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Now's the perfect time to teach your child to swim — at low cost

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Water safety swim class. Boy floating on back.

When the sun's hot and the water's cool, it's hard for kids to resist taking a dip in a nearby pool.

To ensure your child swims safely, you can reach out to local public pools for affordable swim lessons. After all, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for children between 1 and 4 years old. And, sadly, Florida traditionally leads the country in drowning deaths for that age group.

Drowning can happen quickly and quietly. It’s not like the way it's shown on TV with screaming and frantic splashing. Often, people silently slip under water.

While most drownings happen in swimming pools, they also can strike in the home. The majority of infants who drown die in bathtubs or large buckets, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.

For more information about water safety or how to enroll a child in swimming classes, visit the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County. The coalition can connect you with low-cost swim lessons at local pools across the county.

You can also download Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County's free app, Safemap, which provides locations of low-cost swim lessons near you. Click here to download it for iOS or click here for Android.

SOURCES:

Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County
Safe Kids Worldwide
Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County

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Related resources

    • Parenting
    • Safety

    Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County

    Education, information and swim lesson vouchers for eligible families

    561-616-7068 Website
    • Parenting
    • Safety

    Safe Kids Palm Beach County

    Local child safety information and assistance, including car seat installation, bike helmet fitting, poisoning prevention, TV tip-over prevention and more

    561-841-3500 ext. 4011 Website
    • Parenting
    • Safety

    Safe Kids Worldwide

    National resources to protect children from preventable injuries

    202-662-0600 Website