YMCA, Erie Insurance Partner to Teach Safety Around Water

Erie, PA – March 21, 2022- Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children under age 14; and, for some racial and ethnic groups, accidental drowning death rates are even higher.

The YMCA of Greater Erie (the Y) is providing free swimming lessons to third-fifth grade students at Edison Elementary School with a $10,000 grant provided by Erie Insurance.

“Safety in and around water is important for individuals of all ages. Erie Insurance is happy to support the Y and their drowning prevention program to help local students safely enjoy the water for years to come,” said Ann K. Scott, community outreach manager at Erie Insurance.

Children are taking part in the Y’s Safety Around Water program which teaches kids behaviors and skills to prevent drowning and water-related injuries. Approximately 15 children are enrolled in the afterschool program.

“Drowning can happen nearly anywhere with standing water — but as a parent or caregiver, you can’t keep your kids sidelined. By equipping kids with the tools they need to be confident in and around water, they’ll be able to reap the health benefits of exercise, bond with family and friends, and take pride in their new skills — safely,” said Karyn Snedeker, aquatics director for the Y.

Over the course of six 50-minute sessions, children learn important skills in and around water, including:

• Basic swim skills, like floating, blowing bubbles, comfort swimming on front and back and treading water
• Safety skills, like CPR, identifying a safe place to swim and water rescue techniques (“Reach or Throw, Don’t Go”)    
• Survival swim skills, like pushing off the bottom of the pool to resurface (“Jump, Push, Turn, Grab”) and a method of swimming on your front and back (“Swim, Float, Swim”)

“The Y has been an amazing partner in this collaboration to provide students the opportunity to learn how to swim. The excitement before the swimming workshop has been paralleled with the continued joy the students express after each week. We are grateful for this opportunity to connect students and families to resources in the community through the community school model,” said Tami Krzeszewski-Conway, community school director at Edison Elementary School.

These water safety education lessons are paired with swim basics whichpresents basic water safety and swimming skills. Swimmers become comfortable and confident in the water through practicing safe water habits, engaging in underwater exploration and learning how to swim to safety if they fall into a body of water.

“Based on what our Edison kiddos have shown an interest in, as well as the water safety data, we are grateful for this partnership with the Y to be able to provide basic swimming lessons and water awareness,” said Diane Sutton, principal at Edison Elementary School.

For more information on the Y’s swimming lessons and water safety education classes, visit ymcaerie.org.

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