What You Need to Know About Children & Water

The National Institute of Health released a long-awaited study which concludes that participation in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning in children between the ages of 1 to 4 (Arch Pediatric Med. 2009; 163(3):203-210), which demonstrates that providing young children with swimming lessons has a protective effect against drowning.
Drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children under 5 in the state of California, and many who don’t drown suffer irreversible brain damage. “We are delighted by the research because it conveys a message to our families that swim lessons are not only a valuable learning and healthy activity, but also a confirmed layer of protection against drowning accidents,” said Johnny Johnson, founder and president of the Swim for Life Foundation and president of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. “If you want to take the next step in making your children safer around water, expose them to swimming lessons to foster skills that last a lifetime.” Drowning is 100% preventable!
The research, completed under the direction of Duane Alexander, M.D., director at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, should ease concerns that swim lessons may lead to parental inattention. Swimming lessons are considered an appropriate part of a comprehensive drowning prevention strategy that should also include pool fencing, adult supervision and CPR training.
“Many of us in the learn-to-swim world have believed for years that lessons impact a child’s behavior and are a factor in drowning prevention,” said Johnson. “We encourage parents to be involved and educated about the multiple strategies of prevention as promoted by the Safer 3 Drowning Prevention Program: Safer Water (barriers with gates that lock), Safer Kids (parental supervision and swimming instruction and Safer Response (knowledge of CPR).”
Don’t wait until summer to enroll your child in swim lessons. Don’t wait, period.
For more information on swimming and water safety, contact Academy Swim Club at (661)702-8585 or www.Swim4Life.com.