Hawaii County revives Learn to Swim program for keiki this summer

Hawaii County has revived its Learn to Swim program for summer 2026, putting low-cost swimming lessons back into county pools across Hawaii Island just as families start lining up for June and July sessions.

The program costs $15 per child, and the county says each keiki may take one class per summer. Lessons are offered at county pools islandwide, with schedules and registration dates set by each pool, a sign that families need to move quickly to secure a spot where demand is strongest.

Mayor Kimo Alameda said the county sees water safety as more than a seasonal pastime in Hawaii. In an island community where children grow up around beaches, shoreline breaks and community pools, the county framed the program as an early safety measure as much as a recreational one, designed to build confidence and basic swimming ability in a supervised setting.

The county’s Aquatics Section said it operates nine public swimming pools and provides a broader water safety program through lifeguard services at county facilities. The Learn to Swim classes are organized by skill level, ranging from Keiki & Me for children younger than 5 to more advanced lessons for older children who already know basic freestyle, can tread water or can swim 25 yards.

The public-health case for the program is stark. The Hawaii Department of Health says drowning is the fifth leading cause of fatal injuries in Hawaii, with an average of nearly 40 deaths a year. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14. The CDC also says formal swimming lessons can reduce drowning risk among children and young adults.

At Honokaa Swimming Pool, registration for Learn to Swim opened Friday, May 29, from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The pool said payment must be exact cash at registration, that classes are limited and that slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Charles ‘Sparky’ Kawamoto Swim Stadium posted separate registration dates for June 5 and July 2, with Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 sessions scheduled through those months.

The county’s 2026 recreation calendar places Learn 2 Swim alongside Summer Fun, underscoring how central the lessons have become to the county’s summer youth programming. For Big Island families, the message is straightforward: the program is back, the fee is low, and the available spaces are being managed pool by pool across Hawaii Island.