Water safety lessons save lives
The YMCA of Bristol launched its Little Floaters program in 2019 as an innovative way to teach water safety to toddlers. Instead of teaching each swimming stroke, Little Floaters teaches kids ages 1-4 the most important parts of water safety: how to roll to their backs in the water, how to control their breathing, and how to find safety like the wall of the pool or a ladder.
“We want kids to have a healthy respect for the water,” agrees Suzanne Wantland, the operations director at YMCA of Bristol. “A lot of times kids say, ‘Oh yeah, I can swim!’ But it may be because they use floaties or because a parent catches them and holds onto them while in the pool.”
Unfortunately, too often, floaties offer a false sense of security to kids and parents alike. Life jackets are essential when near rivers, lakes, and open water, but floaties aren’t at all the same. This is why water safety lessons are important.
“We want kids to know what’s going to happen when they get in the water,” Suzanne says. “When they come in, we let them go under the water briefly. We work on building that respect and the skills to know what to do. If they reach for a toy and fall in, they can come to the top of the water and breathe until help arrives.”
