Take the Family Pledge to be safe around water!
Please make a commitment with your family and friends to join the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas in keeping our children safe. Before letting your children hit the water, remember these few tips to ensure it’s an enjoyable and safe experience.
- Never swim alone.
- Supervise your children whenever they’re in the water. Download a Water Watcher Tag as a helpful reminder.
- Wear a Life Jacket. Inexperienced, non-swimmers and kids should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
- Know your (and your kid's) swim capabilities. Swim lessons give every person the skills needed to be safe around water.
- Create barriers to make pools harder to access. Consider investing in a pool cover or fence or include a small gate with a lock.
- Don’t jump in the water to save a friend who is struggling in deep water. The Y’s Safety Around Water program teaches the “reach, throw, don’t go” concept of using a long object to reach for them and pull them to safety. By using this technique children can help their friends without compromising their own safety.
- Enroll your children in water safety or swim lessons. Just like teaching your children to look both ways before they cross the street, having them participate in formal water safety lessons teaches them an important life skill. The Y’s swim lesson program teaches children fundamental water safety skills and what to do if they find themselves in the water unexpectedly.
NBCDFW SWIM SAFETY WEEK SERIES
Swim Week Aims to Prevent Drownings This Summer
NBC 5 Today is featuring a series of stories this week to help keep you and your family safe in the water this summer
Do You Know What to Do During a Drowning?
Children's Health and the YMCA teamed up to put together a mock drowning to demonstrate what parents should do
How to Drown Proof Your Swim Experience This Summer
If you’re looking at ways to drown-proof your home or apartment complex pool, the Y shares some tips to get you started
Not Just For Kids: Adults Taking the Plunge With Swim Lesson
Swim lessons aren't just for kids. According to the American Red Cross, one in five adults in the United States can't swim. For many, it’s the fear of water. It's powerful enough that people put off lessons for most of their lives.
Life Jackets Are a Must This Memorial Day Weekend, YMCA Says
Many recent lake drowning deaths have one crucial detail in common – the person wasn’t wearing a life jacket
Make Safe Swimming A Family Thing!
Before letting your children hit the water, we have a few tips to ensure it’s an enjoyable and safe experience!
THE WORLD IS 71% WATER.
ARE YOUR KIDS 100% PREPARED?
Teaching children how to be safe around water is not a luxury; it is a necessity. The YMCA’s Safety Around Water program can help you make sure they learn essential water safety skills, which can open up a world of possibilities for them to satisfy their curiosity safely.
What Is Safety Around Water?
Through learning how to perform a sequenced set of skills over eight lessons of 40 minutes each, the risk of drowning is reduced, giving your child confidence in and around water.
A typical session includes:
- Exercises to help kids adjust to being in water
- Instruction in “Jump, Push, Turn, Grab” and “Swim, Float, Swim,” two skill sets kids can use if they unexpectedly find themselves in the water
- Specific safety topics, like what to do if you see someone in the water who needs help
- Fun activities that reinforce skills
WATER SAFETY TIPS
Before letting your children hit the water, remember these few tips to ensure it’s an enjoyable and safe experience!
Swim Lesson Stories
Tell us about your swim lesson experiences!
CONTACT US
If you would like to volunteer or sponsor a water safety presentation, email KBYG@childrens.com
MEDIA INQUIRES
For media inquires, please email mediarelations@childrens.com
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO is a campaign centered on educating our communities about dangers of drowning and important rules of water safety.
Studies have shown that minority children are three times more likely to drown. Studies indicate that 60% of all African-American children are unable to swim. Today, a residential pool is 14 times more likely to the take the life of a child than an automobile.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, Children’s Health, Alliance Data, the Safe Kids Greater Dallas, and Independent Pool and Spa Service Association (IPSSA) are committed to providing communities with effective swim safety presentations and on-going educational information. The YMCA and our vital partners in this initiative are committed to keeping children safe in and around water, and providing knowledge needed to prevent potentially dangerous and fatal situations.
RESOURCES:
DOWNLOAD YOUR WATER WATCHER TAG
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO - TIP SHEET
PURCHASE A WATER SAFETY CHILDREN'S BOOK: Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim: A Child's First Guide to Water Safety
WATCH OUR WATER SAFETY VIDEOS
THANK YOU TO DELTA AIR LINES FOR SPONSORING OUR SAFETY AROUND WATER PROGRAM.
