In an effort to ease the minds of parents, the National Recreation and Park Association has launched a new program that will help to ensure that youth coaches and volunteers are first rate individuals. The program, called Operation TLC2, uses background checks to screen candidates for criminal offenses, and then issues photo identification badges to those who are selected. Since its launch in the fall, the program has thwarted 4,500 prospective volunteers with records showing sex offenses, violent crimes, and a variety of other felonies.

The inclusion of photo ID badges in the program allows players and parents to easily identify volunteers and coaches, providing them with a sense of security that didn’t exist previously. Before adopting the ID badge policy, most parks and recreation programs had no specific method for visually identifying those in charge. The ID badges help to change that, making it much easier to pinpoint who’s supervising the activity, and provide those volunteers with added credibility. A Photo ID System designed to print high-quality images and handle large demand for cards would be needed to create such a system.
Parks association members believe this is the first parks program of its kind that combines qualifying, ID credentialing, and training for volunteers. While many districts already conduct background checks, the screening is usually relegated to criminal records within an individual state. The new program screens for crimes from all 50 states, and provides the additional security benefits that come with photo identification. It’s all part of a conscious effort to make park districts safer by drawing the best possible volunteers.
Read more in the Courier-Journal…