Attending a Public Pool

[JJPlaycare]

For those of you who do this with your daycare children how do you do it? I take my daycare kids to swimming lessons, but each child has an instructor. I have been thinking about taking the kids there for a field trip, but not sure how I would watch all of them and make sure they are safe! The pool has a kiddy pool fenced off from the regular pool, would you allow the older kids into the larger pool? I can see/hear them, but I would really be putting the lifeguard in charge of watching them..... just not sure

[Oneluckymom]

No way !!! Not me. Even with a lifeguard there at the end of the day YOU are still responsible for them. Granted everything may go well and kids have a blast, but there is a lot that can go wrong too. JMO.

[cheerfuldom]

I dont do public pools, period. I am lucky to have a pool for our neighborhood use only.

If I was to use a public pool, I would never send older kids unattended to another area, whether I could see them or not. You need to be within a distance that is necessary for safety reasons. It is not about just seeing them, you need to get to them if they need you (and not leave the littles unattended if a big kid gets in trouble!).

Are there any options for private use? One local pool in our area has times that daycare can reserve the space for just their use. So at least it would be one lifeguard for just your kids, not a ton of other kids.

You could also consider occasional trips where you take one group and someone stays with the rest at home (or the center, however you have your daycare worked out). But of course that does require paying someone else to help during those times.

If the kids are desperate for water time, get some options for your own backyard/yard. a small kiddie pool, splash pads for the littles, water guns, water table, etc.

[Hunni Bee]

I have 3/4/5 year olds. This is what I do. What the SA's do is not my prerogative.

We attend the local pool. They have a baby pool with no more than 2 feet of water in it. We go nowhere but in that pool, and I'm in there with them. They're all basically within arms reach of me. If we can't get in the small pool, we don't go.

ETA: sorry, just read your post fully. I would make the older kids get in the kiddie pool. I've done it before, when I had to bring SA's with me. If they really want to get in the water, they'll make the little pool fun. It's too risky for them to be unattended in the regular pool.