A few years ago, I was teaching a beginner adult swimming class. There was a young woman named Heather enrolled in the class. She experienced a near-drowning incident as a teen and was finally feeling confident enough to get back in the water and learn how to swim. As a child, Heather had never been enrolled in swim lessons or spent much time around pools or lakes. Like most kids and teens, she felt invincible and didn’t doubt her lack of skills when she dove into that lake as a 15 year old. She realized too late that she was too deep and unable to keep herself above water. Luckily, lifeguards on duty and her family members were able to rescue her.

There are many lessons we can take away from this, but one of the most obvious is the importance of enrolling your child in swim lessons at a young age. If Heather’s parents had put her in swim lessons as a child, this may have saved her the trauma of experiencing a near-drowning. Heather and I had many issues to work through while she was in my class. It took several long and grueling months before Heather even felt comfortable floating without support and submerging her face. There were many tears and frustrations, that as an instructor, I felt could have been spared if she had been exposed to swim lessons as a child.

Unfortunately, many parents (who love and only want what is best for their children) fail to enroll their children in swim lessons. Why is this? For many years agencies like the American Academy of Pediatrics discouraged swim lessons for younger children. However, they have recently withdrawn that position and new research shows the invaluable importance of swim lessons for children. Research from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) proves swim lessons can have a protective effect against drowning.

Of course, swim lessons alone do not prevent drowning. The National Drowning Prevention Alliance cites many “layers of protection” that parents can utilize to protect their child from drowning:

• Adult supervision during any/all activities in or around bodies of water
• Use “touch supervision” –  An adult should always be within arm’s length
• Do not use floatation devices as a substitution for supervision
• For home pools and spas, make sure there are barriers (like fences, pool covers, gates, etc.) that limit access to the water
• Learn CPR and take a Water Rescue Course

There are plenty of other measures a parent can take, but swim lessons is one of the easiest and first steps a parent can take to help make their child is safer in and around water.

~ By Kelsey Olson

 At SafeSplash, we want your family to have the best swim lesson experience possible. Check out these five tips to make your time at SafeSplash a great one!

 1. Consider your child’s daily routine:

When scheduling your child’s swim lessons, take into account their daily routine and how swim lessons fit into that. Lessons close to when your child naps or eats lunch can cause discomfort during their lesson. Try to pick a time when your child is most relaxed and ready to learn!

 2. Arrive early:

At SafeSplash we want to encourage a fun and friendly atmosphere, and arriving on-time and prepared for lessons is one of the easiest ways to do this. The less rushed your child feels, the more comfortable and prepared they will be for lessons.

 3. Get to know the staff:

Make your SafeSplash experience a great one by getting to know the manager, front desk staff, deck supervisor, and instructors at your facility! We are here to help, share information, and make sure your child is confident and comfortable in our program. If you ever have a question or concern, don’t hesitate to stop one of us and ask!

 4. Encourage your child:

At SafeSplash, we seek to foster a life-long love for swimming. Our instructors and staff will do their best to encourage your child and make them comfortable in the water, but parents can always help with this too! If a parent is anxious, nervous or worried, a child can sense this negative body language. Parents who stay positive, relaxed, and encouraging will help their child transition much more smoothly into swim lessons.

 5. Bath time = Practice time:

Practicing swimming skills at home reinforces what your child learns at swim lessons. Splashing in the bath, practicing blowing bubbles, or getting their face wet are all great way to continue the learning at home! Practicing these skills at home also helps with your child’s comfort level when they come to lessons.

Happy Summer SafeSplash Families and Friends!

With the outdoor pool and summer vacation just around the corner, I wanted to personally take a moment to express how important it is to get your little one’s swimming. So often during the summer time families take summer vacations all around the globe visiting lakes, water parks, neighborhood pools and everything in-between.  Have you ever considered the risk involved in the fun that you will have this summer?

According to the CDC two children under the age of 14 die each day due to unintentional drowning. Furthermore, it is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 14; right behind car accidents. You buckle your kid up, take all the precautions to make sure they are safe in the car. Do you do the same when they are near the water?  Do you equally invest in their safety around the water? It’s just that important!

 Will your child be near the water this summer? If so, I reach out to you, don’t become the statistic this summer.  Invest in your child’s safety! No matter their age or current ability, it is never too late to invest in your child’s future.

 See you at the pool!

Jenn Hoard
General Manager Lone Tree, CO

Congratulations to Emma for being our May Swimmer of the Month at our Lone Tree, CO location.  She started with us at a level 2A and just recently received her level 7 ribbon!  She in the final level here at SafeSplash and we are extremely proud of her for almost completely our program.  Megan, Emma’s swim teacher, says “Emma is such a joy in class and shows her love and dedication to swimming every time I see her.  She always works her hardest, never giving up.  She creates a fun environment for her fellow swim buddies with her beautiful smile.  She is doing a great job and has performed outstandingly!” We are very proud of Emma!

Favorite thing about swimming:  Diving

Favorite stroke: Breaststroke

Favorite ice cream: Mint

Favorite subject in school: Specials (music, tech and library)

Favorite movie: Dolphin Tale

Who invented swimming?  Alicia (her first swim teacher here at SafeSplash)

What do you want to be when you grow up:  Dietician…Just like Mom

Who is the best swimmer you know?  “My friend Daniel”

What is the most difficult stroke? Butterfly

What skills have you learned that you are most proud of?  being good in class

What is your favorite thing about your teacher Ms. Megan? She is really nice

If you could be the teacher for a day, what would you teach the class?  Butterfly

Keep up the hard work!  Congratulations!

Nicholas is the April’s Swimmer of the Month for our Coloardo locations. Nick is 9 years old and has been swimming at SafeSplash for over a year and a half. Nicholas swims twice a week with Miss Kala and Miss Randi, and has come a long way in his swimming ability! He is always charming and outgoing, loves to have fun, and that’s why he’s our swimmer of the month. Nick loves doing flip turns and freestyle is his favorite stroke, but he doesn’t like backstroke very much.  Nick is a level 7 and working hard on his Level 8 ribbon! He loves Miss Randi and thinks she is the best swimmer ever! When Nick grows up, he wants to keep swimming, but would like to be a teacher or work in a museum. We’re all so proud of Nick!  He’s doing a great job and we’re excited to have him!

What is your favorite part about swimming lessons? I love doing flips and going fast in the water!

What is your favorite stroke?  Freestyle!

What is the most difficult stroke for you? Backstroke, I don’t like it.

What skills have you learned that you are most proud of? Summersaults and doing flip turns.

What is your favorite thing that your instructor does during lessons? Underwater swim for sure!

What will motivate you to get your next ribbon? Or pass the next skill? Work hard and just do it!

If you could be a teacher for a day, what would you teach? The same things that Miss Randi teaches me to do.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A swimmer, I want to design video games, maybe be a teacher. I’d also like to work in a museum, or be a cop!

Who is the best swimmer you know? Miss Randi!