Pools can provide a cool relief to scorching summer heat, but they can also prove to be a hazard for young, inexperienced swimmers.
The Capital District YMCA on Friday, June 15, kicked off its water safety initiative, Splash, at its Glenville branch with 62 students from Galway Elementary. The program aims to teach children swimming skills and basic water safety through activities and instruction.
“Our purpose is to keep kids safe in and around the water, especially in these summer months,” said Cheryl Hardcastle, regional aquatics director for the YMCA. “Splash is really a big educational piece to allow people to be aware that most drownings happen in the summertime.”
There are a variety of precautions kids learn for swimming in a backyard pool or other body of water, and the Splash curriculum also covers boat safety. They learn how to use a life jacket and to never swim alone or without adult supervision.
Using a buddy system for kids also helps ensure young swimmers don’t venture off alone or go unaccounted for. Hardcastle said the program also stresses how children should react if a friend falls into a pool or is in danger of drowning.
“If kids are by a swimming pool and their friend falls in, their first reaction is ‘I can save them,’” she said.
Jumping in the pool shouldn’t be the first response, she said, because there are safer ways to try and save a friend, such as throwing a flotation device. Since an adult should be nearby, calling to them for help is another option.
Hardcastle said it is “scary” how often a drowning occurs when basic swimming skills or precautions could avoid dreadful incidents.
Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for children from 1 to 4 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages.
For every child under the age of 15 who dies from drowning in a pool there are another 10 who have received emergency care for non-fatal submersion injuries, according to the CDC. Also, non-fatal drowning can lead to brain damage resulting in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities and permanent loss of basic functions.
Kids are also taught during the Splash program how to call 911 and what CPR is.
The YMCA also offers the Reach Out For Youth Scholarship Program, which allows families who can’t afford to pay for swim lessons to attend programs. Hardcastle said the reason “I can’t afford swim lessons” isn’t an excuse to not learn swimming skills.
“We’re committed to helping save the lives of children and adults by providing as many opportunities as possible for everyone to learn basic swimming and water safety,” President of the Capital District YMCA David Brown said in a statement.
The YMCA also recently partnered with the Schenectady City School District to reopen the high school pool to the community, with free lessons also offered there.
Out of a group of 76 fourth- to fifth-grade Schenectady students, Hardcastle said there were only six kids who knew how to swim.
“I think swimming is kind of like reading or writing … you need to know how to do it,” she said.
For information on the Capital District YMCA and programs offered, visit cdymca.org or call your local branch.
