Mayor announces free swim lessons expanding to 4,800 more students, many in underserved communities
NEW YORK CITY, New York (WABC) -- New York City's free swimming lessons program is expanding, bringing the life-saving skill to even more students in underserved areas.
First announced in January's State of the City address, Mayor Eric Adams and the city's Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue discussed the expansion at length on Tuesday.
The expansion will make the free swim lessons, which take place in pools at city public schools and select third-party locations, available to an additional 4,800 second graders.
The $5.5 million expansion brings the program's total students served to almost 18,000, with a specific focus on underserved communities.
"To make New York City the best place to raise a family, we must continue to invest in the services that families need and deserve, and that includes swim safety," Adams said. "Expanding free swimming classes will enrich our young people's lives and keep them safe."
By offering the free classes, the program not only gives more students the chance to learn a skill that could save their lives, but also makes the city's beaches and pools available to even more people.
"As New York City summers get hotter, New Yorkers of all ages increasingly rely on our 14 miles of beaches and dozens of public pools to cool off," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeffrey Roth.
In addition, Adams and his administration have been working to hire more lifeguards for city pools and beaches, amid a nationwide shortage. This marks another step in expanding access to what the city has to offer.
"While we invest in the hardware, spending over $1 billion to retrofit and build new city pools, all that infrastructure only goes so far without the safety skills to go along with it," Roth said. "We're starting kids early, in second grade, providing free swim safety classes so kids build skills that will follow them for the rest of their lives."
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