BCYF Clougherty Outdoor Pool to Open For the Summer

The BCYF Clougherty Pool in Charlestown will open this Saturday, June 20 for the summer season. This outdoor pool, as well as several indoor pools across the City operated by Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), are free resources available to residents looking to cool off. Locations and hours of operation of the pools can be found at Boston.gov/BCYF-Aquatics.

BCYF Clougherty Pool, located at 331 Bunker Hill Street, will be open six days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is free to swim at all BCYF pools but there are some protocols in place at BCYF pools heading into the summer season: 

• Visitors must create a profile in the system at Boston.gov/BCYF-Registration so you can be checked in when you arrive and we can prevent overcrowding.
• Boston residents only.
• Children under eight need an adult in the water with them at all times. 
• Three children under 12 are allowed per adult. 
• All pools will be staffed by trained lifeguards.
• Please bring your own water.

When near water there are several things to keep in mind to keep you and your family safe:

• Always watch children near any body of water. Make sure to swim in the designated areas and know where the lifeguards are present.
• Swim near a lifeguard and never swim alone.
• Learn the basics of swimming. If you don’t already know how to swim, contact your local BCYF pool to get a proper lesson. BCYF offers limited summer lessons and will offer additional swim lessons in the fall. 
• Obey "No Diving" signs and do not dive into shallow water.

Mayor Wu, the Public Facilities Department, BCYF, and Boston Public Schools have prioritized investing in the city's pool infrastructure and streamlining processes to prevent the deferred maintenance that has caused pool closures in recent years. The new Clougherty Bathhouse was completed this year, wrapping up a two year, $35.5 million renovation to the pool and bathhouse. The list of neighborhood pools that are expected to be open for Summer 2026 include: 

BCYF Condon

BCYF Charlestown

BCYF Clougherty

BCYF Draper

BCYF Flaherty

BCYF Hennigan 

BPS Madison Park (BCYF will operate the pool for community access this summer)

BCYF Mason

BCYF Marshall

BCYF Mattahunt

BCYF Mildred

BCYF Perkins

BCYF Paris Street Pool

BCYF Quincy

BPHC South End Fitness Center

BPS Umana

BCYF Curley Beach

Through grants administered by the City of Boston’s Office of Human Services, Swim Safe grants totaling $114,892 were awarded to 11 nonprofit organizations to expand access to free beginner swim lessons for young people across Boston. The grant will allow families to access free water safety programming and swim lessons. By the end of the summer, the city expects more than 700 youth to have received free swim lessons. This grant will improve water safety in Boston by addressing the public health threat posed by drowning and increasing access to swimming for Boston families. Swim Safe will include more swim providers in more neighborhoods, increasing the availability of accessible, community-based swim lessons to Boston’s young people.

A full list of the City's pools and their operating hours can be found here. Additionally, the City’s splash pads and water features are already operational. A map of those water features can be found here.

BCYF is also operating programming for registered youth at community centers across the city this summer. Learn more about BCYF’s programming at Boston.gov/BCYF. These programs are in addition to a variety of expanded BCYF programming for teens and 800 youth jobs hosted at BCYF community centers through the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program.