Mount Rainier Pool Uses New Technology to Help More Kids Get Involved in Aquatics

DES MOINES, Wash., July 9, 2026 (Newswire.com) - This year, hundreds more kids are learning to swim at Mount Rainier Pool because new software makes it easier for families to get financial help.

As more families signed up, the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District, which runs Mount Rainier Pool, raised its swim lesson scholarship program from $1,000 to $15,000.

With the new technology, parents can fill out scholarship applications on their phones in their own language in under five minutes. They no longer need a printer, scanner, or computer.

This change is thanks to a partnership between the District and its software provider Recreation Management, which makes scholarships easier to access.

The donated Document module upgrades the technology at Mount Rainier Pool. The District's Recreation Management registration system and pool website already let visitors find information and sign up for programs in over 250 languages. The new scholarship module makes signing up even faster and easier.

"This is exactly the kind of access we want Mount Rainier Pool to provide," said Shane Stender, a board member for the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District. "We're helping ensure that everyone has access to swim lessons, water safety programs, recreation, fitness, and job training opportunities."

Since the pandemic, the District and its community partners have offered more than $175,000 in free programs. These include swim lessons, daily free pool use, lifeguard and swim instructor training, access to a community swim team, and lifeguard preparation courses. Grants, scholarships, and partnerships with groups such as King County Parks, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Des Moines Legacy Foundation, and others fund these programs.

Scholarships help families afford swim lessons and water safety training. For teens and young adults, free lifeguard and swim instructor training can lead to jobs, leadership skills, and future careers in swimming, recreation, public service, education, or emergency response.

"Mount Rainier Pool is more than a place to swim," said Gene Achziger of Des Moines Legacy. "It's a place where kids can not only build confidence around the water but develop can-do attitudes that are proven to help them academically. The skills they learn can lead to first jobs or build future careers."

District officials say they believe that more kids are getting involved in swimming because scholarships are now easier to use.

"When the process is easier, more people can say yes," Stender said. "That means more kids learning to swim, more families using the pool, more young people gaining job skills, and more residents feeling that Mount Rainier Pool is a place where they belong."

Mount Rainier Pool continues to offer swim lessons, lap swim, family swim, open swim, water exercise, water walking, rentals, training programs, and community-focused aquatics opportunities for residents of Des Moines, Normandy Park, and surrounding communities.

Community members interested in scholarship assistance can apply today at: https://secure.rec1.com/WA/des-moines-pool-metropolitan-park-district-wa/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTM5NDM4Mzc=.⁠

About the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District

The Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District operates Mount Rainier Pool and provides aquatics programs that support water safety, health, fitness, recreation, youth development, and community access for residents of Des Moines, Normandy Park, and surrounding communities.

CONTACT:
Scott Deschenes
District General Manager
[email protected]
206.824.4722

SOURCE: Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District

Source: Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District