BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – Drowning remains one of the leading causes of death for young children, especially those under age four and the YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge is urging parents to act.
YMCA Aquatics Director Matthew Reedy told 10 News the numbers are hard to ignore.
“Death by accidental drowning is the number one cause of death for children aged one to four and minorities or children of minority descent are often two times more likely to experience a drowning,” Reedy said.
To combat these statistics, the YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge offers year-round swim instruction and operates a signature outreach effort called Y-Splash — bringing between 2,500 to 3,000 local schoolchildren to the pool each year for safety training.
Still, Reedy says many of those children arrive without basic swim skills.
“In the valley, with all the school systems we serve, we’re at roughly a 57% fail rate on the swim lessons,” he said. “City schools, they’re at roughly 75% fail rate.”
That, he says, is why the YMCA’s free eight-week swim lessons are critical and parents like Regina Clarke, agree.
“I have six kids and four of them get lessons from her,” Clarke said, referring to instructor Kathy Clubb. “My daughter with special needs, she screams, she bites, and they are still willing to help her. I’m just grateful.”
Clubb, a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Botetourt Family YMCA, says it’s all a part of her passion and offers a few safety tips.
“I teach because I love kids and I love seeing them have fun in the water and have fun in the water safely,” Clubb said. “I think parents should teach their child that they should always have permission before they get in the water and should never swim alone. They should also teach them how to get to the poolside wall to climb out, how float on their back, and roll in the water.”
While summer may be a popular time to sign up for lessons, Reedy emphasizes it’s year-round, consistent lessons that give kids the best chance to learn. And when parents are poolside, he has one final message:
“Most drownings happen with an adult present, within 10 feet of an adult. It’s very silent and can take up to 30 seconds,” he said. “I know it’s hard because with phones you’re getting work texts, emails, and all that, but just put the phone down and pay attention.”