What is safety around water?
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.
Backyard Pools
Drowning can happen nearly anywhere with standing water. Children are often left unsupervised in apartment complexes around swimming pools, and research shows that there is a high population of immigrant families in the Arlington-Mansfield area living in these complexes with children who can’t swim. But, as a parent or caregiver, you can’t keep your children sidelined. Equip them with the tools they need to be confident in and around water so they don’t lose out on the health benefits of exercise, the opportunities to bond with family and friends and the sense of accomplishment when they learn new skills.
Water Safety Skills
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, and fun activities that reinforce skills.
For questions, please contact [email protected].
Water Safety Tips
- Never swim alone or without a water watcher. When children are swimming, make sure they are actively supervised at all times.
- Supervise your children whenever they’re in or near water.
- Don’t engage in breath holding activities.
- Wear a life jacket: Inexperienced or non-swimmers should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
- Don’t jump in the water to save a friend who is struggling in deep water.
