Get in the swim of things during National Water Safety Month
FORT LAUDERDALE - May is National Water Safety Month. Several organizations including the Red Cross use this month to bring awareness to the importance of water safety and learning how to swim.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death in children one to four years old.
In South Florida, we are surrounded by water. There are pools, lakes, and beaches practically everywhere.
Several organizations provide scholarships for free lessons, including the International Swimming Hall of Fame's program called Every Child a Swimmer. The goal of the non-profit is to get as many children as possible in the pool and in swim lessons. They provide low to no cost scholarships for qualifying children.
Ella Huhn, who is not even two years old, is one of the children who received a scholarship. She's been in the pool since she was just four months old and is now more comfortable in the water than some adults.
"I feel safer in the pool with her and not having to worry as much as I would," said Ella's mom, Denise.
Denise Huhn said it's a big weight off her shoulders knowing Ella can help herself in the case of an emergency.
"You really hear the stories about kids drowning and you know it takes one second and you look away and they move quick," she said.
At AquaChamps Swim School in Oakland Park, children as young as three months old are getting in the water. AquaChamps supports Every Child a Swimmer and is where Ella learns.
"The scholarship program with Every Child a Swimmer really provides access and affordability for those families who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to swim," said Daniel Vawter who is the Vice President of AquaChamps.
Vawter said it's about repetition, getting the children in the water as often as possible so they are comfortable and can save themselves without panicking.
The hope, he said, is to get children and parents to know what to do in the case of an emergency.
"I think it's breaking a cycle. We're not only seeing the kids get in but we're seeing the parents get in who never knew how to swim before," said Vawter.
For Ella's mom, the program has not only changed her daughter's life but hers as well.
"Knowing that she knows how to kind of get to the edge of the pool and go up the stairs, not that I would leave her alone but knowing that she has that confidence and that skill not to freak out in the pool it's a big relief," said Huhn.
If you would like to find out more information about Every Child a Swimmer, click here.