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 Unified Core is an innovative approach to higher education that blends content through linked courses within a major to create a community of learners. This article offers the theoretical background for the approach, describes the implementation, and offers suggestions to educators who would like to design their own version of this innovative…

Rural community colleges have an often understated impact on the communities they serve, especially in regard to their role in developing the identity of individuals. The ability of the rural community college to influence individual identity development is often exasperated due to the challenges associated with rural American life. The role of…

At the beginning of the 20th Century, collegiate campus recreation programs were moved from student controlled entities and placed under the supervision of academic or athletic departments (Milton, 2008a). As such programs grew and became more popular among the general student populations on America's college campuses, administrative oversight was…

Modern American society faces challenges that are much different from those that the early pioneers of American play face. Play deprivation, or lack of play, is the result of children's unwillingness to choose free and spontaneous outdoor play such as that which occurs in parks and other natural settings. A lack of play in natural settings leads…

Youth are often the primary group for parks and recreation organizations, yet recreation professionals are often not adequately prepared in the principles and practices of youth development. Similarly, youth workers outside the recreation field often lack information on basic recreation program design and activity leadership. Improving access to…

The professional responsibilities of administrators of parks and recreational facilities were emphasized in the keynote address to the twenty-seventh annual conference of the Southwest Park and Recreation Training Institute. The institute was founded with the objectives of fostering the gathering and dissemination of information with reference to…

Presents a concise overview of the summer youth recreation programs and facilities in Russia. Lack of funding represents a problem as does the decline of trade union support. Some private entrepreneurial camps have turned their facilities over to the government. Includes brief descriptions of types of programs and the number of youth served. (MJP)

The question of how close a recreation program approximates the original objective of the programer can only be answered by extensive evaluation. The true value of the total recreation program may be determined by evaluating the benefit of a recreation program to the participant. (JN)

This book is written for the parks and recreation practitioner and the municpal manager who has the overall responsibility for program operations and for preparing proposals for external funding. The marketing plan targets such groups as the municipal director of parks and recreation, city managers, outdoor recreation specialists, and nature…

A needs assessment concluded that trained personnel for correctional recreation were necessary to develop an understanding of the needs of prison inmates. The objectives of correctional recreation are: to assist the inmate in adjusting to institutional living; to develop interests and skills; and to make beneficial use of leisure time. (JN)

The second of nine reports (EC 114 401-409) on community recreation for the handicapped focuses on 18 model community-based programs. An introductory section presents an overview of information (including philosophy, population, program activity, consumerism, and interagency coordination) of the model programs. Separate descriptions of the 18…

Provides sources of information for older persons desiring to find employment. Describes Federal Volunteer Agency programs, the U.S. Small Business Administration program, and U.S. Department of Labor Programs. Lists several recreation programs developed for older adults. (RC)

The American Correctional Association's Project CULTURE represents the first federally funded program designed to bring arts and leisure programs to inmates in long-term correctional institutions. In addition to Project CULTURE, a national survey on the status of the arts and recreation in correctional institutions was conducted. (JN)

The document offers proceedings of the First National Conference on Special Recreation for the handicapped which coincided with the dedication of White Oak Village/Mountwood Park (West Virginia), a recreational facility designed to serve as a national model for meeting the recreational needs of the handicapped. An introductory paper by E. Lehew…