Safety and Swim Lessons Go Hand In Hand
The safety of our patrons is of utmost importance at the Hoffman Estates Park District (HE Parks), especially in the area of aquatics. The HE Parks aquatics programs exceed industry standards in the area of safety. In addition to offering year-round swimming lessons, its lifeguard certification program is very thorough.
HE Parks promotes water safety by offering swim lessons year round, in the winter at Prairie Stone Sports and Wellness Center (PSSWC) and during the summer at PSSWC and at Seascape Family Aquatic Center, too. Learning to swim can reduce a child's risk of death by drowning. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends swimming lessons for all children age 4 or older. The park district offers swim lessons for parents and tots as young as 6 months. See page 24 to browse classes for fall or visit heparks.org.
The park district's lifeguard certification program exceeds industry standards with regular in-service training, and monthly audits. Lifeguards work to ensure that everyone who participates in the aquatics programs has an enjoyable and safe experience.
Consistently each year for the past many years, the lifeguard team at HE Parks has been recognized for exceptional safety performance. While many facilities simply require the basic lifeguard certification for employment, HE Parks enlists the StarGuard ELITE (SGE) Aquatic Risk Prevention Program. Lifeguards are required to sign a license agreement with terms and conditions that legally hold them accountable. The lifeguards agree to be "test-ready" at all times and to complete four hours of monthly in-service training.
Lifeguards are also held accountable for maintaining a 30-second safety standard for scanning their entire zone of surveillance, which greatly increases the likelihood that a guest would be rescued while still in a responsive state. As part of their agreement, lifeguards are also subject to both internal audits and unannounced external audits conducted by SGE staff during monthly "secret-shopper" style evaluations.
For information and to browse the swim lesson options visit heparks.org.