this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2026
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me_irl
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Swim, cycle, skate, play an instrument... These are all things people generally learn to do as a kid and require parents buying the equipment and/or access for you. A lot of poorer people can't swim because they have no place to learn how, and you can't do the others in you don't have equipment.
Why do you reply this to my comment?
Because its not just time. Kids have a lot of time, and sometimes poor adults have a lot of time too when they can't find a job or they are disabled. The things OP mentioned require money for equipment or access. Can't learn to swim when nobody around you has a pool and there's no public pool around. You can't learn to ride a bike if you don't have one.
Swim lessons are expensive too.
My town/school district takes the second grade to the YMCA for swim lessons as part of their gym curriculum.
I'd never heard of such a thing until we got the permission slip, but I thought it was pretty damn awesome.
Both my kids are way better swimmers than me.
We also have universal school lunches (and breakfast), and during the summer they give out free lunch to kids at the town pools, every day, no means-testing. And the town pool isn't that expensive to begin with (and also really nice), but they do have a sliding scale for that as well.
It's nice you live someplace that demonstrates so much care for those in need. Easy to argue it's not even the bare minimum but it's still much, much more than other communities. Do mind sharing the area you live?
Massachusetts.
I don't know about other towns but I think school lunch is universal state wide.