Just In Time for Memorial Day and the beginning of summer…
American Red Cross expert Connie Harvey shares practical, expert-backed tips to help keep children safe in and around the water in an AAA article by Lisa Beach.
“The American Red Cross wants people to know that drowning is preventable,” says Connie Harvey, director of Aquatics Centennial Campaign and Survival Programs at the American Red Cross. “There is no ‘one thing’ that prevents drowning. It takes layers of protection to help keep your loved ones safe.”
Water Safety for Kids: What Everyone Should Know
On a hot day, it doesn’t take long for kids to race toward the nearest pool, lake, or wave pool. But while the water promises fun, it also carries risk—especially for children.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in the US and the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for kids ages 5 to 14.
Start with Layers of Protection
Harvey points to the American Red Cross’ Circle of Drowning Prevention, which highlights these “layers” of water safety in simple steps:
- Provide close, constant attention to children you’re supervising in or near water.
- Fence pools and spas with adequate barriers, including four-sided fencing that separates the water from the house and yard.
- Make sure every family member learns swimming and water safety survival skills.
- Children, inexperienced swimmers, and boaters should wear US Coast Guard–approved life jackets.
- Always swim in a lifeguard-protected area.
The American Red Cross emphasizes water competency, not just “knowing how to swim.”
Harvey defines it as “a combination of three things: water smarts, swimming skills, and helping others.”
Water smarts means swimming only in designated areas, never swimming alone, and always ensuring adult supervision.
Swimming skills include being able to perform the following:
- Safely enter the water.
- Float or tread water for at least a minute.
- Rotate in a full circle to find an exit, swim at least 25 yards to it, and then climb out safely.
“When parents have little or no swimming skills, their children are less likely to be proficient swimmers,” Harvey notes. This affects 78 percent of African American children, 62 percent of Hispanic/Latino children, and 67 percent of Caucasian children.
Making water safety a family priority can be “both fun and lifesaving,” says Harvey.
READ THE FULL STORY ON THE AAA NEWS SITE:
https://cluballiance.aaa.com/the-extra-mile/advice/life/water-safety-for-kids?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=theextramile052026&business_line=the_extra_mile&campaign_date=052026&campaign_type=unpaid&et_cid=3000823&et_rid=15416621&linkid=A2_water-safety-for-kids_BTN&et_jid=ET_EMAIL
