your elected officials
to join in on the celebration! You
can find the toolkit at www.nrpa.
org/ktp.

Upcoming Dates for the New
Playground Maintenance Course

ore than 24,000 children are injured on playgrounds each year, with
falls being the No. 1 cause. And,
according to John Damyanovich,
owner of Playground Police: " About
40% of playground injuries are due
to poor maintenance practices and

Parks & Recreation

lack of inspections. " NRPA, to help
reduce the number of injuries, developed a one-day Playground Maintenance Course, recommended for
maintenance and recreation staff,
university seniors and any individual
responsible for playgrounds who is
18 years of age or older.
The Playground Maintenance
Course (PMC) covers playground
safety standards and guidelines,
owner responsibilities and maintenance discussions on playground
equipment, surfacing and site
items. Participants will also learn
about the methods of establishing
proper record-keeping practices
and participate in a site visit to a local playground to expand on the information presented in the course
via hands-on learning. Upon com-

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pletion of the course, they will receive the Playground Maintenance
Course Certificate.
Following are some upcoming
dates for Playground Maintenance
Courses:

APRIL 2019
04-11
04-12

Bangor, Maine
Yarmouth, Maine

MAY 2019
05-02
05-10
05-23

Mesa, Arizona
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Rolling Meadows, Illinois

To learn more on how to attend
a course in your area or how to
host a Playground Maintenance
Course, visit www.nrpa.org/certif
icate-programs.

April 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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