Academy Swim Club

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently updated it policy on swimming lessons for toddlers.  Until now the AAP advised against swim lessons for children under four.  However, in light of studies that show that children ages one to four are less likely to drown if they receive formal swim instruction, the AAP has revised its recommendation.  A news release on the AAP website now states that, for children one to four years old, “Parents should decide whether to enroll an individual child in swim lessons based on the child’s frequency of exposure to water, emotional development, physical abilities, and certain health concerns. . .”    That sound you hear is thousands of swim instructors giving each other a big high-five!  Don’t tell us toddlers can’t learn to swim.  We all have stories of a toddler we taught to swim falling into grandma’s pool on Thanksgiving and getting himself to safety. 

Drowning is the leading cause of death in children under five – number two in children ages one to nineteen, with toddlers and teenage boys most at risk.  It is true that each child learns to swim at his own pace based on many factors including general temperament and ability, the attitude of his or her parents and past experience with the water.  Early exposure to swim lessons allows a toddler to develop his ability in the water as well as on land.  Everyone in Southern California is exposed to water more than we realize.  Even if there is not a pool in our own backyard, the neighbors have one.  Plus there are community pools, parks, lakes and rivers.  Many people now have inexpensive, large, inflatable pools that can be up to four feet deep.  Waiting until a child is four or older only prolongs the length of time they are at risk by not knowing how to save themselves in the water.  A good swim program will not only teach swimming, but also include a complete water safety program.    

The AAP also warns, rightly so, that swim lessons are not enough to prevent drowning and emphasize “layers of protection”.  The first and best “layer” is vigilant adult supervision around any water, including fountains and bathtubs.  A child that knows how to swim is still vulnerable to injury.  They also advise parents to learn CPR and completely fence backyard pools.  Early swim lessons are another vital safety net to help prevent an emergency.

Will teaching your child to swim save him or her from accidental drowning? Whatever other goals parents may have for enrolling their child in swim lessons, that is always their number one priority. The truth is swim lessons are like seat belts and holding your child’s hand when crossing the street – they provide another layer of protection, but there is more to water safety than putting on a swim suit once or twice a week. Education and training for an emergency are vital.

Several times a year Academy Swim Club holds “Safety Week” as part of our complete water safety program. During this week regular lessons focus on safety skills and preparing our swimmers for handling water emergencies. The most stunning example of this is when we ask our swimmers to jump into the water with their clothes on. All of our swimmers at every level are asked to come to lessons with their clothes on over their swim suit. Water makes clothes heavy and unwieldy, shoes make kicking more difficult – sensations that panic many children at first. That’s why we want their first experience swimming with their clothes on to come in a controlled environment where their instructor stands ready to help the swimmer float and get back to the wall. Panic can strike even the most confident young swimmer caught in an unfamiliar situation, such as falling into a pool while fully clothed. After Safety Week the strange feel of wearing clothes in the water is not new and they are better prepared to cope with this emergency.

Safety Week lessons also focus on what to do if you see someone struggling in the water, when to call 911 and personal flotation device (PFD) use. General rules that should be observed around water are discussed at length, including the most important one – NEVER SWIM ALONE! Drowning is 100% preventable and supervision is key to circumventing tragedy.

Our next Safety Week is from March 22nd through March 27th. Your child should wear regular street clothes (that you won’t mind taking a dip in our pool) over their swimsuit. Shoes and socks should also be worn. Jackets, sweatshirts, etc. also make the lesson more effective. Don’t forget to bring a change of clothes and bag to take the wet clothes home in!

Ahh, Spring. The weather is getting warmer and our thoughts turn to tax preparation and the compulsive urge to vacuum under furniture. While these two things can be put off indefinitely (depending on your standards of housekeeping and how many extensions you can finagle from the IRS), water safety is one subjected that is best addressed right now. Nope, this isn’t a pitch to put your kids in swim lessons (but don’t let that stop you from doing it) – it’s to tell you about our amazing, educational, life-saving Aquatic Safety Awareness Program (A.S.A.P.)

And it doesn’t cost you a penny.

A.S.A.P. is the non-profit foundation begun by Jim and Nikki Miller over 10 years ago to educate the community about basic water safety. The national drowning statistics are horrifying – it’s the leading cause of death for children under 5 (and #2 for children under 14). Every spring A.S.A.P. Ambassadors travel to pre-schools and kindergartens across the Santa Clarita Valley to present a fun puppet show that highlights rules every child should know around water. Our spokesfish, Gus and Goldie, along with an accident-prone hammerhead shark and a type-A dolphin, illustrate important safety points such as “Never Swim Alone” and “Reach and Throw – Don’t Go”. The children are also given a Gus and Goldie coloring book, a parent’s guide to drowning prevention and a card good for a free swim lesson at Academy Swim Club.

Last year A.S.A.P. Ambassadors visited over 2100 students. This year we want to beat that number. If you have a 4 – 5 year old, ask your principal or pre-school director if he or she has scheduled a date for the A.S.A.P program. If not, ask that he or she contact Academy Swim Club to do so – A.S.A.P! It’s educational, it’s fun and it’s FREE. Best of all, it just might save a life.

Living in SoCal we can’t escape the backyard pools. Even if you don’t have one, chances are good that a neighbor, friend or relative does. The motto of Academy Swim Club has always been “Learn to swim . . . for life!” Now we’re adding another – “Every child a swimmer by 3!” A motto and a mission.

Two summers ago, back in 2008, July was a particularly difficult month at ASC. Every weekend for an entire month brought news of another child drowning in Santa Clarita. Thankfully none of our ASC family was hit with this tragedy, but some of their neighbors were. Naturally, all of us were shocked and saddened, but in the end we were motivated to do something. A little education would go a long way in preventing further incidents, so in response ASC offered a free CPR and Water Safety course – not just for our members, but anyone in the community. The following spring we dispatched our Aquatic Safety Awareness Program (ASAP) Ambassadors to pre-schools and elementary schools all over the valley to educate and empower over 2100 children to save their own lives with basic water safety. No one wanted to see another summer like ’08.

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under 5. Many parents do not think of signing their child up for swim lessons until they are almost 5, so when you think about it, this is hardly surprising. Water is everywhere – pools, fountains, toilets, buckets – and kids love the stuff. Can’t keep them away. Nothing replaces supervision (even for excellent young swimmers), but learning to swim adds another layer of protection.

We want summer to be about fireworks, camping trips, blockbusters and pool parties. So that’s our motto and our mission – “Every child a swimmer by 3!!!”