Worcester YWCA Offers 'Life-Saving' Free Swim Lessons For Youth

WORCESTER, MA — The YWCA of Central Massachusetts is bringing back free swimming lessons for young people, and the classes may be especially important this summer due to a lifeguard shortage.

The free SPLASH swim lessons are for local children between 7 and 12 years old, and take place twice per week at the YWCA's Salem Square campus near downtown Worcester.

The SPLASH program has been around since 2016, when the YWCA founded it because Black and Hispanic children drown at higher rates than white children. The lessons will follow a high-profile double-drowning in Worcester involving a police officer and a 14-year-old, plus a handful of other drownings at beaches and pools across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Many cities and towns are also having trouble hiring lifeguards this summer. Worcester is aiming to have its beaches open with lifeguards by July 1, although some residents are already using the unsupervised beaches at Coes Pond and Bell Pond. Beaches at Lake Quinsigamond State Park got lifeguards over the weekend.

The SPLASH program is open to 50 children, and registration closes on June 30. All parents and guardians will be required to take a safety orientation before the classes begin. Find out more on the YWCA website.