Below is a letter I drafted last year reaching out to the director of Peachtree City pools. The letter references my surprise of the “no flotation” rule at the city pools. My original letter received no response [from the city].
In response to the rule, I surveyed mothers at the PTC Library and All Children’s Playground. The results are below. The survey is attached. Now that there is a clear drive in PTC to bring in more millennials, why not create more family friendly pools?
The no flotation rule alienates families with children. Plus, the senior citizen time first thing in the morning at Kedron Aquatic Center drives the point home that the pools in PTC are not for families, but rather for adults.
It would be a great article to explore the situation at the pools. Why is there a no flotation rule? Why did it start? Is it a favorable rule in this community?
After purchasing a summer pass to swim at PTC Aquatic Center, I discovered the “no flotation” rule not only meant no rafts or inter tubes, but also no toddler floats. The entire reason I purchased the pass was to swim with my 2-year-old daughter.
Shocked, I visited the Glenloch pool, hoping the rules were different from Kedron Aquatic Center. When I learned the flotation rules were the same city-wide and I would not be refunded for my summer pool pass, I decided to survey the mothers and guardians of toddlers at the PTC library and All Children’s Playground.
Attached is the physical survey. After surveying 87 mothers and caregivers of toddlers I found:
• All but six said they always or often use “floaties” or flotation devices.
• All but one person, who doesn’t use floaties, said they watch their child in floaties.
• 100 percent thought it is dangerous to NOT watch a child in float.
• 99 percent said they would NOT attend a pool that didn’t allow flotations for children.
• 100 percent said they would attend a pool that required a guardian to accompany a child in floats.
I stopped surveying after acquiring 87 names because the responses were overwhelmingly similar. It appeared that the majority of mothers and caregivers use floats, would not attend a pool that didn’t allow them, but would attend a pool that required guardians to monitor their toddlers in floats. Only 1 percent agreed with the PTC no-flotation rule.
After attending Peachtree City pools, I realize I never saw any parents of toddlers. I believe this is because of the flotation rule.
After surveying mothers and explaining the rules of PTC pools, mothers often said, “Good luck,” and, “That rule needs to change.” Mothers of more than one child under 4 said that the rule alienated their family because it made it virtually impossible to watch both children in the pool.
After calling Atlanta-area private city pools, I discovered all allowed flotation devices for children. Some even provided life jackets for children. Pools included: Mountain Park Aquatic Center-Stone Mountain, Fountainbleu Swim & Tennis, Wills Park Pool-Alpharetta, Tolleson Park Pool-Smyrna, Cherokee Aquatic Center-Woodstock, Riverchase Pool-Dunwoody.
I believe Peachtree City is a location that is amenable to families with young children. However, I believe the current “no flotation” rule at the city’s private pools alienate families with young children from enjoying their pools.
I hope this research will influence the city to enact positive, welcoming flotation rules that bring more families to their pools.
Jenny Pitts
Peachtree City, Ga.
