The annual free Learn-to-Swim program will be available to approximately 3,000 children this summer at state parks across New York. Now in its fifth year, the Learn-to-Swim program is offered through a partnership among the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; New York State Department of Health; the American Red Cross; the National Swimming Pool Foundation and the Master Pools Guild; and the Northeast Spa and Pool Association Foundation.
The 2017 season will include individual classes taught for all ages and levels varying from swim lessons to water safety presentations at Riverbank State Park in Harlem and Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx.
Enrollment in the Learn-to-Swim program for children is open at all participating New York State parks. Participants’ parents are asked to sign up ahead of time as space is limited and expected to fill up quickly.
Each swimming class is 40 to 45 minutes in duration and participants who enroll in these lessons will receive a Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Achievement Booklet and a State Parks Learn-to-Swim kit that includes a knapsack, tee-shirt and water bottle at the conclusion of the program. Go to parks.ny.gov for more information.