According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years. For African American children the rate is 3.1 times higher than white children.
In an effort to address this disturbing trend, we recently launched a new partnership with Columbus City Schools to teach third graders how to swim. The new program, Swim UP!, not only teaches youngsters how to swim, but nurtures their potential, builds self-esteem and confidence.
The first school to participate in Swim UP! is Windsor STEM K-6 Academy. Currently, the school is on academic emergency and it is our hope that the skills these children learn will be transferred into the classroom and lead to improved academic performance.
The classes will take place at the Eldon & Elsie Ward Family YMCA and will until run through May 24, 2012.
Here is a glimpse of the students first day at Swim UP!
Wow! Swim UP fills a critical need. Swimming is an essential skill, as essential as reading. Hurray to all Y staff who helped make this happen.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy! We appreciate your feedback about our newest program. We are pretty excited about Swim UP!
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