Leaving children alone at public pools

[Laurie Batter]

What age is appropriate for children to be left a city pools without their parents? Does your facility have a policy? What about your city/community?

[Brian Powers]

I believe children under seven should have adult in the water with them. Children ten and under should have an adult on site. Most of the aquatic centers I have worked for have a similar age guidelines.

[Laurie Batter]

Brian,
Thanks for answering this, and I see there was a discussion started in Feb on this topic.
FYI, Pittsburgh Post Gazette did this story on Friday

Some question city's age rules for its pools
Saturday, June 05, 2010
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10156/1063382-455.stm#ixzz0qBwF8rUd

[Jim Wheeler]

They must be 48 inches tall to be alone at our pools in San Francisco.

[Lisa Phillips]

We use height restrictions rather than ages, to eliminate the situation of parents/children lying about their age.

 

Children must be at least 54" tall to be dropped off without an adult.

Children under 48" tall must be accompanied by an adult in the pool area. (As opposed to our upstairs bleacher seating or fitness room, where the 54" child's parent may be.)

Children under 42" tall must be within arms reach of an adult caregiver in the water.

[Laurie Batter]

Hi Lisa and Jim,

What happens for kids who are small for their age? Seems sort of unfair to go by size.

[Lisa Phillips]

As there is no reference to age with our rules, it simply is not an issue. People are used to height restrictions for amusement parks, and small kids simply learn they have to wait until they are bigger. There may be disappointment, but it never becomes an issue.

 

I would rather have a few disappointed smaller kids, than have my staff members arguing with a parent that there is no way there 45" tall child is 10 years old.

[Ricardo Freitas]

Our rule is 11 and under.

[Laurie Batter]

How do you arrive at the age of 11 Ricardo.

 

It's great to see all these responses.

[Ricardo Freitas]

Our junior age goes until 11 years old

[Laurie Batter]

So if an adult can prove the child's age, and they are below 45" then will your staff make an allowance for that child?

[Lisa Phillips]

We don't make allowances for age, since age is not even a factor in our decision. We strictly go by a height restriction and we do not make exceptions.

I do suppose if an adult small person came in and was below the height restriction I would make an exception if they could demonstrate their swimming ability, but I have never had that hapepen.

[Jim Wheeler]

Our pools are 3.5 feet and we ask they be 48" to be alone, we do not get much push back as it makes sense when we explain it that way...