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Remarks

Speaker Menin on $1.5M for free swim lessons

New York City Council · Jul 16, 2026 · starts 0:15:01 · 52 sec

Menin announces the Council secured $1.5 million in the budget for 60,000 free swim lessons for an additional 3,000 second graders, building on a pilot program with the Gray Foundation and Asphalt Green that already served 6,000 students. She notes the announcement at Lehman College in the Bronx.

Julie Menin

On Tuesday, we announced that the council secured $1.5 million in the budget for

Julie Menin

60,000 free swim lessons for an additional 3,000 second graders.

Julie Menin

This was so exciting, and I was proud to be at Lehman College in the Bronx with a number of colleagues where we announced this.

Julie Menin

And I think this is so incredibly important.

Julie Menin

It builds on the work we did from the last council.

Julie Menin

I had had a bill that mandated free swim lessons to every single second grader, but in the last administration that wasn't fully implemented.

Julie Menin

So now we're adding additional funding to do that.

Julie Menin

And this builds on some work that I had done with Councilmember Krishnan and the Gray Foundation and Asphalt Green, where we launched a pilot program about a year ago, which has already provided free swim lessons to 6,000 public school second graders.