Drowning is the second most common form of death for children.
Now the Cadillac area YMCA is offering a different kind of classes to reduce that number and get kids comfortable with the water as soon as possible.
Sarah Brennan is taking parent-child swim classes with her one and a half year old, Lily.
“We want our kids to be safe especially living around so many lakes,” says Brennan.
“The first thing that they do is they teach your kids how to get in and out of the pool safely and they also work with your kids on specific skills.”
The life-saving classes focus on introducing little ones to the water in a fun way, because knowing your way around the water is essential.
Swim Instructor, Kimberly Smith says, “Especially in the last couple of years we’ve had a lot of drownings in the area. It’s like so preventable, but it’s the second largest for children under the age of 18, it’s the second most likely form of accidental death.”
The mini swimmers are learning skills like grabbing onto the wall and pulling themselves up to safety.
“The biggest thing is you know when a kid falls in, if they’re afraid to have water in their face they panic, but if they’ve been in swimming lessons you know, we splash water all the time, it’s not a big deal,” says Smith.
Brennan says little Lily is actually quite the daredevil so being familiar with open water makes a world of a difference, “She wants to go straight in the water without supervision and so this class teaches them different tools. The more they get water on their face, the less they are hesitant to go under water, and it also just helps them to enjoy it. You’re giving them a positive experience from an early age.”
The YMCA offers this swim program, as well as many others, year round.
For more information on how to sign up, click .
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