Playground Association of America

Report of the Secretary to the Executive Committee covering the period: September 1, 1909 – January 20, 1910 at their Meeting on January 20, 1910

Ed. Note: Over the years, reflecting the organization’s changing mission, the Playground Association of America evolved.  The organization changed its name to the Playground and Recreation Association of America (1911-1930) and the National Recreation Association (1930-1965).  On August 14, 1965, the National Recreation and Parks Association was created when five organizations merged to form a single entity. The five merging organizations were all involved in the support of park and recreation service providers in the public sector and included the National Recreation Association (NRA), American Institute of Park Executives (AIPE), American Recreation Society (ARS) the National Conference on State Parks (NCSP), and the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (an affiliate of AIPE).

When the secretary began his official work on September 1, 1909, he found that the Association was without a field secretary.  Before September 1, he had spent a month of his own time in visiting various cities to study the playground situation, and he had also given considerable time to studying what had already been done by the Association.  It seemed to him that the Association was greately indebted to its president, Dr.  Luther H.  Gulick, and to its former field secretary, Mr.  Lee f.  Hanmer, and that it was a great loss to the Association to no longer have Mr. Hanmer’s services.  He accordingly proposed to the president that the secretary should confer with the members of the Board of Directors, and if they were willing he should endeavor to find citizens of wealth, who, appreciating the value of Dr.  Gulick’s and Mr.  Hanmer’s services, would be willing to contribute to the Association an amount sufficient to enable the Association to have the services of those two men.  Had this plan been followed, the executive work of the Association would of necessity have been reorganized.  The president of the Association felt that this plan ought not be followed, and the secretary was reluctantly compelled to abandon the plan.

The policy initiated by the Board of Directors at their meeting on June 19, 1909 was, therefore, continued and on November 16, as Chairman of the Playground Extension Committee of the Russell Sage Foundation, Dr. Gulick sent the following letter to the secretary:

“During the past two years the Playground Extension Committee has been using slides, models and pictures in the field work for playgrounds.  Sets of data concerning developments in the different cities, reports of personal visits, and indexes concerning available playground workers have been collected.

“In line with the agreed policy that every feature of this work that can be handled by the Playground Association shall be turned over to it, we shall be glad to let you have the following:

“260 lantern slides with about 75 printed description slips for each

2 shipping cases for lantern slides

5 models:

Municipal recreation center

School playground

Private school playground

Rural school playground

Playground and athletic field for small town

All pictures that have been collected by the Extension Committee, and that are now filed with other playground pictures in the Association office.

36 frames with celluloid front for exhibiting pictures

3 shipping cases for playground pictures and frames

A complete set of reports of 112 personal visits to cities

A summary of the information of file concerning the playground situation in 426 cities that operated playgrounds during the past smmer

A card index of 133 playground workers who have made application for positions, and the correspondence with the application blank for each.

“We shall be glad to turn this material over to you at once.”

the distribution of literature at conventions, the suggesting of speakers for various gatherings, the arrangements for playground exhibits, the conduct of the information bureau regarding available play leaders, the advising with different cities regarding their playground development – in fact, all the executive work of the playground movement, has been brought into the office of the Playground Association of America.  In order to assume these new responsibilities it has been necessary to concentrate upon the more essential work, leaving the less essential until such time as a larger revenue for the Association should make possible a larger office force.

As the weeks since September 1 have passed, it has become increasingly evident that the greatest need of the play movement at the present time in intensive field work.  Two hundred and forty-six cities have within the past two years established public playgrounds.  One hundred and fifty-four more are now conducting playground campaigns.  About four hundred cities need careful field work at the present time.  Many of these cities realize their need are asking for help.  Intensive field work done now will count for five times as much as work done five years later.  The president, the chairman of the Board of Directors, and the secretary agreed that three field secretaries are needed to work in the eastern, central, and western sections of our country, each giving full time to his district.  Yet the Association has no resources available with which such work could be undertaken.

Before appealing for money for this purpose it was felt that the members of the Board of Directors should be consulted.  Accordingly, the secretary conferred with as many as possible regarding the problem and wrote to the others.  About two-thirds of the directors heard from expressed themselves practically unanimously that arrangements for such field work should be made, and that the secretary would be acting in accordance with the wishes of the Board of Directors in making appeals for more funds to the Russell Sage Foundation and to interested individuals.  It has been felt that some persons would be willing to give for this specific purpose when they would not care to give to a general fund.

An appeal for aid in this direction has been made to the Director of the Russell Sage Foundation.  His answer has not yet been received.  If the answer is unfavorable, attempts to secure special gifts will be continued.  The problems of the playground movement are such that large sums of money can be used to great advantage.  It is necessary to develop a feeling of vital interest in a number of men influences, men of large vision, men of means who shall feel responsibility for the work, even if they are not officially connected with it as members of the Board of Directors.  We need men who would not only give largely themselves, but influence others to give.  The secretary feels that considerable time can wisely be given to building up this kind of support for the work of the Association.

Many visitors from different sections of the country come to the office of the Association to consult regarding their problems.  An opportunity is presented to interest them at the same time in supporting the movement for the entire country.

It is the opinion of the secretary that the extension of the playground movement into cities where it has not heretofore been established is progressing with sufficient rapidity; that in view of the limit to the number of trained leaders available, and the amount of field work possible at the present time, the extension of the playgrounds in such cities should be allowed to care for itself and should not be stimulated; that the strength of the Association should be concentrated on intensive work; that in many places the field workers should spend not less than three days and often two weeks in so helping the local people to organize their work that it shall be put on a solid and enduring basis; that there is particular need that certain key cities in different sections shall have particularly strong workers employed throughout the year, in order that high standards of work may be set for the surrounding district.  In places of moderate size it seems more important to.

Source: National Recreation Association Records. Box 1. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Social Welfare History Archives. Minneapolis, MN: https://www.lib.umn.edu/swha