Join Splash! lifeguards and swimmers from around the world in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson at Splash! La Mirada Aquatics Center on Thursday, June 21 at 9 a.m. This free event is open to all ages and helps send this important message, “Swim lessons save lives!” Participants ages 13 and under will receive free waterpark admission following the lesson with a paid adult.
This annual event serves as a platform to build awareness about the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim to prevent drowning. Swimming is a life-saving skill for children and a vital tool to prevent drowning, the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death for U.S. children ages 1-14. Research shows:
- The problem is life-threatening for children: Per the CDC, drowning remains the leading cause of injury-related death for. children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause for children under 14. Internationally, the World Health Organization estimates drowning is one of the top five causes of death for people aged 1-14 in 48 of the 85 countries it monitors.
- Many lack basic swimming skills: In 2014, a survey completed by the American Red Cross found more than half of all Americans (54 percent) either can’t swim or don’t have all of the basic swimming skills.
- Parents don’t recognize supervision is key: According to a 2016 Safe Kids Worldwide report, despite the fact that lack of supervision played a role in the majority of drowning deaths, less than half of parents (49 percent) indicate they remain within arms’ reach of their child in the water.
This 2018 World’s Largest Swim Lesson will be the ninth year for the global event and will continue with its goal of reaching more than one billion with the message Swimming Lesson Save Lives™ by 2019. More than 41,000 swimmers in 27 countries on six continents participated in 2017 over the course of 24 hours.
Pre-register today at Splash! or online at splashlamirada.com.
Source: City of La Mirada