It’s a tragedy we report on far too often. Childhood drownings. In fact, Florida leads the nation in child drownings, and it’s why Local 10’s Swim South Florida campaign was created.
Now in its second year, Swim South Florida is spearheaded by Local 10 anchor and mother of two young children, Nicole Perez. It’s designed to raise awareness about swim safety and connect families to valuable services in their communities.
Did you know…
- Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male
- Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates
- Most drownings occur in home swimming pools
- Children with special needs drown at a rate more than 100 times greater than typically developing children.
Drowning is preventable. There are simple tips you can follow to keep kids water safe. These include…
- Make sure your child wears U.S. Coast Guard-approved flotation devices
- Set up back door alarms and barriers, such as a pool fence, in your home
- Ban breath-holding contests. These games can cause accidental blackouts leading to rapid drowning
- Get as many adult supervisors as possible to learn the basics of CPR
According to Jim O’Connor, Aquatic Region Manager for Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, 88% of drowning victims had no or marginal swimming skills.
“Specifically with Miami-Dade County, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 9,” added O’Connor.
Drowning incidents increase during the summer months when school is in recess. Swim South Florida continues to collaborate with local organizations across South Florida to provide parents and caretakers with resources to start kids early on swim safety, regardless of economic status.
“The YMCA of South Florida never turns anyone away for inability to pay,” YMCA spokesperson Tongelia Milton said. “If someone can’t afford lessons, the YMCA encourages them to visit any one of our centers and a plan will be developed to make swim lessons accessible.”
For more information, visit: https://ymcasouthflorida.org/swim-lessons/.
Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces offers a host of swimming classes for any skill level.
To find out more, visit: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser14716214303986
The City of Miami offers free and low-cost aquatics programs for kids, seniors and veterans.
For more information, visit https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/City-of-Miami-Aquatics-Programs
The Florida Department of Health in Broward provides free swim coupons to residents, along with a new lifeguard and swim instructor scholarship program to help fulfill the swim instructor shortage.
For more information, visit watersmartbroward.org.
Swim South Florida consists of public service announcements, editorials and news stories that will air on Local 10 News and across all our digital platforms.
