Long Beach Fire Department
Junior Lifeguard Program
REGISTRATION
New Junior Guards are required to pass a swim test before they can register for the program. JGs who took a year off are not considered returning and must re-test. If your child participated in summer 2024, they are not required to try out. For more information about tryouts, visit the "TRYOUTS" page.
Registration Deadlines
Feb 3rd
JG Program Registration Opens
Apr 18th
Priority Registration Deadline
Apr 27th
Lottery Registration Deadline
May 25th
FINAL Registration Deadline
Scholarships
To be eligible for financial assistance consideration, your child must be a current student enrolled in a Long Beach Unified School District school. Scholarship awards are based on annual household income. The scholarship application is 1-page and applicants are asked to provide us additional documentation to show their annual income. Families should fill out an application for each child they wish to have participate. If you are applying for a scholarship, you will be allowed to register for the program without paying the fee.  Once scholarship awards are announced, you will be required to pay the balance if you did not receive a full scholarship. 
Priority Registration
Returning Junior Lifeguards (those that participated in Summer 2024) are given priority for the selection of their preferred session but they MUST submit registration packets by the designated registration deadline.
Lottery Policy
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Registration must be submitted by the Lottery Deadline in order to be considered for the morning lottery
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Any returning JGs requesting the morning session that register AFTER the Priority Deadline will be placed in the morning lottery.
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For families who have multiple children in the lottery pool, the family will be entered in as one (1) lottery name rather than separate name entries for each individual child.
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For example, the Smith Family has 2 children who will be participating in the JG program for the first time. One child is in the B group and the other is in the C group. Both children will be placed in the lottery pool as one entry (i.e. Smith Family). If the Smith Family is chosen for the morning session then both children will be placed in morning session groups despite being in two different age groups. If the Smith Family does not get selected for the morning session, both children will be placed in afternoon groups
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For families with one returning JG and one new JG, only the returning JG will be considered for priority registration. The new JG will be entered into the lottery for session placement.
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In the event that two siblings are placed in separate sessions, the returning JG has the option to move to the afternoon session.​
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A morning waitlist will be automatically created based on the lottery results. If a spot in the morning session becomes available, the JG team will notify families via email.​
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What steps should I take to become a JG?
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What is the cost of the program?The cost of the 2025 Program will be $567.80 per junior lifeguard. Scholarships are available through Long Beach Unified School District to those who qualify. Please contact us at LBJG@longbeach.gov for more information.
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Are there scholarship opportunities available?Yes, we offer full and partial scholarships based on household income. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship please email LBJG@longbeach.gov.
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What is the program's refund policy?We issue full refunds of $555.80 (there is a $10 non-refundable processing fee), but we do not issue refunds for the AAU insurance. The last day to request a refund is Friday, June 28th (Friday of the first week of the summer program). You can send an email to LBJG@longbeach.gov and we will reach out to Parks & Rec to issue the refund. The refund will be credited to the card used to pay for the program.
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When are the registration deadlines?There are three separate registration deadlines. Please see below: April 18th, 2025: Priority Registration (JGs that participated in 2024) April 27th, 2025: Morning Lottery Registration May 25th, 2025: Last Chance Registration
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What is the difference between Priority registration and Lottery registration?Due to the high demand for our morning session, we have a strict policy for the selection of the morning group through Priority Registration and Lottery Registration. Priority Registration: RETURNING Junior Lifeguards are given priority for the selection of their preferred session but MUST submit registration packets by the designated registration deadline. Lottery Registration: All other junior lifeguards (including returning JGs that have NOT submitted registration by the priority deadline) who would like to be in the morning session will be placed in a lottery to determine which session they will be in. To be placed in the morning lottery, registration packets must be submitted by the Lottery Deadline. Families will be notified of their session placement via email.
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I have one child who is a returning JG and one child who will be new to the program this year, do both of my children qualify for priority registration?No. Only your returning JG qualifies for priority registration and ONLY if their registration packet is submitted by the priority registration deadline. Your child who will be participating for the first time this year will be entered into the lottery for session preference.
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Are uniforms included in the program cost?The program fee includes one t-shirt and one pair of swim trunks. If you would like to purchase additional uniform items you will need to pay for those separately. We highly recommend purchasing additional uniform items before the summer program. The link to our online store will be available before the 2025 summer program begins.
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My child is young/old for their grade and we would like to move them down/up to a different age group (age group change request). Is this possible?Returning JGs can request to move up/down a group pending approval from the JG Coordinator. If your JG is requesting to move age groups in the morning session, you must request the switch BEFORE the priority registration deadline. For new JGs, you are encouraged to remain in your true age group.