Chicago Park District Highlights Upswing in Summer Registration, Phased Transition of Beaches and Pools in Preparation for Fall, Second-Half of Summer Events & Starts of Fall[...]

Park District announces post-Day Camp programs and phased transition of pools in preparation of the Fall season;
Chicago's 22 beaches and 10 pools to remain open through Labor Day;
Water Spray Features to offer relief from heat through the end of September;
Fall season registration to start August 5 and 6;
Night Out in the Parks and Movies in the Parks events continue to activate parks citywide

CHICAGO, IL- For a second consecutive summer, the Chicago Park District succeeded in opening all its 77 indoor and outdoor pools in neighborhoods across the city to ensure Chicago residents, including summer day campers, had access to safe options for swimming during Chicago's hot summer. As of June 17th, all Chicago Park District pools were open on a 6-day schedule with many offering weekend availability to Chicagoans across the city. As Summer Day Camp culminates and Chicago Public School students as well as college students return to the classroom for the start of the academic school year, and athletes begin Fall training sessions, the Park District's pools will begin a phased transition of pools in preparation for the Fall season.

"This summer, we trained and hired over 600 lifeguards to make one of this city's most valuable resources, our beaches and pools, available to the public across the city during Chicago's hot summer. As the leading provider of access to water-based recreation during the summer, the Park District is committed to maintaining as many Chicago public pools open and accessible to as many Chicagoans through the end of summer," said Chicago Park District CEO and Superintendent Rosa Escareño. "In addition to our 26-miles of lakefront, ensuring access to neighborhood swimming pools through the end of summer will be vital to our goal of keeping everyone cool and safe this summer."

Successful Summer Highlights

• Enrollment numbers for Chicago Park District's Summer Camps, one of Chicago's most sought out summer experiences in Chicago, are up 9% from 2023.
• This summer, 17,000 nutritional lunches were provided to over 20,000 day campers enrolled at more than 200 park locations.
• With support from our successful "Your Perfect Summer Job" hiring campaign, we employed over 3,000 seasonal hires, among them lifeguards and recreation leaders.
• This year, the Park District received a total of 2,175 lifeguard applications, exceeding last year's numbers.
• Nearly 200 participants registered for the newly created Lifeguard Explorers Training Program (LETP), which replaced lifeguard recruitment pipelines disrupted by the pandemic.
• Close to 50 percent of LETP participants passed the lifeguard test and were eligible for a lifeguard seasonal job this summer.
• On May 24th, the Chicago Park District fully staffed and opened all 22 lakefront beaches, followed by the opening of all indoor and outdoor pools on June 17th.
• Re-opened the Humboldt Park Beach on June 17th after a 4-year hiatus.
• More than 200 water spray features were turned on by Memorial Day weekend and will remain available for use across the city until the end of September.

Before Summer Ends

There is still a lot of summer left and the Chicago Park District is not letting up. The next month is full of summer programs, Night Out in the Park events and Movies in the Parks showings. For a complete calendar of free events, visit www.nightoutintheparks.com.

Featured August Park Programs and Events

• Gymnastics Clinics at Park No. 596 for 6- to 14-year-olds happening on August 13th and August 15th. Register here.
• Summer Teen Basketball and Soccer Leagues for 13-18 yr. old happening through August 23rd. In-person registration available. For a list of participating parks, click here.
• Late Summer Camp opportunities and Sports Camps options vary by park.
• Kayaking the Chicago River has benefits beyond the stunning views of wildlife and world-class architecture. Find a list of the next paddling events here.
• Monarch-Palooza is an annual event at North Park Village Nature Center Park, located at 5801 N. Pulaski Rd., on August 24th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event captures the essence of the Monarch Butterfly by combining cultural visual art and music grounded in education on conservation. Learn more here.

Start of Fall Session

As summer comes to a close, the Chicago Park District is excited to offer an extensive and diverse array of programs for fall season, including Park Kids After-school Program. Park Kids is an excellent way for kids, ages 6 to 12 years old, to get out and play with friends and stay active after school through a variety of brain play, nature, fitness, sports, and art activities, along with homework time. Financial assistance is available, and fees are reduced for CHA residents. The Lifeguard Explorers Training Program also returns for a second year to four park locations and offers participants an opportunity to learn swim skills and prepare to take the lifeguard swim test and qualify for a summer employment opportunity at a Park District pool or beach.

Registration Schedule

• Online registration opens for fall programs located West of California Ave. on Monday, August 5th and on Tuesday, August 6th at 9 a.m. for parks located East of California Ave
• On Tuesday, August 6th, online registration opens for gymnastic centers at 12 p.m.
• Most parks begin in-person registration on Saturday, August 10th while other parks start on Monday, August 12th. In-person registration is available if spots still remain after online registration has begun.
• View the full Fall Online Program Schedule here.

Transitioning Pools into the Fall Season

During the 2024 season, the Chicago Park District continued to actively recruit residents ages 16 and older, to fill seasonal lifeguard positions vital to fully staffing and keeping the city's beaches and park pools safe.

More than half of the seasonal lifeguard workforce is composed of 16- to 19-year-old employees, and as they give notice to return to school, the Park District will need to make corresponding staffing changes and accommodate post-Day Camp pool schedules.

The pool schedules for the second half of summer will be posted on August 2nd at 6 p.m., and will run from August 5th to the end of the summer season at each respective pool. The summer pool season will culminate on August 25th, the day prior to the start of the Chicago Public School (CPS) academic school year. The Park District will perform maintenance and repair work on indoor pools during the one-week period leading up to re-opening of all indoor pools for the Fall session on September 3rd. Patrons should visit the Park District's website or contact their local park for pool hours for the remainder of the summer session.

Indoor pools will reopen on September 3rd, after the Labor Day holiday, for open swim and lap swim. A total of 22 beaches will remain available for swimming daily through Labor Day, September 2nd, while lifeguards are on duty, daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fall programs such as Learn to Swim, Aquatics Exercise Classes, Water Polo and more will begin the week of September 16th. View and register for Fall aquatics programs here starting August 5th and 6th. Fall pool schedules for these activities will be posted prior to the start of the Fall session.

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