MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida leads the nation in child drownings. We are surrounded by beautiful bodies of water and its why swim safety is more than a story. It’s a priority for us.
This month, Local 10 is launching a new, station-wide campaign called “Swim South Florida.” The campaign will be spearheaded by Local 10 anchor and mom, Nicole Perez. It’s designed to raise awareness and save lives.
This week, Nicole and her husband Roy took their son Reece to his first swim class.
They joined the parent and tot class at North Pointe Pool in Miami. Jim O’Conner, the Aquatic Regional Manager for Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Open Spaces Department, told them all about what they would learn during class.
“Typically for younger children parent and tot parent in water with child 30 in for 10 lessons over a 2-week period of time, " said O’Conner.
The class will help the child get used to moving from the instructor to the parent, help with kicking skills, breathing skills and then the class moves to more water safety skills.
“88 percent of drowning victims had no or marginal swimming skills especially here in South Florida, especially in Miami-Dade County, drowning is the leading cause of death for ages 1-9,” said O’Conner.
O’Conner said it’s important to look for a swim class where the instructor is certified by a national agency that is regulated by the Department of Health and all instructors should be American Red Cross certified in CPR and First Aid. He said there is a lifeguard on duty at all times at North Point Pool.
“Teach your child to swim. There’s no reason not to and drowning is fully preventable,” said O’Conner.
Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces is also offering a host of swimming classes for any skill level.
For more information, CLICK HERE.
The Florida Department of Health provides free swim coupons to residents, along with a new lifeguard and swim instructor scholarship program to help fulfill the swim instructor shortage.
For more information, visit: watersmartbroward.org.
Every Child a Swimmer links you to swim lessons offered throughout Florida. For more information, visit https://everychildaswimmer.org/parents/
Swim South Florida consists of public service announcements and news stories that will air on Local 10 News and across all our digital platforms. We will add more resources and updates to the Swim South Florida page as the campaign unfolds.
CLICK HERE to read all of Local 10 News’ Swim South Florida news stories and announcements.