Agencies share secrets of successful programming

Park districts respond to community needs with varied activities.

Editor's Note: The IPR staff recently contacted various park districts about their programs. Districts were asked to explain the criteria used in evaluating the effectiveness of activities, their most (and least) successful programs last year, program expansion plans and the type of future programming that might be needed.

Limited space does not make it possible to print the complete answers of the nine respondents. However, excerpts have been compiled into the following article.

Program evaluations by participants and staff, and class size, are among the techniques most frequently used to measure the effectiveness of an activity, but they are not the only evaluation tools employed by park and recreation agencies. All of the respondents use a combination of criteria when assessing their programs.

The Rockford Park District, for example, relies partially on People Pollers, which are special surveys conducted at various district sites. They provide information about community needs and concerns.

Budget figures are also sometimes used as a measure of success in combination with other criteria. The Glenview Park District feels that a program should generate a minimum 15 percent profit. In Downers Grove, most programs are budgeted to earn a 10 percent net after all direct expenses. (This does not include indirect expenses, such as full-time staff salaries and facilities costs.) Some special events are budgeted to break even while many are offered free to residents.

Logistical considerations are among the secondary evaluation tools employed by the Urbana Park District. These include the adequacy of advance planning, location, manpower, publicity, the ability of the program to meet a target population and budgetary concerns.

The Joliet Park District believes a successful program meets three criteria. First, it reaches many people in a community either by direct or spectator participation and has a positive impact. It also endures over a period of time and has a reasonable fee that encourages participation by all sectors of the community.

Other criteria used to measure program success include information from seasonal employee questionnaires, waiting lists, demand for additional classes, and feedback from the community, parents and non-resident users.

Successes of 1985

What programs were the most popular last year? The Lunch with Santa program and a Chipmunk Club for three and four-year-olds received high marks at the Downers Grove Park District, while the concert band and intergenerational programs with senior citizens and preschoolers were the most popular in Glenview.

The DesPlaines Park District reported that its Rand Pool and Waterslide was a top attraction, as 140,000 youths, teens and adults enjoyed the facility. Its second most popular program was Lake Park, a 73-acre park that features an inland lake, an 18-hole golf course, and activities for all ages ranging from day camp arts and crafts to jogging and live entertainment.

An Old Fashion Sunday topped the list of the Peoria Park District's activities last year. Now in its 11th year, this event offers family-oriented activities, entertainment, music and contests which represent the period around 1900. Revenues from concessions, rides and balloon sales are designed to make the event self-supporting.

Peoria residents also enjoyed the dis-

Illinois Parks and Recreation 31 May/June 1986

Lunch with Santa, an annual special event cosponsored by the Downers Grove Park District and the Downers Grove Noon Lion's Club, is held on two consecutive Saturdays each December to accommodate the tremendous interest of children 4 to 7 years of age. Approximately 200 children participate each year in the program. (Photo courtesy of Suburban Life Graphic.)

trict's seventh annual Zoo Day. Sponsored in cooperation with the Friends of Glen Oak Zoo, KZ-93 Radio and Coca-Cola, festivities began with a "Zoo Run Run" 5K race and featured a free day at the zoo.

Past attendance has ranged between 5,000 and 10,000 people Proceeds raised vary from $3,000 to $8,000, and are used for special projects at the zoo.

The Hoffman Estates Park District joined with local businesses to stage a summer kickoff last year. A fishing derby, pie eating contest, balloon launch, 5K and 10K run, live entertainment and other summer activities made the event most successful for the district.

Also high in popularity was the district's Halloween Happening, which was offered as an alternative to trick-or-treating. Penny carnival booths, costume judging, cartoons and apple bobbing were featured.

With a little help from her friends, an eager participant squeezes through the "re-birth" tire on the teams course at the Rockford Park Districts Atwood Environmental Education Center. (Photo by Vance Barrie, Bockford Park District.)

Soccer, softball and preschool topped programs at the Joliet Park District, while youth sports and camp programs, and senior citizen programs (church and brunch trips), were favorites in Glen Ellyn. The Urbana Park District's most popular activity was Prairie Settlers' Day, a family-oriented living historical event that featured an authentic log cabin, treats from a general store, pioneer games and a special hike that introduced participants to a variety of prairie settlers.

Halloween Haunts, a cooperative venture of the Urbana and Champaign Park Districts, was also successful last year. Ten activity stations with treats were provided as an alternative for trick-or-treating. Community corporate support permitted the event to be offered without charge to all area school-age children.

Programs at the Atwood Environmental Education Center were very successful for the Rockford Park District. School groups (fourth through eighth graders) enjoyed cookouts, nature crafts projects, mini-education units and astronomy. The center also hosts Saturday day camps, one-day winter programs and weekend activities. More than 5,486 residents and non-residents participated in the Center's programs last year.

The district's Junior Golf Program for youths nine and older was rated best in the nation last year with the Golf Digest's Citizenship Award for Municipalities. Approximately 1,500 junior golfers participated in 1985, including 350 season permits and more than 10,000 rounds of golf on the district's four courses.

New ventures

All of the responding agencies either

Illinois Parks and Recreation 32 May/June 1986

implemented new programs in 1985 or have plans to do so this year. Some of these include Baskets from Bunny which features home-delivered baskets of goodies for children (Glen Ellyn), creative cooking and computer classes (Joliet), a Par-T computerized golf machine that can be used either as a driving range or to play a round of golf (Hoffman Estates), and expanded facility rentals and inner city programs (Peoria).

Parties on days when school is not in session were introduced in DesPlaines, and the concert band made its debut in Glenview. Other new programs include a birthday party service and mad mud mania (Downers Grove), various nature programs and a "King Video Kids" program to introduce the arts to area youths (Urbana), and curling and a high ropes/teams course (Rockford).

Change of plans

Various districts also reported program cancellations. Declining interest prompted the DesPlaines Park District to cancel its grade school football and buy and sell programs. Peoria closed its ski hill because of high insurance costs and an outdoor ice rink because of low usage.

The Rockford Park District cancelled its Halloween festival, summer track and field program, youth concerts, summer youth band and additional programs which are available from other community organizations. Low enrollments prompted the Downers Grove Park District to cancel its entertainment extravaganza, body building competition, bed races, frisbee contest, teams course trip, running partners, slam dunk basketball league, break dancing, baton, round dancing and sleep tight overnight programs.

Glenview dropped its early bird aerobics and trimnastics classes. Overly aggressive parents have caused the Glen Ellyn Park District to cancel its Easter egg hunt, while waning interest and staffing difficulties prompted the elimination of its New Year's Eve sleep over for kids.

The Urbana Park District's "Lots for Tots" daily half-day preschool program, volksmarches and the Champaign-Urbana 10K run were all cancelled last year because of decreasing participation. Budget cuts forced the termination of the district's Arts Month's activities.

However, the Hoffman Estates Park District did not cancel any programs last year. This was attributed to a new policy which offers some programs only once or twice throughout the year as opposed to on a year-round basis.

Looking ahead

The majority of the respondents forecasted a need for more programs which serve preschoolers and senior citizens. Others indicated a greater emphasis on family-oriented activities, accessibility for the disabled, non-supervised recreational activities, innovative and individualized fitness opportunities, more programs featuring "hands on" experience and specialized art activities.

In addition, some of the respondents foresee greater cosponsorship of recreational programs with special interest user groups and alternate revenue sources (other than program fees) to offset rising program costs.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 33 May/June 1986