May is Water Safety Month

Water Safety Should Be Top of Mind

Kids Jumping into Water

WITH SUMMER AROUND THE CORNER
WATER SAFETY SHOULD BE TOP OF MIND 

The YMCA of Greater Nashua is offering tips for parents to keep kids safe in and around water this summer; FREE swimming lessons offered at the Merrimack Y on May 21 

The YMCA of Greater Nashua wants to ensure that water safety doesn’t get lost in our community’s eagerness to jump into summer. As temperatures rise, kids want to cool off, whether that is in home pools, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, or oceans. And that means the risk of drowning is as prevalent as ever. For National Water Safety Month this May, the YMCA OF Greater Nashua is encouraging parents and caregivers to reinforce the importance of water safety skills with the whole family.

May is Water Safety Month, and as we share Water Safety information with our community, our goal this year is to make sure that everyone has access to swimming lessons and tips on how to help us eliminate fatal drownings in our community. Our successful Adaptive Swimming Lesson program helps us expand our reach of programming so that everyone has the opportunity to learn to be safe around water while our Water Watcher Pledge helps to provide guidelines for better ensuring the safety of others while they enjoy the water this summer and beyond.

Become a Water Watcher today by signing the online pledge form and help us reduce the the amount of accidental deaths by drowning, especially in kids ages five to 14.


FREE SWIM LESSONS – MAY 21

Join us on Sunday May 21st from 9am to 1pm for a morning of FREE swim lessons and water safety tips at the Merrimack YMCA, to prepare you and your families to be water smart as we prepare for summer and all things water safety! Swim Lessons will focus on safety in and around water and will focus on the two self-rescue benchmark skills, to learn to swim to safety and exit if they fall into a body of water. The benchmark skills are, Swim, float, swim (sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide and exit) & Jump, push, turn, grab.

Registration is required for swim lessons. Family swim will also be available from 1:00-3:30pm

Click Here to Register


Swim Lessons

 

“As ‘America’s Swim Instructor,’ the YMCA of Greater Nashua annually teaches more than 3,500 children and adults valuable water safety and swimming skills,” said Elizabeth Covino, chief community relations officer. “Now more than ever, it’s important to remind parents and caregivers that water safety needs to be top-of-mind as families start to return to their favorite summertime activities,” she said.

 


DONATE TO TRANSFORM LIVES

Your donation of $120 help us save and transform lives through the gift of swim lessons! Click here to help us keep swimming lessons available to everyone in our community, regardless of their ability to pay.


 

As part of National Water Safety Month, the YMCA of Greater Nashua is encouraging parents to play an active role in promoting water safety and providing six tips to ensure a safe and enjoyable swimming experience for all.

 

Life Ring Make sure children know to always ask permission before going in or near the water. Teaching your children to be water smart is the first step in water safety – be sure they understand the importance of asking permission before going in or near the water.

Life Ring Never swim alone or without a water watcher. When children are swimming, make sure they are actively supervised at all times.  Teach your children that they should only swim in locations where a lifeguard is on duty, or where a responsible adult agrees to watch the children in the water without distractions.

Life Ring Supervise your children whenever they’re in or near water. Whether it’s bath time or taking a dip in a pool or waterfront, make sure your children are within arm’s reach at all times.

Life Ring Don’t engage in breath holding activities. Children should not hold their breath for a prolonged amount of time while swimming, as this can be dangerous.

Life Ring Wear a life jacket. Inexperienced or non-swimmers should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.

Life Ring Don’t jump in the water to save a friend who is struggling in deep water. If a child finds their friend in deep water unexpectedly, their natural reaction may be to jump in the water to try to save them. Even if a child is a great swimmer, a panicked person will overpower them, pulling the rescuer underwater. The Y’s Safety Around Water program teaches the “reach, throw, don’t go” concept of using a long object to reach for them and pull them to safety. By using this technique children can help their friend without compromising their own safety.

 

To learn more about the YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Safety Around Water and Y Swim Lessons program, visit our Swim Programs Page.

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