Second-graders learn water safety

Second-graders across Isle of Wight County Schools are participating in a YMCA swimming lesson program called Safety Around Water. The program kicked off in February and will run through early May.  The Luter Family YMCA in Smithfield is conducting the lessons for students at Carrollton, Hardy, and Windsor elementary schools, while the Franklin YMCA is supporting Carrsville Elementary.

The YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas, of which the Luter branch is a member, states their service area consists of 989 square miles of water, not including pools. They also note that drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children in the state of Virginia, and 60% of kids who drown do so within 10 feet of safety.

To help reduce these statistics, the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas’ Endowment Fund has pledged to offer free water safety classes for the more than 7,000 second-graders in the Tidewater service area. In Safety Around Water, children learn what to do if they find themselves in the water unexpectedly. The Luter and Franklin YMCA began partnering with IWCS in 2018 on the swim program.

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