Orange Community Education & Recreation announced that it has been granted accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). This prestigious recognition was awarded during the National Parks & Recreation Association’s Best of the Best Ceremony on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at the National Parks & Recreation Association’s annual conference held in Orlando, Florida.
CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and serves as a vital measure of an agency's overall quality of operation, management, and service to the community.
This accreditation formally recognizes Orange Community Education & Recreation's commitment to excellence and demonstrates that the agency meets national standards of best practice.
'We are incredibly proud to achieve CAPRA accreditation alongside some of the biggest and best parks and recreation departments in the country. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire staff. Our CAPRA journey has been about setting expectations and moving toward the implementation of new ideas, strong teamwork, and a fundamental belief in recreation for all,” said Jill Korsok, Director of Orange Community Education & Recreation.
The extensive accreditation process involved a detailed self-assessment submission of the agency’s compliance for 154 standards governing administration, organization, human resources, financial management, programming, and innovation. A comprehensive review and on-site visit this past May from the CAPRA team verified compliance with the required standards. Accreditation is granted for five years, after which the agency must undergo a reaccreditation process.
For the community, CAPRA accreditation assures that the agency meets national standards for best practices, recognizes and evaluates national trends, ensures responsiveness to community needs, and increases overall efficiency with a mindset of continuous improvement. Through the hard work and dedication of our entire staff, our CAPRA journey has been about our pursuit to provide the best possible services to our community by setting expectations and moving toward the implementation of new ideas, strong teamwork, and a fundamental belief in recreation for all.
About CAPRA: The Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) is an entity of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). CAPRA delivers quality assurance and improvement to accredited park and recreation agencies throughout the United States by providing a system of standards for efficient and effective operations. More information about CAPRA accreditation can be found at www.nrpa.org/certification/accreditation/CAPRA