Summer is here and the American Red Cross urges families to prioritize water safety education and swim lessons, fostering confidence and lifelong skills that help everyone stay safer in and around the water. Participation in formal water safety and swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning.
“Before families head out to pools, parks, beaches or creeks, it’s important for all family members to learn and review critical water safety skills,” said Jorge Martinez, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania. “As a community, we all play an important role in helping keep those who are in and near the water safe.”
Each year, more than 2.5 million people learn to swim through Red Cross lifesaving aquatics programs. These programs incorporate the latest science-based curriculum and industry best practices, helping to keep individuals and families safer while enjoying water activities. Through this work, over the last century, the Red Cross has helped to reduce accidental drownings by nearly 90% nationwide.
“Most drownings happen when the child isn’t even supposed to be near or in the water so preventing unsupervised access to water, providing constant, active adult supervision and knowing how to swim are critical layers of protection to help prevent drowning,” Martinez added.
Important Water Safety Tips
Drowning can happen quickly and silently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14. This summer, be “water smart” and remember these four water safety tips.
Nobody should ever swim alone – adults and teens as well as children. Never leave a young child unattended near water, and do not trust a child’s life to another child.
Always designate a “water watcher” who will keep a close eye and constant attention on children and weaker swimmers in, on and around water until the next water watcher takes over.
Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.
Reach or throw, don’t go! In the event of an emergency, reach or throw an object to the person in trouble and tell them to grab on. Don’t go in! You could be in danger of drowning yourself.
“We encourage families to educate themselves on safer water habits, to learn to swim and know how to handle emergencies,” said Martinez. “Our aquatic training providers offer swim education and classes for both children and adults. We recommend that you also learn first aid and CPR, so you’ll know what to do until help arrives.”
Whale Tales for Children – Now Available in Spanish
The Red Cross recently revamped its Longfellow’s WHALE Tales Water Safety for Children program. The no-cost program is available in English and Spanish and designed to help children from all backgrounds in kindergarten through 5th grade learn vital water safety behaviors without having to be in or near the water.
Educators, swim instructors, parents, caregivers and others can teach critical water safety lessons to children before the swim season kicks off and throughout the summer. WHALE Tales are short, engaging and age-appropriate lessons that cover important water safety topics in different environments such as pools, waterparks, oceans, lakes and rivers. The free downloadable resources include lesson plans, course presentations and engaging materials such as videos and activity sheets and can be accessed at redcross.org/WHALEtales. If you’re a parent or caregiver teaching your own children, visit redcross.org/watersafetyforkids.
Go to redcross.org/watersafety for swim program information and a variety of resources. The Red Cross Swim app can help children and adults learn with kid-friendly videos and activities on mobile devices. Do your part. Be “water smart.”