November 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 12

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
A Journey to Accreditation and Excellence
By Nancy McCormick
A
ccording to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population in Loudoun
County, Virginia, grew 35 percent since the previous census
and projections indicate the region will continue to see exponential
growth in the coming years. The Loudoun County
Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) maintains
17 centers, four historic sites, a performing and visual arts center, 127
athletic fields, 3,100 acres of parks and open space, 60 miles of trails, and
delivers more than 11,000 activities each year. Staff strive to provide outstanding
programs and services for people of all ages, spanning a diverse
range of topics and activities to promote the best possible quality of life for
residents and visitors.
PRCS Director Steve Torpy saw
the journey toward accreditation
from NRPA's Commission for Accreditation
of Park and Recreation
Agencies (CAPRA) as an opportunity
to reinforce the department's
foundation, keep projects mission
focused, and guide staff to develop
excellent programs and services for
the community.
" At PRCS, we continually strive
Achieving CAPRA accreditation is a
way for agencies to demonstrate that
their staff provide the community with
the highest level of service.
for excellence in all of our endeavors, "
says Torpy. " Achieving and
maintaining CAPRA accreditation
confirms we are catching excellence
and serves as a foundation
for creating the best possible community
through people, parks and
programs for years to come. "
Maximizing staff involvement
was a high priority
the process of working
throughout
toward
national accreditation. Whether it
was writing narratives for the selfassessment,
developing
various
plans or updating policy, staff from
all levels were invited to participate.
" We want best practices to form
the core of the department's culture, "
says
Accreditation
Coordinator
Nicole Falceto. " Putting
a priority on an inclusive process
also meant we could offer unique
opportunities for professional development
to our team members. "
From the beginning, the department
implemented key components
to organize a self-assessment
and used technology to improve the
visitor's experience. Staff started by
identifying standards that required
the assistance of other Loudoun
County agencies and began work12
Parks & Recreation | NOVEMBER 2 0 2 1
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
ing on these standards early in the
process. The department also appointed
a single person to act as
project manager and assist staff to
create narratives, collect evidence
of compliance, and keep major
projects on task and on time. Team
members challenged themselves to
find new digital methods of managing
and sharing documentation.
When the coronavirus (COVID-19)
forced CAPRA visits to a virtual
format, staff jumped into action to
create video tours for the Site Visit
Team. The videos allowed the Visit
Team to see PRCS facilities and get
to know the PRCS family.
It
is
important
to
recognize
that accomplishments are rarely
achieved in a vacuum. PRCS sent
staff to learn about the accreditation
process from educational sessions
led by other agencies at the NRPA
Annual Conference and the Virginia
Recreation and Park Society
Annual Conference. These sessions
provided valuable insights into what
other agencies learned throughout
their accreditation process.
" I could not be prouder of the
efforts by PRCS staff in achieving
excellence in everything that we
do, " says Torpy. " But earning national
accreditation is merely the
beginning. We will continue to
check our foundation against best
practices outlined in the CAPRA
standards and share our experience
with agencies in hopes of helping
others achieve national accreditation
in the future. "
Nancy McCormick is Communications
Specialist for Loudoun County Public
Affairs and Communications.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT
OF PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
November 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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