Water Safety across the Nation: Efforts to Keep Your Child and others Safer near the Water

We have recently been in contact with the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation and were most impressed with their dedication to promoting child water safety, awareness and education. Joshua’s early death due to drowning complications inspired the creation of this foundation as a vessel to spread the word to children and parents about water safety education around the world.  According to the Center for Disease Control, drowning is the number one cause of death for children 1-4 years of age, a statistic both shocking and preventable. Both Waterworks Aquatics and foundations like the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial are working together in an effort to decrease these statistics. 

Available on their website is a book you can read “Josh the Baby Otter”, which educates both children and parents about water safety. This book also creates a great opportunity to communicate with your child about water safety. In 2009, the foundation was able to distribute at least 2 books to every elementary school in the state of Nebraska and 1,000 copies to schools in Las Vegas and Clark County. In addition, Head Start Education Coordinators in both California and Arizona will be distributing “Josh the Baby Otter” to children in an effort to increase awareness across multiple states. Free signs and stickers are also being offered, which can be posted on pool fences, doors, and staked in front of ponds. We encourage you to go to their website to learn more.

 At Waterworks Aquatics we take water safety and education very seriously. It only takes a second for a drowning to occur.  We encourage multiple layers of protections, which can include: structures such as fences with self closing gates, alarms around your pool, education such as swim lessons for children and CPR for parents, and appointed water watchers or lifeguards at parties or gatherings.  Most importantly, never allow your child to swim without adult supervision.

 If you missed our series of summer water safety tips and would like to learn more about what Waterworks is doing to promote water safety please click the link below.  https://waterworksswim.wordpress.com/category/water-safety/