As summer approaches and city pools prepare to open, New York City officials are expanding access to a skill that can save lives and help families beat the heat.

Registration is now open for the city’s free Learn to Swim program, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday. Classes will be offered at 18 outdoor pools across the five boroughs this summer, up by eight locations compared to last year.

The expansion will create slots for more than 16,000 young swimmers, according to City Hall.

What You Need To Know

Registration is open for NYC Parks’ free Learn to Swim program at 18 outdoor pools citywide

The city is offering more than 16,000 class slots this summer, an increase from last year

Classes run from July 6 through Aug. 28 and serve children ages 18 months to 17 years old

Families can apply through an online lottery system, with unselected applicants placed on a waiting list

The program, operated by NYC Parks, teaches thousands of children between the ages of 18 months and 17 years how to swim. Officials say the classes help families avoid “hundreds of dollars in lesson costs while building lifelong water safety skills.”

Close to 6,000 children and parents with young children participated in outdoor pool classes last summer, City Hall said.

“New York City is a beach town, with 14 miles of beaches and dozens of public pools for New Yorkers who want to cool off on a hot summer day,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Every child deserves to enjoy the water safely.”

NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura said the city is offering Learn to Swim classes at the most outdoor pool locations since 2019.

“Water safety is fundamental, and every child in New York City should have access to life-saving swimming instruction,” Shimamura said in a statement. “This will ensure that more New Yorkers can learn critical life skills right in their own communities and experience a safe and fun summer in the water.”

This year’s summer session runs from July 6 through Aug. 28. Free swim instruction is also offered during the fall, winter and spring.

Registration takes place via an online lottery system, and applicants who aren’t chosen will automatically be added to a wait list.

All of NYC Parks’ outdoor pools are scheduled to open for the season on June 27.

A full list of pools where classes will be taking place this summer is below:

Brooklyn

Kosciusko Pool
McCarren Pool
Sunset Pool
Bushwick Pool
Betsy Head Pool

The Bronx

Van Cortlandt Pool
Crotona Pool
Claremont Pool

Manhattan

Asser Levy Pool
Gottesman Pool
Hamilton Fish Pool
Jackie Robinson Pool
John Jay Pool

Queens

Astoria Pool
Fisher Pool
Liberty Pool

Staten Island