Free Danbury swim lessons to combat drownings, give access to low-income families

DANBURY — Local and state leaders have announced a new partnership that will provide children 17 years old and younger to receive free swim lessons at the Danbury Community Center pool on Boughton Street.

The announcement comes several months after the drowning death of a 16-year-old Bridgeport teen in nearby Lake Zoar in Newtown last July. State data released shortly after the incident showed at least four children in Connecticut died by drowning by July 2023.

The report prompted state officials to call for better access to swimming lessons in low-income communities. The program is funded by a $128,000 grant from the state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act monies.

Federal and state elected officials joined leaders from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Institute for Communities at the DCC pool on Dec. 4 to announce the new program. According to DEEP, the program is expected to serve 300 children each year.

Children who live in what DEEP described as a “qualified census tract” or who receive benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, are eligible for the free program.

CIFC CEO Katie Curran in a statement described the drownings due to inequitable access to swim lessons as “a public health crisis, and as the only publicly available pool in downtown Danbury, we see the DCC’s role as helping many Danbury youth learn to swim.”

According to DEEP, access to swimming lessons is limited. The agency cited U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, which noted that drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4. Across the nation, at least two children die each day from drowning, which is the second leading cause of unintentional injury or death for children between 5 and 14 years old.

Statistics also show disproportionate drowning death rates by race, with those death rates one-and-a-half times higher among Black people than they are among white people, DEEP reported. Those disparities increase for children, with drowning death rates for Black children between the ages of 10 and 14 having 3.6 times that of white children in that same age group.

Furthermore, DEEP reported, 79 percent of children whose families’ annual household incomes are less than $50,000 have either no or little swimming ability.

Curran also described opportunities for recreation, like swimming as important to the well-being of youth, individuals and families, and lack of access disproportionately affects lowincome communities.

“Swimming is the basis of many great outdoor experiences for children and families here in Connecticut,” said DEEP Deputy Commissioner Mason Trumble, in a statement. “Sadly, swimming ability plays a role in drowning deaths that occur in swimming pools, lakes, rivers and on our shoreline. While it seems like the summer swimming season is a long way off, this is a great time for children to learn to swim.”

Trumble said DEEP’s partnership with CIFC complements similar partnerships with other organizations “to ensure children from additional communities can learn how to swim, be safe around the water, and most importantly, help prevent future tragedies.”

DEEP’s partnerships with Connecticut YMCAs and the Boys and Girls Club of New Britain have resulted in more than 2,000 children learning how to swim since lessons began in November 2022.

Elected officials, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal and

Chris Murphy, D-Conn, and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th Dist., applauded the new partnership, saying it has the potential to save lives. “With accidental drownings of Connecticut children on the rise, it is critically important for kids to be introduced to water safety early on. I was surprised when I met with a group of young people this week and they said that among the many changes they would like to see in their community, learning to swim topped the list,” Hayes said, adding, “With ARPA funds, qualifying children will now be able to access free swimming lessons at Danbury Community Center through a streamlined process to ensure more residents can participate.”

The agency is accepting sign ups for the program. The public can go to CIFC.org and click on the Danbury Community Center for information about the lessons and how to sign up.

Families seeking information about whether they qualify can email dcc-reception@cifc.org or call 203-456-1413 with questions. Families interested in registering their children for the program can visit the Danbury Community Center at 12 Boughton St. in Danbury.