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
APARTMENT SWIM
Often children are left unsupervised in apartment pools, and research shows a high population of immigrant families in Dallas living in these complexes have children who do not know how to swim. Using apartment community pools, our staff actively engage and teach children from area complexes to swim at NO COST.
WE'RE HIRING!
We're hiring lifeguards and swim instructors to be a part of our association's elite crew of swim staff!
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.
WATER SAFETY COVERAGE & ARTICLES
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 take a child's life 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 ongoing educational information. The YMCA and our vital partners in this initiative are committed to keeping children safe in and around water and providing the knowledge needed to prevent potentially dangerous and fatal situations.
If you would like to volunteer or sponsor a water safety presentation, email KBYG@childrens.com
For media inquiries, please email mediarelations@childrens.com
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
THANK YOU TO DELTA AIR LINES FOR SPONSORING OUR SAFETY AROUND WATER PROGRAM.
