Mayor Adams announces $5.5M investment to expand free swim lessons for 18,000 students
During a recent press briefing, Mayor Eric Adams announced that $5.5 million will be invested to expand free swim lessons to nearly 18,000 students. “The initiative will build a safer, more affordable city for NYC families,” said Mayor Adams.
“People don’t realize the role of play in the mental development of a child. Play is not just something that you do because you’re bored. No, play is how they learn how to be part of a community, how to enjoy time together, how to explore. The noise you hear behind us of these children playing is developing themselves, and I think the deputy mayor said it right. Rarely do you have a duality to a skill like swimming. Not only is it a form of play, in the form of social and emotional intelligence and development, it also saves lives,” he said.
“All of us experience the trauma when a child is lost due to drowning or by one of our pools or one of our beaches. We wanted to be proactive and deal with this issue in a real way, so we’re going to make a big splash this year in ensuring that we increase the number of young people who learn how to swim, and the earlier they start, the more adept they are to the water.”
“Congratulations to our second graders starting during their graduation today. We wish them well. We’re going to make sure that our kids can continue to learn to swim safely, and the beautiful thing is the four-letter New York City word for free. These are free programs. In our State of the City address in January, we announced that we would be expanding our free swimming classes to reach over 4,800 school second graders, 4,800 second graders,” said Mayor Adams.
He added, “Under this 5.5-million-dollar expansion, we will now reach nearly 18,000 students with this program, and this is so important out here with this space. I’m sure Councilman Moya would tell you many of our inner city children don’t get the opportunity to do these lessons, and if you were to do an analysis of where we’re having a deficit in those who know how to swim, you would go into the inner city Black and brown communities and communities where historically they’ve been underserved, but we’re going to be serving more kids and families in these underserved communities to give them the support that they need.”
The politician said the city will save families over $1.3 million on swim lessons. “We’re putting more money back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers because we know that having access to free swim lessons, pools, and beaches can make a difference in a family’s life. Listen, the beaches in our city that is, the French Riviera, that is, the Bahamas, and that is the exotic island somewhere. This is where every day New Yorkers go and ensure that they can enjoy the warm and the hot days of the summer, so think about the look of pride parents have up here on top, watching your baby swim.”
The mayor assured that parents would feel proud, watching their children swim, learning how to swim, and taking away one issue: whether their child is near water and won’t be able to swim correctly.
“This is how you build a safe and healthy community for families, and we want to make sure our children can both be safe and have fun here. That is why we are working to keep our kids safe at our world-class pools and beaches, and we will continue to do so. We are driving into safety so we can make New York City the safest community in this country. Enjoy the summer. This is a great kickoff. This is one of those fun events that we love,” said Mayor Adams.
Commissioner Sue Donoghue of the Department of Parks and Recreation thanked Mayor Adams and congratulations the kids present from P.S.24, Andrew Jackson, who just completed an eight-week swim for life lessons today.”
She said, “In government, it’s our job to give the next generation the tools they need to be healthy and successful. And in a city with 520 miles of shoreline and increasingly hotter summers, we know that swimming education is a critical skill that saves lives. Water safety is also a matter of equity. Far too many children in our city, as the mayor said, particularly students of color, lack access to swimming lessons. This puts lives at risk and limits opportunities for young people.”
“We are so proud at the Parks Department to offer this free swim program that meets kids where they are and to provide lessons during the school day. And I might add, it was probably a fun escape during the school day as well for a couple of hours. We’re breaking down barriers that have kept so many from participating, and, importantly, we’re building a pipeline of lifeguards for the future.”
“Once again, I’d like to thank our mayor, Eric Adams, who, from day one, has put safety, affordability, and opportunity at the forefront of his administration. Last year, we reached over 6,000 kids through our Swim for Life programming. With these investments in swimming infrastructure, we’ll be able to expand that even further this year, she said.
