According to the American Red Cross, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children and sixth for people of all ages. On average 10 people per day drown in the United States. Florida has more private pools than any other state and it is surrounded by water, so safety is critical, especially for children. Polk County Public Schools has partnered with the YMCA for over 10 years to deliver a Kindergarten Water Safety program. The purpose of this program is to provide water safety to the Lakeland area kindergarten students.
The YMCA Kindergarten Learn to Swim program is a two-week interactive water safety and education program that is going on right now. In partnership with the Polk County Public School District, students prepare in their classroom by learning about water safety, the importance of adult supervision, and identifying dangerous areas. The following week, children are transported to a YMCA aquatic facility for a full week of lessons by certified instructors. Tiffany Kitchens, Curriculum Specialist for Physical Education/Driver Education and Traffic Safety with Polk County Public Schools said, “We are about halfway through the program, and the response from the schools, students and families has been fantastic so far this year. We currently have 19 Lakeland area elementary schools that are participating in this vital program, serving approximately 2,000 students and we will be expanding the program to other elementary schools within the district next year.”
Dr. Amy Weingarth, Principal at Highland City Elementary said, “Students first learn about water safety in the classroom, which helps them take precautions when they are near water bodies and then the hands-on learning starts in the pool. The Water Safety Program is informational, very-well organized, and fun for our students. We are so thankful that we have support for this very important program and the skills learned may save a life.”
“As a parent, I like how the students were placed into groups based on their ability, the instructors and staff were well trained and did a great job working with all the students,” said parent Edmi Perez. “I’m thankful my child had this opportunity through Polk County Public Schools.”
“This is a crucial program,” said West Central Florida YMCA CEO Elaine Thompson, PhD. “Our board has approved a strategic plan that sets objectives for us to work with our community partners to ensure that every kindergarten-aged child in our service area learns to swim and that parents receive safe-water practice education. There are a lot of moving parts, and we could not do it without partnerships that see value in water safety for our youngest members of the community. We are reaching these young students through the school system, and they are learning water safety skills that they may not be exposed to otherwise.”