S3 Swim Program

Summertime in Arizona means a break from school for kids, and plenty of time poolside for the entire family.  But at the same time as summer begins, so does the high season for child drownings.  Arizona is second in the nation for child drownings.

Preventing child drownings is serious business to the partners in the S3 Swim program, which runs throughout the month of June.  Working together, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, United Phoenix Firefighters Association, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and select Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix will provide safety training and swimming lessons to nearly 150 children. 

Learning to swim is an important step in the prevention of child drownings, and part of the multifaceted approach recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children at the appropriate age.  Adult supervision, barriers between children and the water and CPR are additional vital strategies.

When family members cannot swim, the risk of drowning is increased and they miss the opportunity to exercise and have fun together.  The S3 program helps give this opportunity back, and along with evidence-based educational messages, is intended to prevent the need for emergency responses related to child drownings.

Parents of participants will participate in Phoenix Children’s “Playing it Safe” customized drowning prevention program as part of the effort, and will also receive information about Local 493’s “Adopt-A-Pool Fence” program, to provide pool fences to families in need.  Children will participate in swimming lessons, as well as classroom education about overall injury prevention, including water safety.

For more information about the S3 Learn-to-Swim program, visit www.L493.org or www.saverkids.org, www.stjosephs-phx.org, or www.bgcmp.org.