Title
2026 Parks and Recreation PHXPlays Summer Camps and Aquatics - Citywide
Description
This report provides the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning Subcommittee with an update on Parks and Recreation Department 2026 summer programs including the PHXPlays Summer Camps and aquatics season.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
Each year, the Parks and Recreation Department (Department) offers safe and affordable summer programs for youth and families across the City. In addition to a wide range of classes at community centers and sports programs and events in parks, the Department operates the PHXPlays Summer Camps and opens the aquatic season, providing access to public pools and swim lessons.
PHXPlays Summer Camps
The 2026 PHXPlays Summer Camps will be offered at 26 citywide community centers (Attachment A) for youth ages six to 12, Monday through Friday, from May to August. Camp schedules generally reflect corresponding school districts. To provide families with a variety of options, the PHXPlays Summer Camps offer flexible registration choices including weekly and daily drop-in options to accommodate families' schedules. Prices vary, and range from free to $80 per week, depending on the site.
All camps include a minimum of:
- Daily meals with breakfast/lunch or lunch/snack options
- Weekly themes such as superheroes, sports, and animals
- Arts, crafts, sports, games, team building, and STEM activities
- Special guest presenters and entertainers
- Monthly field trips
- Camp t-shirts
While much of the emphasis is focused on younger children attending summer camp, teen involvement is an important aspect of the PHXPlays program, and is focused on keeping teens engaged during the summer months while developing leadership skills. Sites provide opportunities for teens ages 13 to 17 to assist with daily camp activities, monitoring lunch and snack time, classroom rotations, attending field trips, and end of the day pick up communication when parents arrive. Teens also get to experience their own breakout sessions with guest speakers, educational opportunities, and off-site activities. Teen volunteers gain a variety of valuable skills that help them in both personal and professional growth including leadership, teamwork, communication, customer service, time management, and problem-solving.
The 2026 PHXPlays Summer Camp registration opened on March 19, 2026, and will continue through the summer based on availability. The program is marketed to participants who have previously enjoyed Parks and Recreation Department programs, promoted on social media, and flyers are distributed to nearby schools.
In 2025, the Parks and Recreation Department PHXPlays Summer Camp delivered a high-quality, accessible, and memorable experience for youth and families across Phoenix. Demand reached unprecedented levels and registration filled in record time, with some sites reaching capacity in under five minutes, and even historically slower-filling sites generated wait lists on the first day. This overwhelming response reflects the program's affordability, its family-friendly and flexible schedule, and its vital role in supporting community enrichment and youth development during summer break. Program consistency throughout the department is another key factor in its success where kids receive the same core program, no matter what center they attend.
The PHXPlays Summer Camp continues to offer youth and their families a safe, quality and affordable summer program.
Aquatics
In 2025, City pools welcomed more than 288,000 visitors to the aquatic facilities. The Parks and Recreation Department provided programming including over 2,100 swim lesson classes, recreational swim team, and AquaFit classes with over 13,000 participants.
The Department is prepared to open all available 24 pool facilities in 2026. The following five pools (Alkire, Grant, Holiday, Marivue and University) will be re-purposed into neighborhood splash pads as part of the 2023 voter-approved General Obligation Bond program. Currently Holiday and Marivue are in the design phase of the project. Additionally, thanks to the Department’s partnership with Ability360, Telephone Pioneer Park Pool will be open and offering swimming programs for the community.
Staffing and Training
Preparation and recruitment efforts for the 2026 aquatics season began in March 2025, first with enhanced training for Assistant Managers and Pool Managers, followed by ongoing Lifeguard certification courses from August to April to encourage individuals to complete the course early in anticipation of working the following summer. The Department continues to utilize a variety of methods to promote job opportunities for Cashier, Lifeguard, Swim Lesson Instructor, Assistant Pool Manager and Pool Manager positions. Recruiting methods include visiting high schools with direct interaction during lunch hours, physical education classes, career fairs, swim and dive teams, as well as other sporting events. Staff also distribute information to colleges through job fairs, participation at community events and through social media. To support recruitment efforts, the Department offers hiring and retention incentives ranging from $250 to $2,250, depending on the position. Over the past few summers, incentives have been effective in attracting and retaining both returning staff and new candidates. While the Department has seen positive results from recent recruitment efforts, staffing and programming offered at pools is dependent on the ability to successfully hire staff.
Enhanced recruitment efforts for these critical positions have proved successful for the Department. Efforts included hosting 11 additional training sessions in 2025 for Assistant Pool Managers to better prepare them for opportunities for advancement in 2026. The hands-on Accelerated Assistant Manager Training program identified and trained swim instructors interested in promoting to the Assistant Manager position for the 2026 season.
To further build the talent pipeline, the Department will continue implementing a structured Head Lifeguard program to provide leadership development opportunities for second and third-year employees. This initiative is designed to prepare staff for future promotion into the Assistant Pool Manager role. In addition, newly hired Assistant Pool Managers undergo extensive training throughout the spring in preparation for pool openings.
The Department will continue to utilize the Shallow Water Lifeguard position in 2026. Introduced in 2023, this role was created to support individuals interested in lifeguarding whose swimming skills do not yet meet the requirements for deep water certification. Previously, these candidates were ineligible to enroll in certification courses. The Shallow Water Lifeguard certification allows participants to qualify in pools with a maximum depth of four feet, offering them an opportunity to develop their skills while gaining valuable experience and training.
In 2025 during the off-season, aquatics employees engaged in Department events such as Fall-O-Ween, Trunk-or-Treat, APS Electric Light Parade, and Polar Plunge. These retention opportunities helped build enthusiasm for the job while promoting aquatics programming and employment opportunities to the community.
2026 Aquatics Season
The 2026 pool season runs Memorial Day weekend through the end of July, with select pools open through Labor Day, as denoted with an asterisk below. A total of 24 pools will open in 2026.
|
Cielito |
Maryvale* |
|
Coronado |
Mountain View |
|
Cortez* |
Paradise Valley* |
|
David C. Uribe |
Pecos* |
|
Deer Valley |
Eastlake* |
|
Eastlake |
Pierce |
|
El Prado |
Roadrunner |
|
Encanto* |
Roosevelt* |
|
Falcon |
Starlight |
|
Harmon |
Sunnyslope* |
|
Hermoso |
Washington |
|
Madison |
Telephone Pioneer |
Programming
The Department continues to restore aquatic programming, offering youth swim lessons at all open pools, adult swim lessons, water exercise, and recreation swim teams at select pools. Youth swimming lessons are for participants aged six months to 12 years old and will be held June 1 through July 23. Each session consists of eight, 30-minute classes. Due to the Department’s commitment to ensuring programs are affordable and accessible to everyone, each session is $15, which equates to $1.88 per class. These prices are the lowest in comparison to other nearby municipalities. Also, thanks to a donation of $20,000 from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Presidential Pools, over 1,600 swim lesson spaces across all open pools will be discounted to $3 and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Of the 24 pools open this summer, 20 will be designated Kool Kids pools that allow kids 17 years and younger to swim for free. Kool Kids donations this year include $65,797 from the Milwaukee Brewers. Admission for open swim at non-Kool Kids locations is $1 for kids. At all pools, admissions are $1 for seniors and $3 for adults.
Registration for June swimming lessons, water exercise classes, and swim team opens on April 23, 2026; and registration for July swim lessons and water exercise classes will begin on June 13, 2026. Registration will be ongoing throughout the summer as space is available.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Cynthia Aguilar and the Parks and Recreation Department.