Turn the concept into a learning, skill-building, unforgettable adventure
By Jessica Ralles Laguna
Anyone who has ever worked as a lifeguard knows that parents often use open-swim or family-swim hours at public pools as the cheapest babysitter in town. Parents often mistake lifeguards for babysitters and drop their children off at the pool for hours at a time for the fraction of a cost of a real babysitter. The idea of a lifeguard as a babysitter inspired Aquatic Springs in Las Vegas, Nev., to offer its own, structured “babysitting” event, Parents Night Out.
Parents Night Out events are offered in many recreation and community centers and consist of hours of arts and crafts, games, movies, and snacks. Aquatic Springs, an indoor, year-round swimming pool operated by the Clark County Parks and Recreation department, took the concept a step further and offered its first Parents Night Out in 2017, just months after opening. Since then, the event has been offered six more times.
The event is open to children between the ages of six and 12. All participants are swim-tested prior to the event, and those who cannot pass a swim test are placed in a group chaperoned by a Water Safety Instructor, age 18 or older. Participants who pass the swim test receive an identifying wristband and are allowed to roam freely during the event, as long as they remain within the facility.