The Central Park swimming pool can get pretty hectic, especially during the winter. Toddlers are flying down the slide while dozens of other kids are throwing balls or screaming around the whirlpool area. With all of the ruckus, it is amazing more kids don’t get hurt. Central Park Rec Center director Robin Miller attributes their safety record to two things. “First of all, we have a great pool staff,” says Miller. “They are always watching, making sure kids are safe and aren’t breaking the rules. Secondly, we keep some signage in key areas of the pool so that parents can let their kids know what is safe and what is not safe. This is particularly important in the very shallow area.”
Although no area in the play area of the pool reaches five feet, there are areas more shallow than others. “Right when you enter the pool, you can feel water on your feet, but this doesn’t mean it is deep enough to dive in,” says Miller. “We know people, especially young kids, feel that as long as there is water, it is safe to jump. This is not true. So we made sure the people that installed the pool also included a ‘no diving’ sign where appropriate.”
Miller says that there have never been reports of someone trying to dive into the quarter-inch deep water, but she attributes that to the safety measures in place. “We have never seen an adult or child try to dive into the water right when they walk in,” says Miller. “However, we think that is mostly due to the team of lifeguards as well as the prominent signage.” Miller says in the end, safety is up to individuals, and pool-goers need to be aware of safety signage and obey the rules. ]]>