Safe Swimming Saves Lives

There is a list of basic life skills all parents instinctively know they must teach their children to keep them safe and healthy. It includes habits like:

  • Looking both ways before you cross the street
  • Washing your hands with soap and water
  • Eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables every day.

But for too many parents, safety in and around water is not on the list; and that’s something we need to change.

Fatal drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to 14 years old. Last year, 80 children died in Texas due to drowning and there have been 19 fatal drownings of children in Texas the first 6 months of 2018. The problem is particularly acute among minority communities. African American children ages 5 to 14 are three times more likely to drown than their white counterparts. The disparity is partly due to the lack of swimming experience among these children.

According to a recent national research study conducted by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 70 percent of African American and 60 percent of Hispanic children cannot swim, compared to just 40 percent of Caucasian children.

The Y is committed to reducing water-related injuries, particularly in communities where children are most at risk. Again this summer the Y offers Safety Around Water, a program to engage parents about the importance of water safety skills and provide more children access to water safety lessons.

The Y’s Safety Around Water Apartment Swim Initiative focuses on decreasing the number of swim related fatalities in minority communities by providing swim lessons to children at no cost. Safety Around Water takes place in apartment community pools across North, South and West Dallas, Vickery Meadows, White Rock/East Dallas, Richardson, Garland, and Irving. In 2017 alone, six Dallas YMCA mobile swim instructor and lifeguard team provided 95 sets of 8-week swim sessions to nearly 3,000 kids at 61 apartment communities. In partnership with Children’s Health, this summer, the Y will serve nearly 85 apartment communities.

These classes are just one of the many swim programs that millions of people from toddlers to adults take advantage of at the Y’s more than 2,200 pools across the country. Here in Dallas, 19,801 people gained confidence and new skills thought YMCA Swim programs in 2017. Through Safety Around Water, the Y hopes to further bridge cultural and access gaps that can prevent some children from learning important water safety skills.

If you know how to stay safe in and around water, swimming can be a lifelong source of fun and exercise. Instead of keeping your children away from water, help them learn fundamental water safety skills by enrolling them in lessons. These classes can provide them a new, exciting way to keep active and meet new friends.

To learn more about the Y’s Safety Around Water program, please visit www.ymca.net/watersafety

Authored by: La Shae