As drownings rise, DuPage County to offer free swim lessons for kids

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five years old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection, and with the numbers growing DuPage County is working to save those lives.

The DuPage County Health Department’s Protect Swimmers 10 Million (PS10M) initiative will offer free swim lessons to children ages three to five starting in May.

“Children who learn water survival skills are better able to navigate hazards, including pools and natural open water,” said Laura Cochran, community initiatives coordinator for PS10M. “Swim lessons teach skills that are protective across the life span.”

The lessons aim to prevent child drownings as well as suction entrapment — when a pool drain traps someone, Cochran explained. Children will learn four critical skills: to surface, float, propel forward and exit a body of water.

The annual number of drowning deaths for Illinois residents under 18 has hovered around 20 in recent years, according to the state department of health.

Most involve pre-school-age children exiting their homes and accessing nearby pools and ponds without parental knowledge, Cochran said. In response, PS10M also emphasizes protections such as locking doors, having door and window alarms, installing four-foot fencing and pool and hot tub covers to prevent unsupervised access to water.

Drowning risk and contributing factors change as children grow. Younger children, ages one to three, must be taught to flip and float on their backs in order to survive in water, whereas older children and teens must learn how to float and swim out of deep water and strong currents.

Statewide, 10 Illinois public swimming facilities will receive between $2,000 to $4,000 to offer the lessons. Half the locations will be in DuPage County, with the rest in other parts of the Chicago area as well as the Rockford and St. Louis areas.

Children and adults who have neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and ADHD, also are at higher risk of fatal drowning. Most swimming facilities that offer in PS10M can accommodate children who have a physical or neurodevelopmental condition, Cochran said.

“There are so many different types of swim lessons to accommodate an individual's needs, whether they're a very young child or an adult, so we really urge all children and adults to learn to swim and to do it today,” she said.

For more information about the program, visit dupagehealth.org/231/Pool-Safely.