Newton YMCA Offers Free Water Safety Class, After Drownings In MA

NEWTON, MA — There is a list of basic life skills parents teach their children to keep them safe it includes everything from looking both ways before crossing the street to not letting your child put their hand on on the stove top to teaching children how to wash their hands with soap and water.

Knowing how to be safe in and around water often doesn't make the list, but the YMCA thinks it should - especially in light of the dozen drownings in the state this summer, including one late Tuesday night at Crystal Lake in Newton. The Y wants to help get water safety on the list by offering a free safety around water open house on Sat. Aug. 11 from 8 a.m. to 9: 30 a.m.

“I almost drowned when I was 7 years old, but thankfully, my brother pulled me out of the water,” said Jack Fucci, West Suburban YMCA’s president and CEO. “I wish my parents had this resource when I was a child. I found out later, my parents did not know how to swim well, so we were rarely around the water."

If a parent does not know how to swim, the chance that their child will learn to swim is extremely low, said Fucci.

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Drownings this summer happened in pools, lakes, rivers and beaches, and the victims ranged in age from just 2 years old to 70. Across the country, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years old. A little water safety knowledge can go a long way.

The problem is particularly acute among minority and immigrant communities. Research conducted in 2017 showed 64 percent of African American children cannot swim, compared with 45 percent of Hispanic children and 40 percent of Caucasian children. Additionally, 79 percent of children in families with household income less than $50,000 have no or very low swimming ability.

Nationally, the Y’s Safety Around Water program teaches children of all ages and from all backgrounds that water should be fun, not feared, if you know how to stay safe in and around water, according to the YMCA's announcement about the event.

The Y's Safety Around Water Open House will include free swim lessons that focus on teaching children how to respond if they find themselves in unexpected water situations—from how to reach the water’s surface if they submerge—to safely reaching a pool’s edge or exiting any body of water. There will also be talks for parents on the subject and water safety resources.

“It’s never too early or too late to get children involved in swimming—it’s important for safety reasons, but also a great way to keep active and healthy,” said Aquatics Director Amanda Pierce. “There are so many options for parents, but the best place to start is by learning basic water safety skills that helps get kids familiar with the water that often continues with swim lessons and competitive swim programs and can even lead to a career.”

The free Safety Around Water event on August 11 is supported by grants and individual donations to the West Suburban YMCA.

Visit www.wsymca.org/water-safety and RSVP to the event.

So far more than 106 people have formally RSVP’d. More than two dozen of which are parents, according to Fucci.

Previously:

Man Drowns At Crystal Lake In Newton

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