The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted opportunities for internships in parks, recreation, tourism, and sports. The government mandated numerous agencies to close. Many agencies that remained open reduced staff, froze budgets, shifted programs online, and discontinued internships. The senior internship for Parks, Recreation, and Tourism…

Parents play a vital role in influencing their children's outdoor recreation participation. Families can enjoy nature and stay active in state parks, which provide abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation and education. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parents' experiences with, and attitudes toward, outdoor…

I have been teaching an information technology course in recreation, parks & tourism partially online (hybrid format) for nearly a decade; however, I never taught it fully online until the shift to emergency remote instruction during the pandemic. What I found was that some of my previous reasons for not wanting to teach fully online were…

Teaching an online course was always something I resisted. Like many of the colleagues I have talked to, I was worried that the lack of face-to-face interaction would significantly take away from the quality of the education for the students. With a class like Recreation Programming, I knew that students needed hands-on experience with running a…

The history of parks and recreation is deeply rooted in child's play. From Joseph Lee's writings about the developmental benefits of child's play at the beginning of the 20th century to the establishment of the University of Illinois's Motor Performance and Play Research Laboratory in the 1960s and 1970s, child's play has been a central focus of…

The Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT) outlines standards for recreation programs to ensure a quality educational experience. The current case study presents findings from a youth-adult partnership in support of various COAPRT standards to assist in the development of aspiring recreation…

Senior internships in parks and recreation are an opportunity to put classroom knowledge to practice. However, this is likely the first time students are in a learning environment without the immediate support of faculty and peers. To alleviate this issue, online discussion boards were used to connect interns who were located across the country.…

Standards are suggested for urban parks and recreation agencies in serving ethnic minorities with limited financial resources. Goals involve (1) recognizing the value of recreation as a social service; (2) seeking feedback from clients; (3) confronting the harsh realities of impoverished neighborhoods; (4) making facilities accessible; and (5)…

As citizens demand governmental accountability, recreation agencies must devote attention to determining the cost of programs and to justifying the fee structure assigned to each program. This article addresses the need for proper pricing and offers a plan for establishing a pricing strategy. (MT)

Changes in median age, family structure, and fitness attitudes are affecting city park usage. Many park and recreation people are on the fringes of fitness but need to provide more programs. Ways of providing fitness programs are discussed. (MT)

The article discusses ways that recreation and parks programs could and should serve the Hispanic community and includes descriptions of religious and cultural activities of this ethnic group. (CB)

Responses of community residents, park and recreation employees, and city council members (N=800) to a survey regarding equitable allocation of public resources for park and recreation services revealed that the groups' opinions differed according to their decision-making role and the services provided. (Author/CB)

A behaviorally anchored rating scale serves as a foundation for an effective human performance resources management system. Suggestions for developing an evaluation form for seasonal park and recreation employees are discussed. (DF)

Suggestions are made for financing and implementing solar energy programs in recreational parks. (JD)

Leisure and recreation leaders who influence policy must consider social and economic trends that influence recreation participation. Using secondary data is a cost-effective way to accomplish this. This collection of 14 articles demonstrates how data from a variety of sources may be used to make predictions about trends in leisure and recreation.…