Whether your property is a municipal park, a school, a church, an apartment complex, or a neighborhood, your playground is a place for young families to come together as they enjoy fresh air and physical activity. To keep parents and their children engaged between visits to your play space, consider publishing a community newsletter.

Whether you publish weekly, monthly, or quarterly, a family newsletter will help you

  • Strengthen the sense of community among the families you serve
  • Engage parents by offering healthy living tips on nutrition, activity, and wellness
  • Keep readers apprised of family-focused events at your facility and in the surrounding area
  • Attract new visitors to your kids outdoor playground and other outdoor amenities

As you consider the content and format of your family newsletter, here are a few decisions to consider:

  • Print or online: Online newsletters are less expensive to produce, but could get lost among the dozens of emails recipients get every day. Print newsletters cost more to print and distribute, but some studies show that they’re more likely to be read.
  • Name: Come up with a catchy name for your publication, one that people will remember.
  • Frequency: If you have a large, active community with plenty of activities on a regular basis, a weekly newsletter might serve you best. For smaller communities, a monthly or even quarterly publication might be a better choice.
  • Length: Consider how long you want your newsletter to be, and keep the length consistent from issue to issue. Remember, if you opt for a print newsletter longer than two pages, your page count will need to be a multiple of 4.
  • Format: Just like a newspaper or magazine, your newsletter will have regular sections and columns that will appear in every issue. Determine what you’ll want those sections to look like; for example, each issue might include a story on family health and wellness, a neighborhood family profile, a list of upcoming events, announcements (such as school closures), and a fun element like a seasonal trivia question or a pet-of-the-month photo.
  • Images: Every newsletter needs good visuals, so plan in advance where your publication’s images will come from. Will you use stock photography, original photos, or a combination of the two? Keep in mind that if you use photos of people in your community (especially kids), you’ll need to obtain permission.
  • Process: Decide who will create the content for each issue and what the editorial approval process will look like.
  • Schedule: Set a delivery date for each issue you will publish this year, then work backwards from each date to determine when layout needs to be done, when content needs to be completed, when images need to be submitted, etc.

The beginning of a new year is a perfect time for launching a newsletter to engage, inform, and entertain the families in your community. Plan your product carefully, build your team, put your processes in place, and get ready to reap the benefits of a vibrant, engaging publication that your families will love.

It’s only January, and already this winter has brought sub-freezing temperatures and even some snow to the southeast Texas area. With two more months until the first day of spring, it’s likely that there more wintry weather is on the way, and it’s not too late to protect the plant life in your kids outdoor playground area. Here are a few tips for making sure your trees, shrubs, and other plants around will be prepared for the chill and ready to bloom when spring rolls around.

Trim and prune trees. Winter is a great time to cut away branches that block views or that may be in danger of breaking off and creating a safety hazard. Pruning also promotes faster regrowth in the spring and gives root systems a chance to strengthen.

Keep roots warm. Adding an extra layer of mulch will give root systems additional insulation against the winter cold and helps sustain soil moisture.

Continue watering. Even though the above-ground portion of trees and plants may be dormant, root systems are still active and will continue to grow if they have an adequate supply of water.

Be ready for freezing temperatures. If your trees and shrubs are well mulched, they probably have adequate protection against the occasional light freeze. If temperatures are projected to fall into the 20s, make sure plants are well watered ahead of time — the water will actually act as an insulator — and cover them with old sheets, burlap, painter’s drop cloths, or or a similar fabric, but never with plastic.

Anchor plant coverings. If you need to cover plants, make sure your coverings reach all the way to the ground, and anchor them with bricks or rocks to protect against wind and keep heat inside.

 

Happy winterizing!

While families with children and young, active adults have traditionally been the target markets for community parks and recreational facilities, the “graying” of America is inspiring some bold new approaches. According to the most recent U.S. Census, 14.9 percent of the population in 2015 was age 65 or older, representing 47.8 million older adults. More of these seniors are choosing to “age in place” — remain in their homes of choice rather than transitioning to senior living facilities — which generates a greater demand for senior-oriented activities and services from local parks and rec facilities.

According to a recent survey by the National Recreation and Park Association, those demands are being heard loud and clear. Nine out of 10 agencies now dedicate programs, facilities, and programming to older adults. And 71 percent of those agencies characterize themselves as the leader or one of the leaders offering services and programming for older adults in their communities.

Diverse Services for a Diverse Group

While we tend to think of “seniors” as a single bloc, this demographic is actually a highly diverse group with an equally diverse array of needs and interests. According to the survey, parks and rec agencies are offering a varied slate of offerings for their senior patrons. Ninety-one percent of respondents offer exercise classes, and other offerings include

  • Field trips, tours, and group vacations: 70%
  • Arts & crafts classes: 67%
  • Volunteer opportunities in rec centers: 58%
  • Special events for seniors: 58%
  • Group walks: 53%
  • Volunteer opportunities in parks: 48%
  • Employment opportunities (leading classes, etc.): 47%
  • Group nature activities: 38%
  • Cooking and nutrition classes: 36%
  • Mentoring opportunities: 14%

Serving a Broad Age Range

While the U.S. Census defines “seniors” as those age 65 and older, parks and rec agencies are targeting their senior programs to those as young as 50. “This reflects not only the fact that older working Americans themselves have unique needs that park and recreation agencies can meet,” the report states, “but also represents an opportunity to keep these people connected with park and recreation after their children have left home and they may have become less active.” Forty-four percent of respondents have a minimum age of 50 for their senior programs, and 40 percent have a minimum age of 55.

Health and Wellness Rules

As seniors age, staying healthy and active becomes a priority, and parks and rec agencies are stepping in to help. Three-fourths of survey respondents offer one or more evidence-based wellness programs for older adults, including tai chi, fall prevention, diabetes prevention and self-management, and Arthritis Foundation programs.

Assessing the Demand

How do these agencies discover what older adults in their communities want and need from them? According to the survey, most respondents say they get direct response from current and potential users through

  • Surveys of community members: 73%
  • Target marketing and outreach: 60%
  • Community engagement at senior housing communities: 33%
  • Community engagement at faith-based organizations: 13%

To learn more about trends in senior programming among parks and recreation agencies, see the National Recreation and Park Association’s report Healthy Aging in Parks Survey

In today’s high-tech, digital-obsessed environment, some may be tempted to write off the local neighborhood community center as an anachronism. With such an abundance of resources available online, many of us may wonder whether we really need these facilities at all.

Yet according to a recent survey by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the demand for community-center services is stronger than ever, across all generations. “While traditionally these agencies have brought a focus of fitness and fun to their local community members of all ages,” the NRPA says, “now many also include healthy living classes, computer and internet availability, and older adult transportation, just to name a few.”

According to the poll, Americans are not only supporting their local community centers — they’re demanding more “nontraditional” services that go beyond the usual after-school programs and aquatic facilities:

  • 51 percent would like to see their local centers offer healthy living classes.
  • 46 percent want programming for older adults.
  • 45 percent want nature-based activities.
  • 43 percent want access to computers and the internet.
  • 41 percent want inclusive facilities for all abilities and all needs.
  • 38 percent want health clinics and services.

Even more surprising is the outcome that shows Millennials supporting community center services just as strongly as — if not more so than — their Gen X and Baby Boomer counterparts. 57 percent of the Millennials surveyed want fitness facilities at their local centers, 53 percent want healthy living classes, and 50 percent want out-of-school time programming.

For more information about the results, visit the NRPA’s blog post.

Accessible Playground and Inclusive Playground:

While the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) has been the law of the land since 1990, facilities managers of parks, churches, neighborhoods, and other properties are still figuring out how their playgrounds can best comply. They also realize that, regulations aside, offering a fun, engaging experience for kids of all abilities is just the right thing to do. Accessible Playground and Inclusive Playground are good for the families they serve, good for the community as a whole, and ultimately good for business.

As you explore different resources to learn more about accommodating kids with disabilities on your kids outdoor playground, you’ve probably come across the words “accessible” and “inclusive.” You may have wondered what the difference is between the two terms … or do they mean the same thing?

The answer is the two terms do have different meanings.

Playground equipment is accessible if it is usable by kids of any and all ability levels. Or to phrase it another way, it has no barriers that would prevent kids with disabilities from entering the grounds, accessing different elements, or navigating the landscape. For example, an accessible playground would have no barriers at the entrance or along pathways and would offer ramps leading to elevated areas.

Inclusive and Accessible Playground:

A playground is inclusive if it’s designed to encourage engagement and participation by children with disabilities. It goes beyond simply ensuring access and embodies a commitment to offering a fun day of play for all little ones, regardless of their physical condition. For example, an inclusive playground would offer a mix of activities that ensure kids who can’t slide or climb still have fun activities available to them. It also encourages social engagement among all visitors instead of isolating “special” elements in one area.

So if you’re looking at building a new accessible playground or replacing an old one, whether you opt for “accessible” or “inclusive” depends on the needs of your community, the space available, and of course, your budget. If your primary concern is complying with the ADA, taking steps to make your play space accessible will likely help you steer clear of problems. Inclusivity involves going one step further and requires a greater commitment of resources. If an inclusive playground is your goal, you may need to do some convincing to get the necessary funds allocated to your cause.

Of course, every facility’s needs and situation is different, and we’re always happy to help in Accessible Playgrounds. If you need some advice on accessibility and/or inclusivity features for your playground, just give us a call at (713) 939-9888.

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