WHAT IS DROWNING PREVENTION?
Drowning Prevention (formerly Water Safety) is a current top priority for the Tampa YMCA and its surrounding communities. We offer several programs, including free Safety In Water classes, Adaptive Swim lessons and Mobile swim lessons that are available to BOTH members and the Tampa Bay community. The Tampa Y Aquatics Team is dedicated to teaching infants, kids, teens and adults water safety skills they can use forever.
Three Goals of Drowning Prevention
Education
The Tampa YMCA aims to:
- Teach communities the importance of pool safety
- Provide access to affordable swim lessons to teach more individuals to swim
- Educate parents and adults on ways to keep their children safe around our waters in Tampa Bay
- Teach communities the importance of pool safety
- Provide access to affordable swim lessons to teach more individuals to swim
- Educate parents and adults on ways to keep their children safe around our waters in Tampa Bay
Prevention
The Tampa YMCA aims to work with external groups and partners to:
- Prepare for and prevent accidents around water
- Provide appropriate floatation devices to the community
- Provide door alarms to residents with pools
- Prepare for and prevent accidents around water
- Provide appropriate floatation devices to the community
- Provide door alarms to residents with pools
Advocacy
At the Tampa YMCA, we aim to become a leader in:
-Ensuring our residents have information and access to drowning prevention efforts
-Ensuring we discuss accidents in order to prevent further and similar tragedies
-Ensuring our residents have information and access to drowning prevention efforts
-Ensuring we discuss accidents in order to prevent further and similar tragedies
Drowning Prevention Programs
There are two parts to the Tampa YMCA's Safety Around Water program, our Dry Land program and our Safety in Water weeks.
Dry Land Program-
While learning how to be safe in the water is important, so is learning to be safe AROUND the water! This program delivers instruction on dry land to educate children and adults alike on how to take preventative measures for water safety. This program is delivered through a variety of methods including schools, community centers, businesses in the community, and more. This program aims to ensure that even non-swimmers know the dangers of our many waterways and how always to remain safe.
Safety in Water Weeks -
The Tampa Y pools fully transform for one week to provide children ages 3 – 12 at the beginner and non-swimmer skill level the opportunity to learn to be safe in the water. Over the course of a week, certified instructors teach children a sequenced set of skills to establish confidence in and around the swimming pool, and to ultimately reduce the risk of drowning.
Contact your local Y for more drowning prevention information!
The Adaptive Swim Lesson efforts are in place to provide free swim lessons to children, ages 3-14, with cognitive and physical disabilities. This program is important to provide all children and parents with the peace of mind that comes with knowing how to swim. Significant to children with autism specifically, the program aims to reduce the number of accidental drownings for children with disabilities. This program is based at each Tampa YMCA with pool access and is fully grant-funded.
Our program offers:
- Five, 30-minute lessons at no cost
- Individually tailored instruction to encourage safety around water
Prior to the start of your first lesson, parents/caregivers may need to complete a 'Swim Lesson Readiness" phone call to cover what this program offers.
Contact a member of our Aquatics Team at drowningprevention@tampaymca.org for more information.
The Mobile Swim program takes the exceptional work of swim instruction found at our Y locations and brings it to communities directly. Understanding that transportation is a significant barrier to obtaining swim lessons, this program intends to meet our community right where they are. Instructors and lifeguards spend 5 days teaching basic swim competency to children in communities of need. This program is available to apply for through our Drowning Prevention program and has the potential to be fully funded based on community needs. Non-need-based communities may still apply at a minimal cost allowing us to prioritize underserved populations.
For more information, contact a member of our Aquatics Team at drowningprevention@tampaymca.org.
DROWNING PREVENTION CONTACT INFORMATION
Lacey Boldman — Director of Drowning Prevention & Instruction
Lacey.Boldman@tampaymca.org