By Marissa Willman
With temperatures already soaring into the triple digits, not much sounds better than a refreshing dip in a cool pool. Luckily, Desert Recreation District’s three community pools—Pawley Pool in Indio, Bagdouma Pool in Coachella and Mecca Pool—will be open to the public for Memorial Day weekend.
The three pools will officially open for summer on June 16th and Desert Recreation District will offer a multitude of aquatic programs at each pool for various age groups and ability levels. Parents can take their infants and toddlers for swim lessons with the hands-on “Parent & Me” program while 3- to 6-year-olds can learn everything from basic water safety and how to blow bubbles to techniques such as butterfly kick and backstroke. Children ages 6 ½ to 13 can also participate in swim lessons based on their levels.
Sessions last for 10 days and five separate sessions will be held over the summer, with the first session beginning on June 18th.
In addition to offering swim lessons, each pool will also be available daily for open swim. The pool facilities can also be rented out for private swim sessions or birthday parties.
Thanks to a grant provided by Kaiser Permanente, the Desert Recreation District will offer free swim lessons, summer swim passes and lifeguard training programs to qualified applicants through Operation Splash. The program is part of Kaiser Permanente’s Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) program that works to combat the obesity epidemic through physical activity. Qualified children can receive a free session of swim lessons and the family receives open swim passes for the summer. The kick-off event for Operation Splash will be held on June 2nd at Pawley Pool.
Youth ages 11 to 14 who can swim 50 yards can participate in the American Red Cross’ junior lifeguard program at Pawley and Bagdouma Pools. Students learn the essentials of lifeguarding: prevention, fitness, response, leadership and professionalism.
Children looking for a summer sport can join the 7-week junior water polo program at Pawley Pool that starts June 22. Designed for 8- to 14-year-olds with at least intermediate swimming skills, this program teaches water polo techniques and strategy.
For more information on schedules, pricing and reservations, call Desert Recreation District at (760) 347-3484 or visit MyRecreationDistrict.org.
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