On a hot afternoon in Roxana, Illinois, 17-year-old Makena John watched roughly 50 swimmers from her lifeguard chair. She estimated that about a quarter of them couldn't actually swim. The rest were daredevils, kids whose parents overestimated their skills, or people just wading.
The scene, reported by KFF Health News, is repeating across the country as cities struggle to hire enough lifeguards to keep pools open. The downstream effect: fewer swimming options in the exact neighborhoods where kids already face the highest drowning risk.
Quick take
- Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1–4; second for ages 5–14 (after car crashes).
- Black children ages 10–14 drown in pools at roughly 7.6 times the rate of their white peers (CDC).
- 79% of children in families earning under $50,000 cannot swim.
- Many cities are cutting pool hours or closing pools entirely due to lifeguard shortages.
The hiring problem
The work is straightforward: long hours in the sun, intense responsibility, modest pay. Yet the supply of certified lifeguards hasn't kept up with demand. Some cities have shortened pool hours. Others have closed pools on the hottest days—exactly when they're needed most.
In Des Moines, Iowa, roughly nine in ten schoolkids qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Parks director Ben Page told KFF Health News that on scorching days, families priced out of movies and air-conditioned entertainment have nowhere else to go. Shuttering pools in those neighborhoods removes one of the few free cooling and recreation options available.
The racial history behind the disparity
CDC data shows a stark gap in pool drownings between Black and white children ages 10 to 14. That gap didn't emerge by accident. In the 1920s and '30s, as cities built municipal pools, Black Americans were largely excluded—through whites-only rules or outright intimidation. After desegregation orders following World War II, many towns closed pools rather than integrate them, or relocated facilities to white neighborhoods that excluded Black residents. Historical research on the era shows that funding for pools in predominantly Black communities lagged for decades.
Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones, the first Black American to hold a swimming world record, nearly drowned at age 5 at a water park near his childhood home in Irvington, New Jersey. Lifeguards saved him. Now an ambassador for the USA Swimming Foundation, he advocates for early swim education.
What the research shows
A 2017 USA Swimming Foundation study found that two-thirds of Black children have minimal or no swimming ability, while 45% of Hispanic children cannot swim and 40% of white children cannot swim. Among families earning under $50,000, four out of five children are unable to swim.
Our analysis
The lifeguard shortage and the drowning disparity are two crises that reinforce each other. Pools are closing in neighborhoods where kids already can't swim—and where summer alternatives are scarce. This isn't coincidence; it's a compounding of existing inequities.
The irony:** Free swim lesson programs often exist on paper, but the outreach infrastructure to reach families who need them most doesn't. Parks departments run budget deficits; nonprofits have scholarships but no marketing budget. The result is a gap between availability and access. For parents in affected neighborhoods, the practical move is to ask directly—call the local YMCA, check with the parks department, or contact USA Swimming Foundation partners. Budgets for these programs usually exist; demand simply doesn't reach them.
For our readers: this pattern—disinvestment in specific neighborhoods, restricted access to a basic safety resource—mirrors inequities in addiction services, mental health care, and other public health domains. The swimming divide is a case study in how structural inequality persists even when the harm is visible.
Who should care
| Group | Why they should care |
|---|---|
| Parents in affected neighborhoods | Fewer supervised pools = higher unsupervised risk; free lesson programs exist but need active outreach |
| City budget officials | Pool closures disproportionately hit low-income families with few alternatives |
| Public health researchers | Drowning is preventable; the risk is concentrated and traceable to policy history |
| Aquatics advocates | The case for swim education funding is strongest where the disparity is worst |
What to watch next
Watch for 2024 municipal budget decisions on pool operations. Watch for the USA Swimming Foundation's next demographic report on swim ability. Watch for new partnerships between parks departments and swim lesson nonprofits. Most critically: watch drowning rates this summer if pool hours remain cut.
Key takeaways
- Lifeguard shortages are closing pools in the neighborhoods that need them most.
- Black children face dramatically higher drowning rates in pools—a disparity rooted in decades of exclusionary pool policies.
- Free swim lesson programs often exist but lack outreach; families must ask directly.
- The swimming gap reflects structural inequality, not personal failing.
Frequently asked questions
Why are pools closing?
Cities can't hire enough certified lifeguards. The work is demanding, certification requirements limit the candidate pool, and teen employment patterns have shifted away from seasonal jobs.
At what age should kids learn to swim?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends swim lessons starting around age 1, with survival skills—rolling, floating, exiting the pool—preceding stroke work.
Are some kids more at risk than others?
Yes. Black children, low-income kids, and children in households without swimming exposure face the highest drowning risk. The disparity is structural.
What can I do if my local pool is closed?
Contact the local YMCA for scholarship slots, check parks department programs, or reach out to USA Swimming Foundation partners. Many programs have capacity but poor outreach—asking is often the barrier.
What's the connection between pool closures and drowning rates?
Fewer supervised pools mean more unsupervised swimming in unsupervised locations. The risk is highest where alternatives are fewest—exactly the neighborhoods where pools are closing.
Source: kffhealthnews.org