Press Release   Healey-Driscoll Administration Opens DCR Pools for the Summer, Offers Free Swim Lessons for Children Across Massachusetts 

Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today announced the opening of its 24 swimming pools for the summer season, helping provide residents, visitors and families with safe places to swim and cool off during the summer. As part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to water safety, DCR also announced the return of its free Learn to Swim Program for children, with classes offered at 19 pools throughout the state. Registration opens on Monday, June 22. DCR also recently extended lifeguard coverage to seven days a week, which will continue through the end of the summer, pending staff availability.  

“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn how to swim. Swimming is more than a summer activity –it's a life-saving skill that helps children safely enjoy our pools, lakes and beaches with confidence,” said DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle. “By offering free swimming lessons at pools across Massachusetts, we’re helping remove barriers for families while helping more children safely enjoy the outdoor spaces that belong to all of us.” 

Learn to Swim is organized into three sessions happening throughout the summer at 19 DCR pools in communities across Massachusetts. Each session consists of eight half-hour group swim classes that are appropriate for children between the ages of 4 and 12. Classes are organized by age, designed for beginner-level swimmers, and based on the American Red Cross curriculum, with a focus on water safety and learning basic swimming skills. Registration will close once classes at each facility are full. Registration is required and is on a first-come, first-served basis.  

This year’s program will be held at DCR pools in Agawam, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Hyde Park, Lawrence, Malden, Melrose, Milford, Somerville, Springfield, Watertown, and Worcester. For a complete list of pools offering lessons or to register for lessons please visit the Learn to Swim website. 

Classes will be held during the following sessions:  

Session 1: July 6, 2026 – July 14, 2026 (registration opens on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 8 a.m.) 

Session 2: July 20, 2026 – July 31, 2026 (registration opens on Monday, July 6, 2026, at 8 a.m.) 

Session 3: August 3 – August 14 (subject to instructor availability) (registration opens on Monday, July 20, 2026, at 8 a.m.) 

In addition to DCR’s Learn to Swim program, the Lowell Police Department, in partnership with DCR, the Sean A. Collier Memorial Foundation, and the Lowell Recreation Department will offer free swimming lessons at DCR’s Raymond Lord Memorial Swimming Pool for children from Lowell who are between the ages of 6-16. For more information on dates for that program, please contact lpdyouthservices@lowellma.gov.   

Additionally, beginning on Saturday, June 13, 2026, DCR expanded lifeguard coverage to a full seven days a week, running from 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at 30 DCR swimming areas.  

DCR is continuing to recruit lifeguards to work at agency-managed beaches and swimming pools for this summer season. Certified lifeguard applicants can apply for positions through Labor Day, with competitive hourly wages ranging from $22 to $27, depending on position and associated certifications. To apply or learn more about lifeguarding opportunities, please visit the agency’s lifeguarding webpage. 

In addition to providing lifeguard services, DCR works to ensure water safety at state beaches and waterfronts by conducting regular water quality testing at all 79 designated swimming areas and has ropes and buoys in place at inland water areas to delineate swimming areas. Beaches also have safety signage that can be translated into nine languages – Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Mandarin, and Russian – using a QR code, and life rings for the public to use at guarded and unguarded swimming areas in the event of an emergency.    

All DCR swimming pools have chair lifts to provide access to the water. Several pools also have ramps into the water or offer zero-depth entry and select pools and spray decks also have beach wheelchairs for use. 

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