May is National Water Safety Month, and parents and guardians have a critical role to play in teaching their kids water safety skills — but they don’t have to do it alone! With more than 110 years’ experience equipping people with the skills they need to stay safe in and around water, the Y is America’s most trusted swim instructor. Each year, the Y teaches more than one million kids life-saving swimming and safety around water skills.
Did You Know?
9 in 10 parents see swimming as an essential life skill.
24% of parents have low confidence in their kids’ ability to stay safe around water.
88% of children drown with at least one adult present.
Be a Water-Ready Family
We’re working to help families become "Water-Ready" by developing water safety skills that help reduce the risk of drowning and build confidence and competence in and around water. Here’s what you can do:
- Designate a responsible adult to be a Water Watcher and maintain constant visual contact with all children playing in or near water.
- Make sure kids know to always ask permission before going into or near water.
- Don’t rely on water toys to protect weak swimmers. Coast Guard-approved life jackets are the only water safety devices certified to protect children.
- Put your phone away and save that text or grocery list for later. Distractions around water can lead to serious, even fatal, consequences. Take the “Phones Down, Eyes Up” pledge.
- Teach children to avoid drains in the pool. Pool drains can cause them to get trapped under the water.
- Don’t let kids play breath-holding games. They can easily lose consciousness.
Denver YMCA Swim Programs
Swimming is one of life’s most essential skills — the ability to swim can help save your life or someone else’s life. Our Denver Y swim program offers progressive lessons, increasing safety and building stronger, confident swimmers. We offer lessons year-round for kids and adults of all ages and abilities in 4-lesson and 8-lesson sessions.