June 2024 News

Hi SF Kids Swim Families,

Currently, the core SF Kids Swim Team has had two meetings with SF RecPark staff. We've had productive conversations about issues facing parents and families, and we've also been given insights into the issues the SF Aquatic program faces. The biggest issue the aquatic program faces for the 2024-2025 fiscal year is budget cuts. While we cannot speak to specific figures, we can point you to an article about Mayor London Breed's budget, which indicates that the RecParks department is facing a 3% cut. Programs within the department could face even larger cuts, including aquatics. This means we need to work even harder to boost and advocate for the aquatics program.

Onto the good news!

Better after-work swim access!

Thanks to our dialogue, RecPark staff has identified good opportunities to provide better access for working families while making seasonal adjustments for pool schedules. Tuesday through Friday, there is at least one pool open for family swim after 5 pm. Before this seasonal change, only two pools offered after 5 pm swim, but now all 8 of 9 pools offer at least one day for after 5 pm swimming. In the next few days you find the pool schedules updated here and the city wide drop-in schedule here. Here the new after work hour time slots for the summer season:

Balboa: Thu 5:45-7:00pm
Coffman: Wed 5:45-7:00pm
Garfield: Wed 4:00-7:00pm (Small Pool)
Hamilton: Wed 6:30-8:00pm & Fri 6:30-8:00ppm
Mission: Fri 5:30-7:00pm
MLK: no after work hours
North: Beach Tue 3:30-5:00pm & Fri 5:30-7:00pm
Rossi: Wed 6:30-7:30pm & Th 6:30-7:30pm
Sava: Fri 5:30-7:30pm

Hamilton pool slides are open during Saturday swim hours!:

It's been a few years since they have been available. 

The Aquatics program will be sending out a survey:

This is an excellent opportunity for families to provide feedback. We'll send out a follow-up email letting you know about the survey. Be sure to fill it out to ensure families are well represented. Also, this would be a great place to let the Aquatics program know that Sunday swims are important.

SF Kids Swim is going to have its first open meeting:

July 17th 8pm we are going to have our first open virtual meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to help set our goals and strategy for the coming fall. We are particularly interested in finding “pool champions”, people who can advocate, report and do outreach at their local pool. Please reply to this email to have the calendar invite sent to you.

Please share the good news about the updated summer schedules. Set up some family playdates; we want to see families out having fun swimming this summer!

Thanks,
SF Kids Swim Team