Excellence in Recreation Program

Excellence in Recreation Site Recognition Benefits

Aligning your outdoor play site to these best practices and creating a high-quality outdoor recreational environment allows you to:

• Create positive attention to your school, park, community, etc. 
• Become a thought leader in outdoor recreation 
• Leverage this recognition for future funding 
• Have a model site that others can replicate Share the positive impact you have towards community recreation

Excellence in Recreation Recognition

• Receive a letter for recognition 
• Receive complimentary, special signage installed at your site 
• Receive a Superior Recreational Products’ Excellence in Recreation award/certificate to display 
• Receive a complimentary photo and/or video shoot of your site to aid in the marketing of your site 
• National and local press release 
• A marketing kit to use for your own marketing purposes 
• Project to be featured in Superior Recreational Products’ marketing, including a page dedicated to your project on our website

Excellence in Recreation Design Criteria

Our Excellence in Recreation award is driven by the theme of empowering communities to play, relax, and live. All of the below criteria must be met to be considered for this award. Additionally, all projects must be submitted during the design phase to be considered for this award. 

Play Design Criteria 

The site should encourage play and/or fitness for all through the implementation of: 

1. The play and/or fitness area must fulfill multiple, age-appropriate developmental aspects for children including, but not limited to, physical, social-emotional, sensory, cognitive, or communication development.
2. The play and/or fitness area must incorporate multi-sensory events including large/small motor, social, tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, or visual events.
3. The play area should be designed to avoid conflicting play patterns and blind spots that hinder supervision. 
4. The play area must be fully inclusive and provide play opportunities for people of all abilities. 
5. The site must meet or exceed all ASTM and CPSC safety standards and must be installed by a CPSI (Certified Playground Safety Inspector) Certified Installer.

Relax Design Criteria 

The site should encourage community gathering and relaxation through the implementation of: 

1. A shaded gathering space with amenities 
2. Other places to relax within the site (i.e. a bench near the playground) 

Live Design Criteria 

The site should encourage community involvement and intergenerational use through the implementation of: 

1. The site must be thoughtfully and intentionally designed to encourage intergenerational use (such as supporting engagement between children and their caregivers or providing equipment or activity opportunities for both children and adults) and must be fully accessible to people of all abilities. 
2. The project must have evidence of community involvement and input in the site’s design and selection. Additionally, there must be evidence that the customer raised community awareness around the project in the form of a project website, newsletter, grand opening event, working with other community organizations, town hall meeting, etc. 
3. The project must contribute to the overall health and wellness of the community (i.e. the site must be open to the public).

How to Apply

A SRP Certified Partner must nominate a current customer’s project during the design phase and fill out our Excellence in Recreation Site Registration Form. Applications during the design phase will allow for two things:

• Input from Superior Recreational Products to ensure the design meets criteria
• The complimentary, special signage to be shipped with project

What are you waiting for? Apply today!