Agency Accreditation

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Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) strives to provide clean, safe and inclusive parks with diverse opportunities for all. Accreditation from local, statewide, and national organizations assures residents they are receiving high-quality facilities and programs that meet the highest standards for park and recreation professionals.

Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies

Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) has been reaccredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) at the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference, reaffirming its status as a top park and recreation agency nationally. Sarasota County demonstrated compliance with 154 standards, enhancing efficiency and accountability, resulting in improved service quality for the community.

Nicole Rissler, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources, credits Sarasota County's dedication in serving the vibrant community for this accomplishment. PRNR manages 55,000+ acres of parkland, offering beaches, trails, athletic facilities and more. This reaccreditation reflects our commitment to making Sarasota County the ultimate destination for living, working and recreation.

CAPRA provides the only national accreditation of park and recreation agencies; earning this accreditation is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management, and service to the community. CAPRA accreditation indicates that an agency has met rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities, resources, programs, safety, and services through independent evaluation.

Members of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources CAPRA team

Members of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources team.

American Camp Association Accreditation

American Camp Association (ACA) Accreditation

Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) continues to be recognized as one of the elite park and recreation agencies across the country by earning American Camp Association (ACA) Accreditation for the department’s summer day camp program(s).

Summer camps serve children ages 6 to 13 with a wide variety of activity and interest-based camps in June and July, with mini-camps offered into August, across multiple locations throughout Sarasota County. The now-accredited programs of Day/Adventure camps host approximately 1,000 children each summer.

It is the first time PRNR’s summer camps have received the ACA recognition.

“Our staff here at Sarasota County are dedicated to making the summer camp experience the best it possibly can be for the children who attend,” said Nicole Rissler, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. “We are proud of this team and are excited to celebrate their achievement with this recognition.”

ACA Accreditation means that PRNR's summer camp program submitted to a thorough review of its operation by the ACA — from staff qualifications and training to emergency management — and complied with the highest standards in the industry. ACA is the only independent accrediting organization reviewing camp operations in the country. ACA’s nationally recognized standards program focuses primarily on the program quality, health and safety aspects of a camp’s operation. ACA collaborates with experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Red Cross, and other youth-serving agencies to assure that current practices at the camp reflect the most up-to-date, research-based standards in camp operation.

American Public Works Association

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Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources is one of nine departments within Sarasota County having achieved accreditation and reaccreditation from the American Public Works Association (APWA), demonstrating the county's dedication to excellence and strategic objectives. The APWA accreditation confirms that these nine departments, including PRNR, adhere to the recommended management practices detailed in APWA’s Public Works Management Practices Manual.

APWA’s accreditation process includes five major phases:

· Self-Assessment: Internal review of an agency’s practices compared with the recommended practices in the manual.

· Application: Submission of a formal application to commit to the Accreditation Program.

· Improvement: Addressing areas needing improvement to comply with recommended practices.

· Evaluation: Requesting a site visit for review and evaluation of the agency’s compliance.

· Accreditation: The Accreditation Council reviews the site visit results and team recommendations to decide on awarding accreditation.

The initial accreditation is valid for four years, with semi-annual updates required to maintain compliance. After that period, a reaccreditation process builds on the original accreditation, encouraging continuous improvement and compliance with newly identified practices. The accreditation and reaccreditation processes allow Sarasota County to review operations and procedures, gauge compliance with industry standards and make improvements to benefit the community. Sarasota County ensures it remains aligned with best practices and continually enhances its services.