Myrtle Beach Leader

Georgetown County Parks and Recreation has been designated a Better Sports for Kids Quality Program Provider by the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS). 

This honor, like the Good Housekeeping Seal given to household products that meet high standards, recognizes organizations that have met an equally high standard when it comes to administering youth sports programming, NAYS officials said. 

“These days parents have so many choices when it comes to youth sports, so the Better Sports for Kids Quality Program Provider designation is important to our organization since it sets us apart from other agencies,” said Beth Goodale, director of Georgetown County Parks and Recreation. “We are proud of all the work we have put in to providing high-quality programs for our community and with this designation, now parents have another layer of confidence in our programs. They can take comfort knowing their child is in the best place possible to learn and compete in sports.” 

“Parents typically have lots of questions and valid concerns when deciding where to enroll their child,” said John Engh, NAYS executive director. “We have taken the guesswork out of this important time in a young person’s life. When parents see that a program has the Quality Program Provider designation, they will know that we have already asked all the tough questions that they may not have even considered or perhaps were afraid of bringing up.” 

Additionally, the designation enables organizations to showcase the quality of their programs and highlight the benefits of children being involved in their offerings. 

“We always believed that we offered quality programs for our youth. But with this designation, parents can be guaranteed that we’re doing all of the right things to ensure their child has a safe, enjoyable experience in our leagues,” said Loren Wallace, Recreation Manager at Georgetown County Parks and Recreation and a Certified Youth Sports Administrator. 

To earn the Better Sports for Kids Quality Program Provider designation, a youth sports program must fulfill all the components associated with these five key requirements: 

• Written Policies and Procedures 
• Volunteer Screening 
• Coach Training
• Parent Education
• Accountability 

Within each of these five areas are important details that can sabotage experiences and ruin young lives that organizations must prove they address in order to earn the designation, such as if written policies exist regarding playing time; if concussion awareness information is disseminated to coaches; if volunteers are subject to background checks and social security number verification; if the organization has a system for receiving and responding to complaints; if the organization solicits feedback to evaluate programs; and more. 

“Organizations that earn this designation will stand out within their community for demonstrating that they have taken a proactive approach on some tough issues and are providing youth sports programs of the highest standard,” Engh said. 

Anyone interested in having their organization evaluated for the Better Sports for Kids Quality Program Provider designation can visit nays.org/quality; email nays@nays.org; or call (800) 729-2057. 

For more information about current programs available from Georgetown County Parks and Recreation, visit gtcparks.org. 

Original source can be found here.