More Opportunities to Learn How to Swim

Can’t swim? You’re not alone if you are a member of the African American community. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal,  70% of African-American children and 58% of Hispanic children have little or no swimming ability, compared with 40% of Caucasian children.

Evidence of a continued swimming gap comes as the economic slowdown has cut back opportunities for inner-city kids to swim. While some cities are cutting back on pool hours if not closing pools altogether, and are also cutting public-safety budgets, including money for lifeguards, that is NOT the case here in Atlanta.

The City of Atlanta is reopening more than a dozen pools for residents. A few of the community pools were already open for Memorial weekend, the rest  opened  today, the Tuesday after the holiday.

Mayor Kasim Reed ran on the promise that he would reopen the city’s rec centers, some of which had been closed for a few years. Five of the pools being reopened were closed last year.

Here is the list of pools and their schedules.

The operating hours and days for the pools will vary.  Daily rates are $4 adults and $2 for children and senior citizens.   Children under 5 years of age are free.

Don’t be scared…this summer jump on in! The water is just fine!