Before we hand you a guide to every place to swim in Salem this summer, we wanted to start somewhere else. With the people who think about water safety differently than most of us do.

Here's what Salem Swim School wants every parent in this town to understand about water safety before the season hits.

Stick around. There's also a packed weekend in Salem coming up, and we've got the full rundown below like we do every Thursday.

Ask a parent if their kid can swim. Most say yes.

Ask Dr. Amy Schulz the same thing and she pushes back. A kid in a life jacket isn't swimming. A kid doing the doggy paddle isn't swimming either. That's the vertical position. She told is this is the drowning position.

Here's the part that should stop you. Drowning doesn't need deep water. Amy points out that a kid can drown in a couple inches of bath water. They can drown in a toilet. The problem isn't depth. It's that little kids can't control their breath.

And it isn't a summer-only problem. People mocked Amy for opening a year-round school in Oregon. You can only swim a few months a year here anyway, right? Her answer is to look around. The lakes. The rivers. The ponds. The backyard properties with water on them. No kid goes for a swim on purpose in December. They fall in. And they need to know how to get out.

Real water safety isn't about leisure. It's about whether a kid who ends up in water they didn't plan to be in can get themselves back out.

Even if you aren’t an expert like the good people at Salem Swim School, you can still take steps to make your kid safer this summer. Here are a few things most people get wrong.

Stop trusting the life jacket. This one runs against your gut. A kid paddling around in a vest doesn't realize the vest is doing the work. They think that's them swimming. So the vest comes off to use the bathroom or grab a snack, the kid jumps back in out of habit, and there's nothing holding them up. Life jackets are for boating and kayaking. They are not a swimming skill, and they are not a substitute for an adult paying attention.

Watch out for other kids in vests. Last summer Amy watched her son Luca get pulled underwater by other kids. Luca knows how to swim. The other kids were in life vests and grabbed onto him while they played, because they didn't know they were only floating because of the vest. It happened three times at three different pools. If your kid is a strong swimmer, teach them to get away when another kid wraps arms around them.

Start way earlier than you want to. The most common mistake Amy sees is parents of three-year-olds saying they'll bring the kid back when they're older. Older is harder. By the time a beginner is 9, 10, or 17, their body is bigger and there's a lot more fear in their head. She says start as early as two months old. Get the water comfort handled while it's easy.

Know the difference between fun and safe. Don't just ask whether your kid can swim. Ask whether they can float. Whether they can go under and come back up controlling their breath. Whether, if they fell in, they could flop around and get to the side, or whether they'd freeze. The freeze is what turns an accident into something worse.

Amy and her husband Ryan started it, almost by accident.

They were expanding their practice and needed more room. They ended up buying a building that happened to have a pool. They were not trying to own a swim school.

But by then they'd spent three summers running their own kids through four different swim programs in Salem, and they were frustrated. The programs were seasonal, so momentum died every September. The groups were too big. One class they were in had eight kids to one instructor, which Amy, a former lifeguard, just calls unsafe.

Before they even made an offer on the building, Amy posted on the Salem Area Moms page. Would anyone want a different kind of swim school, and what frustrated them about the current options? The complaints that came back were the exact same ones she and Ryan had. So she started a contact form. By the time the doors opened she had around 400 contacts.

They opened registration on April 5th. Amy and Ryan sat there and watched the sign-ups roll in one by one. They opened on April 15th with 200 swimmers.

Everything about the program is built straight off that list of complaints. And every choice points back at safety.

It's perpetual, not session-based. Most programs run in sessions. Come for a month, then re-register and hope you get the same group and the same teacher. Salem Swim School runs perpetual lessons. There's consistency and a clear path forward. Nobody in the area was doing that when they started.

Classes are small. No more than four kids per instructor. They're strict about it. No absorbing somebody else's class when an instructor calls out sick.

They don't hire 16-year-olds. Amy hires people with a real background with kids. People with a passion for teaching. Ideally people who've raised kids. In interviews she asks for a candidate's favorite and least favorite age. If they say they hate three to five year olds, they're not a fit. That age is the whole school.

There's a real curriculum. Progress gets tracked, tested, and evaluated. Notes get kept on every swimmer. The levels go Otter, Turtle, Dolphin, Sailfish. The first level, Otter, is the least flashy one. It's bubbles and floats. Parents think it's boring, but Amy knows what's happening in that level. The kid is beating their fear. Once a swimmer gets past the fear of water in the nose, the fear of going under, they take off. The goal isn't to build a swim team. It's the survival basics. Buoyancy, breath control, propulsion, treading. Then they prep kids for swim team if that's where they want to go.

The pool is warmer and smaller. It's 20 by 40 feet and kept at 90 degrees. Amy hears all the time from parents whose kids at other pools, kept around 83 to 85, came out shaking with purple lips. A few degrees is a bigger deal than it sounds. The smaller, three-foot-deep pool also means a nervous three-year-old can stand, with an instructor right there.

The school runs with a team of 22 to 23 people now. Supervisors, a general manager, an operations manager, front desk, instructors, lifeguards. They added adult lessons, because grown adults sitting at the edge of the pool terrified to put their face in is more common than you'd think. And they look for little ways to make it feel personal, like working with a local shop, Capital Trophy, to make skill ribbons so a kid who hasn't passed a full level yet still gets recognized for a standout skill.

The clearest sign a program is doing its job is what parents say after.

Amy hears the same line over and over. Kids learned more in two months at Salem Swim School than they did in two years somewhere else.

She thinks it comes down to being a mom and pop. There's no corporate chain above her. Her instructors answer to her. Her standard is everyone gives their best, every day.

When a near-drowning happened in Salem last summer, a young child who slipped past his parents and ended up in the hospital, Amy used it with her team. When the three-year-olds are driving you crazy and not listening, that is exactly why you push through. They need to be able to roll onto their back, breathe, kick, and pull themselves to the edge. That little kid is the whole reason the work exists.

Her approach with the kids is just as plain. Small steps equal big wins. A scared kid doesn't have to do everything on day one. They just have to do three bubbles. Then four next time. Because if you let them off the hook, they'll never do it.

Ask Amy what the school is really about and she keeps it to one line. Meeting kids where they're at and challenging them to do just a little bit more each time.

Ask her to finish the sentence "every kid deserves to" and she doesn't even pause. Learn how to swim. Because it can and will save their life.

What: Year-round, perpetual swim lessons for kids and adults. Classes are 30 minutes, once a week, for swimmers as young as two months old. Levels run Baby & Me, Parent/Tot, Otter, Turtle, Dolphin, Sailfish, and Pre-Swim Team Sharks.

Where: 685 36th Ave. NE, Salem, OR. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10AM to 1PM and 3:30 to 7PM, Saturday 9AM to 12:30PM, and closed Sunday.

How: Register your swimmer online at salemswimschool.com.

Questions can go to [email protected] or (971) 273-1461, and there's a text-only line at (503) 383-9013.

Free Splash Pads | Open daily mid-June through Labor Day, weather permitting

Salem’s splash pads are one of the easiest ways to cool off during summer, with free water play areas spread across parks throughout the city. Perfect for hot afternoons, park days, and quick family outings.

Open 10AM-8PM

Open 12PM-8PM

Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Free Splash Fountain | State Capitol Park | Memorial Day through Labor Day | 10AM-7PM

The Wall of Water at State Capitol State Park is a fun downtown stop for families looking to cool off during summer walks, picnics, or park outings. Its central location makes it an easy addition to a day exploring downtown Salem.

1865 Bill Frey Drive NE | $16 day pass, memberships available

The Kroc Center is one of Salem’s biggest indoor swim destinations, featuring a competition pool, leisure pool, lazy river, hot tub, swim lessons, water exercise classes, and the popular Lighthouse waterslide.

Open swim availability can vary, so families should check the current schedule before visiting.

685 Court St NE | Year-round lessons and aquatics

The YMCA offers swim lessons and aquatics programs for ages 6 months and up, focusing on water safety, confidence, and skill-building for all experience levels.

Programs range from beginner swim lessons to advanced stroke development and adult classes.

685 36th Ave NE | $14-$21 per session

Salem Swim School focuses on year-round swim lessons designed to help kids become safe and confident swimmers. Lessons take place in warm indoor water with small class environments and a family viewing area.

Multiple Salem and Keizer locations | Membership-based

Courthouse offers saltwater pools across its Salem and Keizer clubs, including lap pools, warm water pools, family swim areas, and outdoor summer pool spaces at select locations.

Swim lessons, water aerobics, lap swim, and recovery-focused aquatic programs are also available.

3464 Biegler Road S | Private swim club

Madrona Swim Club is a longtime South Salem summer favorite offering open swim, lap swim, swim lessons, and family pool days throughout the season.

Members can bring guests for $2 per person, and swim lessons are open to the public.

7800 School Avenue, Turner | $5 open swim

Burkland Pool offers a classic small-town summer pool experience with open swim, evening swim, swim lessons, and pool rentals.

Open swim runs Monday-Friday from 1:30PM-3:30PM, with evening swim from 7PM-8PM.

Ward and 41st St NE | Membership pool

Jan-Ree Swimming Pool offers daily summer open swim, swim lessons, and family pool access throughout the season.

Guests are welcome with members, with day passes available for $5.

4318 Lone Oak Rd SE | Outdoor Heated Pool & Splash Pad 

Salem Tennis & Swim Club features a heated 25-meter pool, diving board, splash pad, lap swim, and summer open swim for families.

Open swim typically runs Memorial Day through Labor Day.

1690 Boone Rd SE

Cambridge Pool offers a traditional neighborhood pool setup with a main pool, toddler pool, grassy lounge areas, BBQ spaces, and lifeguards during open swim hours.

Day passes are not available for non-members.

5547 Kayak Way NE, Keizer 

Northwood Park Swim Club is a private Keizer community pool offering summer open swim, swim lessons, and family pool access throughout the season.

Regular summer hours run 12PM-9PM once Salem-Keizer schools are out for summer.

Summer baseball season is heating up in Keizer as Mavericks League Baseball rolls through another packed week of games featuring the Mavericks, Volcanoes, Campesinos, and Senators. There is honestly no better way to spend a warm spring evening than sitting in the stands with a hot dog, some snacks, and hometown baseball under the lights.

Upcoming Games:

One of the Mid-Valley’s biggest spring traditions is back as KeizerFEST returns with four days of carnival rides, food, vendors, live entertainment, community events, and nonstop family fun. Whether you are grabbing fair food, browsing local vendors, or just soaking in the atmosphere with friends and family, there is something happening all weekend long at Keizer Rapids Park.

The weekend also features several beloved community traditions, including the colorful Bloomin’ Iris Day Parade along River Road with floats, marching bands, performers, and tons of hometown spirit. Sports fans can jump into the KeizerFEST Pickleball Tournament Saturday morning or lace up for the KeizerFEST 5K Run & 2 Mile Walk on Sunday at 9:00AM. Registration for the run includes entry to the Keizer Fire District’s famous Fireman’s Breakfast, making it one of the tastiest race perks around.

Make a full weekend out of it because between the rides, events, entertainment, and community energy, KeizerFEST always feels like the unofficial kickoff to summer in the Mid-Valley.

More than 45 Oregon artists will fill Keizer Rapids Park during the third annual Keizer Riverwalk Art Fair with handmade crafts, jewelry, fused glass, garden art, live music, demonstrations, and family activities. Happening alongside KeizerFEST, this is an easy place to spend an afternoon wandering between art, food, and festival fun.

The Awesome 3000 returns with another day focused on youth fun, movement, and community spirit while raising money for Salem-Keizer schools. 

After the race, be sure to head to the Salem Center Mall Finish Line Festival (12PM-2PM) packed with bounce houses, activities, food, and a Danny Go dance party.

Dozer Day lets kids climb aboard and operate real heavy construction equipment with professional operators guiding the way. Built for ages 2–12, this hands-on event turns excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks into a full blown construction themed playground.

Last entry at 4PM

Step into an enchanted adults only prom night filled with candlelight, florals, live music, cocktails, and moody garden vibes at Night at the Garden Gala. Guests are encouraged to dress up, dance, sip craft drinks, and enjoy curated snacks alongside a complimentary drink ticket and beautifully styled selfie stations. 

Whether you are planning a glam night out with friends or a unique date night, this is shaping up to be one of spring’s most magical evenings.

Body slams, crowd chants, and larger than life personalities return to the Historic Grand as Portland Wrestling Showdown brings another night of live wrestling chaos to Salem. Whether you are a longtime fan or just want a loud and entertaining night out, live wrestling always delivers a wild atmosphere.

SomeBODY once told us Shrek belongs on the big screen. Salem Cinema is bringing the beloved animated classic back to theaters for a full week of screenings, making this the perfect nostalgic movie night for longtime fans and first-time viewers alike.

Interested in connecting with our audience and supporting the growth of this publication? Simply reply to this email and we can help you get started.

Thanks for keeping up with Salem this week!

Spotted something interesting in town? Drop us a note at [email protected] We love hearing from you.

See you next Thursday,

Ernie