Make a Safe Splash this Summer: Franchisor of Swim Schools Brings Awareness to Drowning Prevention Amid National Water Safety Month

By: Streamline Brands | 0 Shares 133 Reads

Swim Schools Come Together as a Family of Brands to Turn Ripples to Waves through Community Giveback
Streamline Brands to Match $100,000 to Nonprofit Organizations Across the Country
Streamline Brands Ambassador & 5-Time Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist Shares Must-Know Water Safety Tips

May 08, 2023 // Franchising.com // DENVER, Colorado - In honor of National Water Safety Month (May), Streamline Brands has launched an educational campaign to bring greater awareness to water safety and drowning prevention.

The family of brands encouraged to support various nonprofit organizations - via fundraising, swim lesson donations, and more - under the company’s philanthropic umbrella, Ripples to Waves®. This year, Streamline Brands has committed to matching up to $100,000 to the school’s nonprofit partners to make the greatest local market impact.

Supporting this year’s National Water Safety educational push is five-time Olympic Gold Medalist and 11x World Champion, Missy Franklin, who seized the opportunity to remind everyone that swimming is an invaluable life-saving skill. Collectively, with her support, Streamline Brands aims to help combat the childhood drowning epidemic.

“Drowning is truly an epidemic in this country as it is the leading cause of unintentional death among children under four,” said Franklin. “It is our goal to educate parents and guardians around the world that swim lessons are the greatest thing you can do to help reduce this risk.”

With summer around the corner, now is the time to prioritize water safety. For a lot of people, summer means water activities - whether it’s the pool, the reservoir, the beach, or the lake. Multiple strategies are needed to prevent drownings and layers of protection are the best way to enjoy the water, safely.

7 Simple Water Safety Tips to Review as a Family Ahead of the Summer Season:

Enroll Your Child in Swim Lessons: Swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88%. Children will learn essential skills such as keeping their head above water, knowing how to roll on their backs if they feel endangered, properly getting in and out of the pool, etc.
Use Visual Cues to Educate on Water Safety Measures: Be sure to review water safety rules together as a family. Consider using pictures or symbols to help your child understand safety rules - you might consider hanging up the rules in your house.
Secure Your Home Regardless of Your Child’s Age: One-sided fences or barriers are helpful, but there should not be an option to get around. Four-sided fences with safety latches are the best way to prevent accidental falls into the water. You might also consider installing an alarm to alert adults of opening doors and gates.
Store Toys in Designated Area: Keeping toys in a body of water when not in use can lead to a dangerous situation as children may want to reach for them when adults aren’t around. Instead, have a designated bin or basket outside of the pool area.
Seek Out Proper Swimwear: Kids should wear brightly colored swimwear in water so they are more easily seen by parents and/or lifeguards. Avoid colors such as shades of blue. Additionally, kids should wear appropriately fitting swimwear. Swimwear that is too big can cause extra weight and cause swimmers to tire out faster which can lead to an incident.
Assign a Water Watcher: Make sure that an adult is designated to watch the water and don’t assume that somebody is watching. Parents need to stay within an arm’s reach of non-swimmers. Life vests are important, but never use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision. Using air-filled swimming aids can give parents and children a false sense of security.
Never Swim Alone: No matter how seasoned of a swimmer you are, always swim with a buddy. Even at a public or lifeguarded beach, use the buddy system.

“By raising awareness for water safety, we can combat the childhood drowning epidemic and help families enjoy a safer and fun-filled summer ahead,” said Laurie Abplanalp, SVP, Operations of Streamline Brands. “Parents need to take action now - the greatest protector against childhood drowning is getting swim lessons to help kids and their ability to feel comfortable in and around the water.”

At SafeSplash, you can truly progress from Bubbles to Butterfly®, meaning you start out by learning the basics of water safety and swimming with proper technique from the start, and progress to Olympian-level swimming. Lessons are offered year-round in a family-friendly setting, with small class sizes (no larger than four students to one instructor) and private/semi-private lessons, in warm water pools with a state-of-the-art water purification system, plus flexible schedules for busy families.

SOURCE Streamline Brands®

###