~Guest Post Submitted by Valley Pool Together
Valley Pool Together, a community organization focused on advocating for public aquatic access for all Snoqualmie Valley residents, is excited to announce the launch of its new website, www.valleypooltogether.org.
The user-friendly site is a hub for community connection around the need for a regional public pool. It features several new free resources to benefit all Snoqualmie Valley residents.
The Snoqualmie Valley Swim Lesson Guide is a comprehensive free resource developed and created by community volunteers and hosted on the website. The guide includes 35 swim lesson providers within approximately a 45-minute drive of Mt. Si High School.
It provides detailed information about cost, commute, facility features, scheduling, registration, availability of adult and adaptive lessons, and other services families have said are important to them.
“We appreciate the help of regional swim lesson providers who assisted with the information collected here, which helped create a valuable resource for our families,” said Linda Grez, co-founder of Valley Pool Together. “With community input, this guide will be updated periodically.”
The website also includes a dynamic slide presentation highlighting the Snoqualmie Valley Swim Lesson Survey results and shareable infographics developed from the data collected. The survey was conducted in August and September of this year and assesses the state of water safety and the serious barriers to swim lesson access in our area. Results include:
- 43% of children and 21% of adults included in the survey are not water competent.
- Only 19% of respondents reported the only reason their child didn’t take lessons last year was because they were too young or could already swim, suggesting that other barriers, such as cost and accessibility, are faced by a sizeable share of Snoqualmie Valley residents.
- Of those who plan to take lessons in the next year, 93% consider $59 or under per month per child affordable, 43% consider $100-149 affordable, and 10% consider $200 and over affordable.
“We wanted to put actual numbers to many of the stories and concerns we have heard from families in recent years,” said Kate Moscato Leen, co-founder of Valley Pool Together. “With 530 responses, the survey captures the experience of the parents and caregivers of potentially over 1000 Valley youth. We hope that the comprehensive information provided can help Valley leaders finally come together to meet this critical need.”
Founded earlier this year, Valley Pool Together spearheads a community-led effort that includes Snoqualmie Valley residents, local and regional elected officials, non-profit leaders, and other stakeholders, all working together to facilitate aquatic opportunities and drive improved health and safety outcomes.
