Waitlist extended for winter registration

Medicine Hat – The City of Medicine Hat is reopening waitlists for swimming lessons and asking parents to register for the classes they are most interested in for their children in an effort to better understand what times and sessions are most in demand.

“Previously, our system capped waitlists at a low number as the intent was to offer up spots for any cancelled registrations. To better understand demand, we have removed that cap so that we can see how many people are interested in each class and timeslot. This will help us improve our offerings ahead of our spring registration,” said Scott Richter, Manager of Business and Innovation and the interim Recreation and Leisure Manager for the Parks & Recreation department. “This data will allow us to see which times and dates parents and guardians prefer so we’ll be better able to adjust and adapt accordingly.”

The program waitlists will be open until the winter session of swimming lessons begins in January. Staff are continuing to offer free swim assessments. Please call 403.502.8566 for more information.

“We know swimming is important for families because we saw 726 kids successfully registered in approximately four minutes for our swimming programs through our winter registration process,” Richter added. “We also saw great uptake on a new program, AquaStart, designed to help young swimmers transition into Swim Kids 1.”

To evaluate if more lessons can be accommodated through the spring and summer sessions, the city continues to actively look to hire several part-time lifeguard/instructor positions. For more information, including a list of qualifications, please visit the careers page.

“We understand there has been some frustration in the community when it comes to signing children up for swimming lessons. We also value the importance of learning to swim and water safety, which is why we’re working to create more opportunities in the months ahead.”

City staff are also working with the YMCA, as well as other municipalities to garner information on demand and innovative ways to address access to swimming lessons. 

“We will find the innovative solutions we know exist, but before we can do that, we need those numbers to understand that demand. Then we can find appropriate space for children at times that work for parents,” Richter said.

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