It's that time of year again! May is Water Safety Awareness Month! Every year, Houston Swim Club engages students in swim lessons with important water safety tips.

During Water Safety Awareness Week (May 21 - May 27), you will notice an important message being taught each day. The instructors and lifeguards will be discussing safety tips with the students, and life jackets will be on hand in the observation room for swimmers to practice wearing! We will have special activity sheets and water safety brochures, along with other goodies to hand out. Please stop by the table during your child's lesson this week!

Water Safety Awareness month is essential to spreading the word about being safe around water. Every day, about 10 people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States.

Children ages 1-4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2009, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from unintentional injury, more than 30% died from drowning. Most drowning occur in home swimming pools. Drowning is responsible for more deaths in this age group than any other cause except congenital anomalies (birth defects). Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes.

The main factors that affect drowning risk are lack of swimming ability, lack of barriers to prevent unsupervised water access, lack of close supervision while swimming, location, failure to wear life jackets, alcohol use, and seizure disorders.

Swimming lessons for children ages 1-4 years can reduce drowning rates by 88%!

Help us spread the message of water safety!

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