LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As summer nears, the YMCA held its annual Water Safety Day on Friday, welcoming 250 FCPS second graders to YMCA locations across Lexington.
With the help of 70 volunteers, students learned basic swimming techniques and water safety, like how to float and get out of the water if they’ve fallen in.
“Some kids have never been in the water, so whether it's their first chance to get in the water or they're intimidated by the water, by the end of it, there are always a lot of smiles,” said Erin Andrews, Mission Advancement Program director with the YMCA of Central Kentucky.
While it’s just one lesson on one day, volunteers hope the experience makes a splash, especially for students from underserved communities.
“We try to target underserved communities in Lexington because we know those students are disproportionately represented in swim related fatalities,” said Andrews.
According to the Red Cross, 64% of African-American, 45% of Hispanic/Latino, and 40% of Caucasian children have few to no swimming skills.
In households where the income is less than $50,000, nearly 80% of kids don’t have basic swimming skills.
After Friday’s lesson, students received vouchers for free swim lessons at the YMCA.
“Safety is important, preparedness is important,” said Lynne Washbish, executive director of the Bluegrass Red Cross.
In addition to swim lessons, kids learned about fire safety and emergency preparedness from the volunteers with the Red Cross.
“They have these little sponges in their heads,” said Washbish. “It's great because they can absorb everything we teach them, and take it home and teach it to the adults at home.”
You can download Red Cross emergency materials for teaching children here.
