Why Become a CPSI?

A personal perspective

It will most likely not result in a pay increase, but increased responsibility. It will require hours of study in preparation for a two-day certification course, as well as time away from family and work for two to three days.

Why would anyone want to put themselves through two days of intensive lectures and field training, and then top it off with a comprehensive 100-question certification test?

The answer is that we can all make a great difference in someone's life, many we will never see or meet. We can help make many children's lives more enjoyable and safe as they play on the playgrounds we maintain.

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
-Winston Churchill

In today's busy world, most try to slow things down and give ourselves and our families a chance to enjoy life. We look for opportunities for our children to grow physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. Safe playgrounds can help make this happen. Young children need time and places to play. Too often, it is in front of the TV or computer. Those things are not bad in and of themselves, but too much of anything can pose problems. This is where you and I can make a difference.

There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone's life.
-Sister Mary Rose McGeady

As we move further into the twenty-first century, studies find that today children need more play to help them create and explore, help in their physical development, and spend more time with their families. We can become skilled in maintaining safe playgrounds and become advocates for children's safety on playgrounds. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in the early 1980s, published its first information on playground safety. Since then, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has published a performance standard on public playgrounds, and the National Recreation and Park Association was formed to provide training and certification on playground safety. Today, there are NPSI training institutes throughout the world that teach the important issues of playground safety.

You can become a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and gain a firm base of knowledge on playground safety to aid in providing safe playground environments. We are a very important part of advocating for children's safety on playgrounds and can help our schools, parks, daycares, etc.

Are children important to us? Absolutely, they are our future. Can we make a difference? Without question, and in some cases, a bigger difference than we will ever know.

Our rewards in life will be in direct proportion to the contributions we make.
-Anonymous.

If you aren't a CPSI, consider becoming one of a very select group of trained and passionate individuals working to make our children's lives on the playgrounds enjoyable and safe. If you are already a CPSI, maybe it is time for you to reevaluate and reenergize your approach and commitment to playground safety. Remember...