The world is 71% water.
Children are 100% curious.

Did you know that...

• drowning is the second-leading cause of deaths for kids age 5-14?
• African American children are 3 times more likely to drown than their white peers?
• 88 percent of kids who drown do so under adult supervision
• 60 percent of kids who drown are within 10 feet of safety.

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 children 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?

SAW is a series of eight lessons of 40 minutes each; children learn a sequenced set of skills designed to reduce the risk of drowning, giving your child confidence in and around water. The program is geared toward unintended entries into the water and safety. Our goal is that if a child falls in, they can help save themselves or tread/float long enough for help to arrive.

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

Thanks to generous community grants and donations, we are able to offer this program at no charge to youth in our community. Your donation could be literally, lifesaving!