Swim lessons key for safer summer for kids

Now is the time to start planning, researching options for your family

If we could make one plea to families this month, it’s a simple one. Please, please enroll your kids in a swim class.

It’s an action that can save your child’s life – and it’s something kids can start taking at a very early age.

According to the City of Yuma, drowning is the single-leading cause of death among children ages 1-4, and it’s a top cause of death among teenagers. The Greater Yuma Water Safety Alliance was formed in the fall of 2023 to raise awareness about the importance of water safety, while actively working to reduce the number of drownings in our community. It’s a partnership between the City of Yuma, Yuma County, Yuma Regional Medical Center and the Liquid Foundation.

This year’s GYWSA’S water safety message focuses on the National Drowning Prevention Association’s five layers of protection which includes barriers and alarms, supervision, water competency/swim skills, life jackets, and emergency preparation. Each layer should be used together when in or around water to reduce the risk of drowning.

Readers, this is a cause we support 100 percent. Any time a child loses his or her life, it’s heart-breaking – and it’s something we’ve reported on too many times over the years.

And now, as Yuma starts to heat up, it is the perfect time to start planning for summer safety – and that includes lessons to help your kids stay safe.

According to the city of Yuma, there are a few actions every family member – including the kids! – should be able to achieve in the water. That list includes being able to enter the water, get a breath, stay afloat, change position, swim a distance, and then get out of the water safely.

And here’s the good news, Yuma.

The City of Yuma offers water safety courses for children as young as 6 months old. At that age, children aren’t intended to learn to survive in the water by themselves, the city’s website notes, but parents learn “safe and effective techniques to help their children become comfortable in the water.”

In fact, the city offers lessons for children in every age group, designed to be building blocks that grow as their skill sets and ages advance, teaching them to be comfortable and safe in the water.

As we get closer to summer, it’s time to start thinking about swim safety classes and making sure your pool is kid-safe.

To learn more about the different types of swim programs offered by the city, visit https://tinyurl. com/yp8au5xb – and click on Swim Level Information.

The city will release the summer swim class sign ups soon, so it’s a great time now to do some research and figure out what program best suits your family.

And readers – we can’t emphasize this enough. We want to make sure every child has a safe, happy summer. Swim lessons can go a tremendously long way toward making that happen.