Watching your kids during Water Safety Month

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Many people are hitting the water as a way to beat the heat, with temperatures quickly rising.

May is National Water Safety Month. State leaders implore you to stay cautious in and around the water as we head into summer.

Wet ‘n Wild Water Park in Greensboro opened its doors for the first time this season on Saturday. Thousands of people came out to cool off and have some fun.

Anytime people are around a pool with young children, drowning is a concern for parents. The park staff is working to ease those worries so people feel safe bringing their families there.

“Just making sure the lifeguards are there and are on it watching for them,” said Chandie Gosnell, who visited the park Saturday. “We have floaties obviously keep those in there.”

When Gosnell comes to a water park, she wants lifeguards to keep their eyes on her little ones. She and her three young children visited Wet ‘n Wild for the first time on Saturday. Gosnell was able to relax a little bit after seeing how many lifeguards are on duty.

“Just basically monitoring everyone’s activities,” she said. “No rough play or anything.”

About 70 take the stand every day, monitoring pools and water slides throughout the park.

“It makes me feel more comfortable,” said Bianca Aviles, who brought her family to the water park from Charlotte. “I left them in the wave pool and felt comfortable to go get them some drinks so they could stay hydrated.”

Wet ‘n Wild still needs about 100 more lifeguards to be fully staffed. With the shortage, workers ask you to keep an eye on your children to avoid any accidents.

“We always want to make sure children are supervised and have a partner with them, a family member, a friend that is a strong swimmer,” said Kaylah Macauley, the park’s marketing director.

Drowning is the number one cause of death in children ages one to four in the U.S. During this Water Safety Month, the YMCA of Greensboro is partnering with POOLCORP to teach about 40 children to swim.

Kids kicked and splashed at the first of eight Safety Around Water classes Saturday.

“The importance of swimming is key to a child at a young age,” said Lauren Bowers, marketing and communications director for the YMCA of Greensboro. “Drowning is preventable so we are here reaching our next generation.”