Recreation Activity Centers
Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks' (BCRP) former Police Athletic League (PAL) centers are now Recreation Activity Centers (RACs)! There are nine RACs:
- Cockeysville
- Dundalk
- Hillendale
- Lansdowne
- Mars Estates
- Middle River
- Rosedale
- Scotts Branch
- Shady Spring
- Winfield
- Woodmoor
PROGRAMS
Everyone can participate at RACs—there will be activities available to children and adults of all ages. An adult must accompany children under the age of six.
Most RAC programs are free. Programs that have a cost associated with them will be offered soon. Scholarships will be available to those who need assistance. For the safety of all participants, all attendees at RACs will check in when they enter the facilities.
Similar to the former PAL model, RACs will offer after-school programming along with meals and snacks for the youth. They will also continue to sponsor offsite activities and field trips. RAC centers will be community based, so if there are programs that were favorites, they will stay. If there are requests for new offerings, BCRP looks forward to implementing them.
Drop-in programs and spaces will remain as they did with PAL centers.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES
There will be programs for adults and younger children who traditionally were limited from PAL programming which caters to ages 8 to 17. Recreational, social and wellness opportunities will be made available to a broader range of people in our communities. RACs will allow for and expand programming to meet the needs of the communities, including programming and space for all ages.
New to RACs will be themed sites. Most of the upcoming themes are based on the community history with all of them focusing on community building and positivity. Follow along on social media as the RACs unveil themes over the next few months.
HOURS OF OPERATION
RACs will be open on weekdays, Monday through Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. Based on community needs, hours and days of operations may expand by location in future phases of operations.
Hours of operation for after school programming are 3 to 6 p.m.
ABOUT THE NAME CHANGE
Recreation Activity Centers (RACs) is a more accurate name and description of the new, expanded programming format taking place in our centers. PAL stands for Police Athletic Leagues and is a part of a national association. When the PAL centers collaborated with the Department of Recreation and Parks in 1996, police were onsite to facilitate athletic leagues and the program was administered by the Baltimore County Police Department (BCoPD). While athletics remain an important component of programming, they are only one aspect of what RACs will offer. RACs will still collaborate with our local BCoPD on programming and special events, but the talented BCRP team will lead the offerings. In addition to offering athletic programs, including new drop-in play, BCRP is excited to offer recreation programming such as nature, art, youth development, health and wellness, multicultural activities and more.