By: Brynja Seagren, CEO
When I think of my childhood, I remember summers spent at the pool and my many years on the swim team. To this day, those memories are accompanied by the familiar smells of chlorine and sunscreen and the feelings of excitement and competition that precede a big race.
All kids should experience the joy of cannonballing into a cold pool or taking the plunge into the cool ocean water under the hot summer sun. To enjoy these experiences to the fullest, kids need to be comfortable and confident in water.
Unfortunately, many communities across the country lack access to programs that teach and develop these important safety skills—making water dangerous and a source of anxiety and fear. For most children in low-income families, swimming skills are minimal or nonexistent. If a parent does not know how to swim, there is only a 19% chance that a child in their household will learn to swim and more than a third of U.S. adults cannot swim the length of a pool.
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in the United States for children aged 1-4 and the second leading cause for children under the age of 14. It is a serious risk, but it is preventable. Research shows that a month of formal swim lessons can significantly reduce the risk of drowning in children.
At Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, we’re working to expand access to important water safety skills for members of our community. This summer, we partnered with the Santa Monica Family YMCA to provide swim lessons and water safety classes to 38 Club members.
Our friends at the Y say that “learning how to swim and be comfortable in the water is just as important as learning how to look both ways before crossing a busy street or knowing what to do in the event of a fire.” We agree!
The program was designed to build confidence, endurance, and water safety smarts in our kids, helping them stay safe and watch out for their friends around water. Now, they’re ready to have fun in and around water far into the future.
We are proud to be increasing access to water safety resources for families in our community and grateful to the Santa Monica Family YMCA for helping make this important initiative happen.
