Even though Mecklenburg County isn’t anywhere near a coast, the Charlotte area had 39 drowning deaths in 2018, including three children under 7. In a WSOC interview, Ame Guy, association aquatics director with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte said, “Mecklenburg County has been stated to lead the state in deaths by drowning, and it’s surpassing our coastal counties.”
Children in our area are at an elevated risk of drowning due to the number of pools without lifeguards in Mecklenburg County and the city’s proximity to three lakes.
Swim Lessons Save Lives
Swim lessons empower children to feel confident in the water and give them the skills they need to reach safety. Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children 1 to 4 years old.
Beginning as young as 6 months, kids at the Y can begin to take lessons with their parents. It takes months of lessons to have skills to swim independently, so now is the perfect time to prepare your child to be ready for summer.
It’s Never Too Late to Learn to Swim
It is important that everyone in your family knows how to swim, and that includes yourself! It’s a common misconception that swim lessons are only for kids, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Did you know that John Legend just learned to swim in his 40s?
The YMCA gives swim lessons to people of all ages every single day.
The YMCA is trusted by parents across the nation to provide quality, life-saving instruction to their children. In fact, one million kids take swim lessons at the Y each year.
Y swim instructors undergo rigorous Y-USA-approved training and adhere to a nationally proven curriculum. Not to mention, they are caring, fun and love to teach!
Lessons are carefully planned. A progressive approach ensures your child masters the skills in the right order so that they move toward mastery of most efficiently.
The YMCA of Greater Charlotte offers lessons at times and locations that work with you and your child’s schedule. Affordable group lessons and private lessons are available now.
Be ready for the summer — find YMCA swim lessons near you today!
