ACCREDITATION FOR INCLUSIVE RECREATION
Many recreational & community programs bill themselves as inclusive of children with disabilities. But inclusive can mean many different things depending on where a program is on their unique journey.
What if there was a universally recognizable benchmark that participants and their families can see and KNOW, without a doubt, that a program practices full, meaningful inclusion that meets the highest of standards?
Official Accreditation by National Inclusion Project offers exactly that.
Powered by the Standards for Inclusive Recreation Programs, NIP's Accreditation process started in 2019, serves to recognize and confirm that a program is intentionally and successfully serving individuals with and without disabilities.
CONGRATS TO OUR ACCREDITED CAMPS!
- Bender JCC of Gtr Washington, Rockville, MD
- B’nai B’rith Camp, Portland, OR
- Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL
- Camp Howe, Goshen, MA
- Camp Manitou-Lin, Middleville, MI
- Camp Southern Ground, Fayetteville, GA
- JCC Camps at Medford, Medford, NJ
- Levin Jewish Community Center, Durham, NC
- YMCA Rock River Valley, Loves Park, IL
WHY ACCREDITATION?
for programs
For programs, accreditation can be used as an educational tool, or a more thorough way to assess their inclusion progress. It offers a clearly defined methodology showing just how achievable inclusion of children with disabilities really is.
for families
For families, NIP’s seal of accreditation means they can trust that your program will not only welcome their child(ren) but also provide opportunities that allow them to fully participate alongside all of their peers.
Path to accreditation
The path to Accreditation is tailored to each program. Programs first beginning their inclusion journey might benefit from a 2-year partnership grounded in training and development, gradually leading to Accreditation review laid out below. Programs with established inclusionary supports might dive right in to the process with a 6-12 month Accreditation partnership.
1
assess your program
Program reviews the standards and criteria and steps to accreditation, fills out an interest form online and NIP contacts them to complete an initial program assessment. The goal is to assess program readiness to pursue accreditation.
2
Complete workshop
Participate in a virtual in-depth Accreditation workshop, which explains the requirements for accreditation and how the process works.
3
Submit documentation
Prepare and submit written documentation and evidence for each standard, as outlined in the documentation guidelines.
4
host and participate in site visit
Prepare for & host an in-person or virtual site visit. Create a schedule/agenda for the site visit. Ensure that staff understand the purpose of the visit and convey to them that they should operate as they do every day.
The individual who participated in the Accreditation workshop should be prepared to facilitate the visit, participate in visitor interviews, & provide relevant information/documentation as needed throughout the process.
5
REview & decision
When all application materials and site visitations are complete, an accreditation review committee will consider all documentation and observation data. If the committee has any questions or concerns, they will contact the host and/or the visitor for clarification. Once the review is complete, NIP will notify the host site of the accreditation decision. Once Accreditation is earned, the designation of being a National Inclusion Project Accredited Program lasts 3 years.
LEARN MORE...
INFO SESSIONs
We offer a free info session to introduce you to the nuts and bolts of the process to become a nationally recognized Accredited Inclusive Recreation Program. Together, we explore the benefits of pursuing Accreditation as an educational tool for your program to assess your inclusion progress and overview the timelines, procedures, and requirements for Accreditation to help you assess readiness and plan for next steps.
WORKSHOPS
We've created a two-part interactive in-depth workshop to help equip your program with the information, tools, and understanding to prepare for and pursue accreditation as a National Inclusion Project Inclusive Recreation Program. Together, we measure program readiness for Accreditation through both instructor-guided and small group activities and get you ready for the next steps.
INTERESTED IN ACCREDITATION?
Want more information? Not sure where to start? Contact our Director of Inclusive Recreation Dr. Amanda Kloo with the form below to schedule a time to talk through your options, answer your questions and design a partnership to meet your needs.
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