For Jones Center, the pool is more than a place for recreation — it's a place where every child in the community can grow and thrive.

Every Child Swims is a program created by Jones Center leadership with a bold goal: teach all local third-grade students to swim.  Where do you start to make a big dream like that a reality?

In 2024, we started with one school. The program was piloted in partnership with Springdale Public Schools to be a zero-barrier program, which means Jones Center provides transportation, swim gear, and instruction all at no cost to the schools or parents. The first year we welcomed Jones Elementary students into the program.  (Some results listed here)

For 2025, the program welcomed a second school, Parson Hills Elementary.  Between the two schools, 95 third-grade students visited Jones Center to assess their water competency skills. After 12 weeks of instruction, 28 students successfully passed the Jones Center swim test — which requires jumping into the deep end, floating on their back, and swimming 25 meters.  That translates to an impressive 30% pass rate for kids who, without this program, might not have been afforded dedicated swim lessons. And the exciting results continued with the other 53 swimmers demonstrating progress by improving their skills.