New resources from NRPA: How parks and recreation has responded to the pandemic

Throughout the pandemic, parks and recreation agencies have been essential partners in supporting community wellbeing and reopening efforts. According to a survey conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), more than 190 million U.S. residents visited a park, trail, or other public space at least once during the first three months of the pandemic—fifty-two percent of people indicate that their use of local parks has increased and eighty-three percent of U.S. adults agree that visiting their local parks, trails, and open spaces have been essential for their mental and physical well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to providing a safe space for community members to exercise, gather in socially distant ways, and find a bit of peace among nature, parks and recreation agencies are supporting students and families this fall by providing extended childcare hours to accommodate for virtual learning and adjusted school-day schedules, providing Wi-Fi to support virtual learning for those families without or with limited access, supplying meals, and offering spaces for schools in need of additional facilities to follow new health and safety guidelines. Out-of-school-time (OST) programs play a major role in facilitating these services.

How can parks and recreation programs respond to the impact of COVID-19 in their communities?

To support OST programs engaging in this work, NRPA has identified a new guide to assist programs in recognizing the ways they can best respond to the needs in their communities. “When Learning Starts: Playbook for Healthy School Communities” was developed by Kaiser Permanente and outlines many different ways that communities can address the challenges that have arisen from this “new normal.” NRPA has pulled out several key points from this guide that are especially relevant for OST programs:

• Acknowledge the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, especially taking into consideration youth who were facing traumas and adversity before the pandemic that have been exacerbated in the last 6 months;
• Understand the impact of COVID-19 on social drivers of health and create a network of support to meet the particular needs of families who require additional services or resources;
• Prioritize physical activity and physical education, as access to physical activity has been severely limited in many communities with shelter-in-place orders and physical education can be a valuable space to incorporate building SEL skills; and
• Focus on staff well-being—identifying and addressing the individual challenges that staff are facing, including financial concerns, new workplace obstacles to feeling safe, and increased stress and burnout, enables staff to feel supported and in turn better support the youth and families they work with.

What long-term impact will COVID-19 have on parks and recreation?

In recognition of the flexible role that parks and recreation agencies have played over the course of the last 6 months, NPRA has also published a piece outlining the ways that parks and recreation will change forever as a result of the pandemic, the economic recession, and the increased national attention on racism and racial inequity. The design of spaces may change physically and the funding structure of sites might shift to include a more diverse set of funding sources and partnerships. Agencies may shift to a greater focus on holistic community health, placing mental and physical health on the same level of prioritization. Parks and recreation must also address the inequities of access and health disparities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic—accordingly, six in seven park leaders note that the pandemic has impacted strategic priorities in health equity and social justice at their agency.

How can parks and recreation programs respond to the growing rates of mental health and substance use coming out of COVID-19?

One particular area of focus in addressing health disparities, especially in park and recreation spaces, is substance use and mental health—given recent challenges associated with the opioid epidemic, rising rates of mental health conditions, and the impact of COVID-19, out-of-school-time and community-based programs will have an even bigger role to play in responding to substance use and mental health challenges. NRPA has released a new report that outlines the ways that parks and recreation facilities can respond to these challenges, including how to respond to substance use occurring in parks and recreation spaces, how to support community members impacted by substance use, and how to focus their efforts on prevention. Including case studies and recommendations for best practices, the report is a comprehensive look into the many different levels of community response and the role that out-of-school time programs can play in this response.

For more resources from the National Recreation and Park Association on how programs can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, check out their Path to Recovery.