Water Safety:: Goldfish Swim School

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Disclosure:: This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School.

Summer is almost here, which means lots of outdoor activities including and pool time. If you’re a mom to little ones, your pool days are not spent relaxing on a pool chair.  Instead, you are pulled in numerous directions as you try to keep an eye on each kiddo and respond to their every call of, “Watch me do this!” Once your children become confident swimmers, your anxiety can ease up just a bit when they are near water. Our partners at Goldfish Swim School recognize the importance of equipping little ones with the skills and knowledge necessary to respond should children encounter a water crisis. Here are the many ways the Goldfish staff bring awareness to the important topic of water safety::

W.A.T.E.R. Safety Presentation

Goldfish offers a free 20-minute water safety presentation to teach young children the key concepts in a water emergency. Bubbles, the mascot, comes along for this interactive program. Each child gets to take home some treats such as a pencil, stickers, and parent letter so parents can reinforce the concepts taught.

This program is geared towards children ages 3-7 years old, with a modified version for the older age level. Preschools, early childhood centers, k-2 classrooms, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or Moms Groups interested in this presentation can contact Goldfish for more information. In May, they spoke to thousands of children and Goldfish is proud to provide this important information to the community.

Goldfish Swim School Water Safety PresentationWater Safety Tips

Lisa Armitage, the owner of Goldfish Swim School, shares some important safety tips in this video: Swimming Safety Tips From Goldfish Swim School.

To follow her advice, think about the word WATER:

W– Wear Your Life Jacket: This is one of the easiest ways to increase safety in the water. There are plenty of different types of life jackets to fit all sizes – pay attention to a proper fit.

A– Act. Throw! Don’t go: Do your kids know what to do in a swimming emergency? They should ACT! Their first instinct may be to go towards the person having trouble in the water. Instead, they should throw a life preserver – and don’t go! That way, they aren’t putting themselves in jeopardy as well and are truly able to help.

T– Take Swim Lessons: You can start your child in swim lessons as early as four months old where they can begin learning swim and safety skills while building character through guided play.

E– Educate. Learn Swim Safety Skills: Key water safety skills can go a long way – such as the crab walk, properly getting in and out of the pool, going underwater, rolling on their back, treading water, learning different strokes.

R– Respect. Play it Cool and Follow the Rules: Rules are there for a reason, especially when it comes to rules for the pool. Walk, don’t run; make sure an adult is watching; no horseplay. Review rules together as a family before setting your kids loose to enjoy the water.

Water Safety Week

Beyond the skills learned in class, each quarter Goldfish devotes a week to water safety skills. During this time the instructors spend extra time talking with children about water safety and having them practice things like jumping in the water without goggles, how to safely get to the side of the pool, working on the back float and treading water. It is important that children hear these tips often, so they remember what do in case they are ever faced with a water crisis.

New Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new information and recommendations regarding young children and swimming. “Research has found that swim lessons are beneficial for children starting around age 1, and may lower drowning rates”, said Linda Quan, MD, FAAP, a co-author of the policy statement. 

For more information on when to start swim lessons and what parents should know, read more about it on the American Academy of Pediatrics website. 

Swim Lessons

Enrolling your children in swim lessons is an excellent way to ensure your child has a safe environment to practice swimming skills. All Goldfish staff members are CPR certified, have lifeguard training and first aid certification. The swim instructors have 40 hours of training before their first solo class. Each month, an in-service for continuing education is mandatory for instructors to attend. Goldfish is committed to equipping their staff with the skills and passion needed to teach young children.

Read more about why we love Goldfish Swim School here: Individual Attention at Goldfish Swim School

Special Events

Goldish Swim School is hosting a FREE Water Safety Awareness Event at on Saturday, May 18 from 9am to 12pm. They will have water safety clinics, entertainment, refreshments and visits from community helpers. There will be water safety centers set up in the swimming pool for children to participate in, so please be sure to bring a swimsuit and towel if your child would like to practice new water safety skills!

Thanks to our friends at Goldfish Swim School for all of the expertise they shared on water safety!

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Amy Onifer
Amy is an "on the go momma" to two spunky and fun loving kids (ages 9 & 8). She came to Columbus to pursue a career in elementary education and decided this was home. She’s an avid traveler, yet can’t master the art of packing. Her philosophy is bring it all because you don’t know if you’re going to need it. If you ever decide to take a trip with her, don’t worry about bringing a camera because she’ll take enough photos of the experience that it will likely crash your hard drive. Before kids, you could find everything neatly organized and straight vacuum lines in her carpet, but these days she's not bothered with worrying about the small stuff. You can catch her belting out her favorite song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and using her two left feet to bust a move with her family during their frequent impromptu dance parties. She loves living in such a family-friendly city!