All 24 public pools in Cincinnati will be open this summer, but unlike the last several years, none will be open for Memorial Day weekend.
In recent years, a few pools have opened for Memorial Day weekend, while most were opened a week or two later.
Cincinnati Recreation Commission Director Daniel Betts says his office made the decision to open all pools at once, starting June 6, based on usage data from past years and the Cincinnati Public Schools schedule — not because of budget cuts or staffing problems.
"We are using taxpayer dollars more wisely," Betts told WVXU, citing low attendance at pools during this time — sometimes as low as seven or eight people.
This year, CPS students return to school after the Memorial Day holiday; the last day of school is Thursday, May 28.
Betts says that's significant both because many lifeguards are high school students who will need the extra week to complete training, and because many pool visitors will still be in school after Memorial Day.
All pools and spraygrounds will be open from June 6 to Aug. 8. You can see the full pool schedule on the Cincinnati Recreation Commission website. CPS students return to school on Aug. 19.
Recruiting and training lifeguards and other aquatics staff has been a challenge in the past. Betts says changes over the last few years have reversed that trend, and all 24 pools are fully staffed this summer.
That's a significant achievement; as recently as 2021, the city could open fewer than half of the public pools because of a lifeguard shortage. In 2023, City Council approved an hourly pay increase to between $16 and $18 an hour. Betts says CRC also started a lifeguard academy for teens as young as 14 to strengthen their swimming skills, developing a "bench" for lifeguards longterm.
City Manager Sheryl Long released her draft of the next city budget Friday, with about $20 million in proposed cuts to help address a nearly $30 million deficit in the operating budget's general fund.
The Recreation Commission is budgeted for about $20.5 million in the general fund, up nearly 2% compared to fiscal year 2026. That does represent a slight cut given automatic wage increases and inflation.
Betts says the City Manager has been very supportive of CRC programming with additional support.
Other Rec programming expands this year
Betts says pools are an important resource, but they're just one way the Recreation Commission tries to reach youth over the summer.
"We could do a better job of letting the community know all the things that we do," Betts said. "So that you guys know what we're doing to meet the needs of young people this summer, in hopes of giving them alternatives to being in unsafe spaces and being around criminality or being around violent situations that they don't have to be around because they could be with us."
Other programs include day camps for kids age 6-12 with activities including STEM projects, arts and crafts, sports and swimming.
Teens age 12-17 can participate in outdoor adventure programming with activities like camping, canoeing and kayaking.
The Rec at Nite program offers free teen events on Saturday nights from June 6 to Aug. 8. It started as a pilot program in 2024 at just one rec center and expanded to two locations in 2025. It is expanding again this summer to four recreation centers:
- Evanston
- Winton Hills
- Lincoln (in the West End)
- Hirsch (in North Avondale)
The events feature swimming, basketball, hair cuts and hair braiding, video games, DJs, food trucks and more.
"It's organized chaos for the young people," Betts said. "The young people said to us ... they don't want to be treated like the elementary-age kids that have to line up to go from one thing to the next."
Betts says some teens just want a room where they can decompress and spend time on their phones, or record social media videos.
"We have other cities who are reaching out to us, where we're actually showing up for them and showing them how to do this program, because this program really is making a difference in young people's lives," he said.
The Cincinnati Parks Department, which is separate from CRC, also plans a variety of teen programs over the summer. You can learn more on the city website: cincinnati-oh.gov/summerincincy/
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