On Thursday, June 21, more than 700 waterparks, swimming pools, YMCAs and swim schools across 44 U.S. states and 29 countries participated in the ninth annual World’s Largest Swimming Lesson.
An estimated 45,000 of children learned critical water-safety kills over the course of 24 hours.
The ninth annual event connects the dots between the real risk of childhood drowning, the need for basic water competency skills and the fact that parents must remain vigilant at all times when supervising children in and around water, organizers say.
Childhood drowning remains the second leading cause of unintended death for kids under 14 and more drowning and near-drowning accidents take place in June than any other month.
“Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4,” said Amanda Beard, Olympic Gold Medalist, mother and WLSL spokesperson. “Yet many kids don’t receive formal swimming or water safety training.”
“Drowning is preventable,” said Lenny Krayzelburg, Olympian and WLSL spokesperson. “And, ensuring every child learns to swim is a powerful step toward prevention. We want families to know the proper precautions to take in and around the water.”
