NYC Parks, Asphalt Green celebrate expansion of free swim for life program to reach more students in 2024-25 school year

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue and Asphalt Green CEO Jordan Brackett celebrated the expansion of the Swim for Life program, thanks to a generous grant from the Gray Foundation through Asphalt Green’s Wave Makers Initiative.

The announcement took place during a graduation ceremony at Brooklyn College, where over a dozen second graders proudly completed the fall session of Swim for Life.

This expansion will benefit approximately 370 additional second graders during the 2024-25 school year, as part of Mayor Eric Adams’ commitment to provide free water safety and swimming lessons to a total of 18,000 youth participants. The initiative aims to create a safer, more affordable New York City, especially for families in underserved areas.

“Water safety is fundamental, and this expansion of our Swim for Life classes is an important step toward ensuring that every child in New York City can access life-saving swimming instruction skills,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue.

“Thanks to funding from The Gray Foundation, we are not just enriching young lives, but also making our communities stronger, safer, and better connected. By prioritizing underserved areas, we’re delivering critical resources where they are needed most, continuing this administration’s work to make New York City the best and most affordable place to raise a family.”

Asphalt Green CEO Jordan Brackett expressed his pride in the partnership with NYC Parks, stating, “Asphalt Green is proud to call NYC Parks a Wave Makers partner. We also applaud Mayor Adams’ commitment to water safety and this crucial investment in the Swim for Life program. To solve big problems, we need bold ideas. Our groundbreaking public-private partnership with the Gray Foundation and City Council, combined with this expansion, will help pave the way to free swim instruction for every second grader in the city.”

Gray Foundation CEO Dana Zucker also praised the initiative, saying, “We’re proud to support Wave Makers. This collaboration between Asphalt Green, Parks, and other partners gives NYC kids who need it most the opportunity to build life-saving swimming skills.”

Swim for Life, one of NYC Parks’ signature water safety programs, offers free, ten-week sessions for New York City’s public school second graders. Designed to reduce drowning incidents, especially among minority children, the program teaches essential water safety skills and promotes lifelong fitness habits. Each session includes one hour of swim instruction per week, culminating in a swim evaluation to ensure that students acquire basic skills. Sessions run from October to June across all five boroughs.

In FY24, NYC Parks’ free swimming classes taught over 13,000 young people to swim, saving families hundreds of dollars on private lessons. The program also supported over 6,800 participants in the Learn to Swim program and served more than 6,600 individuals in Swim for Life. In total, 18,000 New Yorkers engaged in swim programming in 2024, including Senior Splash and swim team programs.

This expansion comes alongside Mayor Adams’ June 2024 announcement of a $1 billion investment in public pools across all five boroughs, including new pools in Brooklyn and Queens—the first additions since 2008. The investment aims to provide better access to swimming facilities, particularly in neighborhoods with high Heat Vulnerability Index scores and those close to New York City Housing Authority campuses.

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