Sunday, October 27, 2019

NOT KNOWING HOW TO SWIM IS SCARY

bubbles
It is scary how many people, especially kids, in the United States don't know how to swim! According to the Red Cross, 54% of Americans either can't swim or lack basic water safety skills. Even if you aren't a proficient swimmer, the Red Cross recommends knowing the following basic skills to promote safety in and around the water. These are the ability to (1) step or jump into the water over your head; (2) return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute; (3) turn around in a full circle and find an exit; (3) swim 25 yards to an exit; and (5) pull yourself from the water.

Based upon information gathered by the Red Cross, just four in ten parents of children ages 4-17 report that their child can perform all five of these basic skills; yet more than nine in 10 (92 percent) say that their child is likely to participate in water activities. Every day, an average of 10 people die in the U.S. from unintentional drowning based upon stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children.  Beyond that for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. These statistics are frightening!

Don't be tricked into believing knowing swimming and water safety skills isn't important! Parents who ensure their children are capable of these skills will be treating themselves to peace of mind when their families are at a beach or in a pool. You don't want a child in your life to become one of these negative statistics.

goldfish swim school
Bubbles the Goldfish Swim School mascot


This dad blogger has partnered with Goldfish Swim School to make sure his kids have the skills to be safe in the water and to promote the value of water safety with other parents. We will be sharing that message with trick or treaters this year on Halloween by giving out passes at our house for free admission to a Goldfish Swim School family fun night in the pool as part of the Teal Pumpkin Project. Plus ageekdaddy.com promotes swimming tips and water safety messages on this blog throughout the year as a Goldfish Swim School partner.

Goldfish Swim School's focus is on providing swimming lessons and fun water activities for children 4 months up to 12 years old in age. My son and daughter have been attending Goldfish Swim School for a few year now and it is amazing how they evolved from struggling beginners to kids who get complements from people whenever we go on vacation about how great of swimmers they are now. There are three key factors that have really stood out from our Goldfish Swim School experience.

First, is the emphasis instructors place on water safety. They really focus on teaching kids how to be proactive about being safe in and around water and what to do in an emergency. They want every child who takes classes there to have those basic skills the Red Cross emphasizes everyone should have to help them avoid becoming a drowning statistic.

water safety


Second, Goldfish Swim School provides kids with a lot of attention and personalized instruction. They have small class sizes with instructors that provide students with plenty of one on one attention. Parents also receive quarterly report cards plus an update on their child's progress following after every lesson.

swimming lessons


Third, Goldfish Swim School strives to provide exceptional customer service with an instructional format designed to fit into the lifestyles of today's busy families. They cater to having classes fit into your schedule rather than you having to worry about having to work around theirs. Reschedules are no big deal so if scheduling conflicts arise arranging a make-up class is no sweat! They understand that if fitting swimming lessons into a family's schedule is too difficult people will just drop out which only hurts the children who aren't getting time in the pool to develop basic skills. Getting kids to learn to swim is their number one priority!

swimming lessons


That is why Goldfish Swim School is a sponsor of the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash initiative which is helping kids obtain lessons whose families cannot afford paying for them. In this effort to provide the opportunity for every child in America to learn how to swim, Goldfish Swim School asks the families of children enrolled in their swimming lessons to "Float it Forward" by making a donation to the Make a Splash endeavor. These donations are funneled to non-profit programs in inner cities and other low income communities to give lessons to kids who might not otherwise have to chance to learn basis swimming skills.

It has been shown that swimming lessons can reduce the likeliness of accidental drowning by 88 percent. Investing in Goldfish Swim School lessons is a great way to ensure that your families experiences and memories being in the water involve smiles rather than frowns. To find a location near you go to goldfishswimschool.com


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