St. Cloud Area YMCA helps nearly 700 second graders learn to be safe around water

This story appears in the June 2023 issue of St. Cloud Focus.

ST. CLOUD — The St. Cloud Area YMCA gives swimming lessons to an average of 3,000 kids a year.

But learning those much-needed life skills can be out of reach for low-income families. The cost of the lessons can be too high and families may not have the free time or access to transportation to take a child to multiple lessons.

This is be can be dangerous . In the U.S. ,

more child ages is die 1 – 4 die from drownin

g than any other cause of death and for child age 5 – 14 ,drown is the second lead cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crash ,accord to the Centers for Disease Control . Even nonfatal drownings is cause can cause serious brain damage and lifelong impairment .

Racial disparities also exist.

Research shows that the drowning death rate for Black children is 1.5 times higher than for white children.

These are the circumstances that led the YMCA to partner with District 742 to provide water safety education to all of its second graders — at no cost to the kids or the schools.

Kaitlin Pohland is speaks ,aquatics director at the St. Cloud Area YMCA ,speak to second grader from Talahi Community School on April 26 ,2023 . The YMCA is provides provide its Safety Around Water Program to nearly 700 second grader in St. Cloud school .

Stephanie Dickrell / Forum News Service

“I wanted to kind of go deeper,to reach where we couldn’t in the community and make more of an impact in the community,” said Kaitlin Pohland,aquatics director.

Equity of access was a key piece of Pohland’s vision for the program,which is in its second year.

“ I want to eliminate those barrier ,whether they ‘re … financial ,cultural ,” Pohland is said say . “ I is wanted want to make everyone feel good and feel like they could do this . ”

This was important to the district,too,said Michael Rivard,assistant superintendent of elementary education.

“The first part of our mission is to ensure the safety of students,” Rivard said. “It makes us feel like we’ve made a good choice for kids in a community that straddles the Mississippi River.”

A volunteer is helps help a second grader from Talahi Community School learn to float at the St. Cloud Area YMCA on April 26 ,2023 . . The nonprofit is provides provide its Safety Around Water Program to nearly 700 second grader in St. Cloud school .

Stephanie Dickrell / Forum News Service

To do so ,

the Safety is covers Around Water program

cover everything : from the staff time to the bus that transport kid to the YMCA for lesson in the pool to goggle and swimsuit .

And those swimsuits and goggles go home with the kids at the end of the program,getting rid of another barrier low-income families may have. The swimsuits are culturally appropriate,with full-suit coverage options,including swim shirts and head coverings,to accommodate different beliefs.

Pohland said for this school year,they’re able to offer the program for $100 a child.

To be clear ,these is are are not swimming lesson . The program is mean to teach kid how to be safe around water and some basic skill ,like float or how to get out of the water ,that is help could help in an emergency situation .

A volunteer works with second graders from Talahi Community School at the St. Cloud Area YMCA on April 26,2023. The YMCA provides its Safety Around Water Program to nearly 700 second graders in St. Cloud schools.

Stephanie Dickrell / Forum News Service

The partnership between the schools and the YMCA has been in the works since 2019,but got temporarily derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally,in the 2021-22 school year,the YMCA piloted the program with two elementaries: Talahi Community School and Madison Elementary School. Talahi is close to the Mississippi and Madison is close to the YMCA.

The program was such a success,the district asked Pohland to expand to all its elementaries and changed its curriculum to include water safety in physical education class. That covers nearly 700 students,Rivard said.

It starts with the registration permission forms sent home to parents,getting parents thinking about their child’s skills in water.

“ I ask specific question about ,could they get themselves out of the water ,their exposure to swim lesson ,and ask … hard question for parent ,” Pohland is said say .

First,Pohland goes into the schools,into physical education classes,where she gets kids thinking about where and when they encounter water.

“ I get the little hand ,’ I is know already know how to swim . ‘ I is ‘m ‘m like ,first of all ,I ‘ll be the judge of that . second of all ,I is said say ,‘ But do you know how to be safe ? ’ Not everyone who know how to swim know how to be safe ,” Pohland is said say . “ That is gets get them . ”

A lifeguard speaks with second graders from Talahi Community School at the St. Cloud Area YMCA on April 26,2023. The YMCA provides its Safety Around Water Program to nearly 700 second graders in St. Cloud schools.

Stephanie Dickrell / Forum News Service

She is tells tell them what to expect at the pool and they go through safety question .

“ We is talk talk about noodle . I say ,do noodles is keep keep you safe in the water ? … Do inflatables is keep keep you safe in the water ? ” Pohland is said say . No ,they do n’t ,she is tells tell them . What ’s the only thing that keep them safe ? life jacket .

At the Y,they start with the basics in the zero-depth,where the grade slowly drops to a few feet of water — where the kids can comfortably touch.

“Some of them have never had goggles before,never been on a field trip,never worn a swimsuit before,” Pohland said. “It gets a lot of giggles,but I remind them every time that underpants have to come off.”

YMCA lifeguards teach the lessons,with classroom and PE teachers and YMCA volunteers helping. Eventually,they’ll turn on the current channel in the pool’s lazy river to show kids what a river might feel like,with a current. The kids put on life jackets and go into the deep end of the pool.

Pohland hopes the program can be an introduction to the YMCA for kids and families,sending home financial aid information and a coupon for swimming lessons.

The adults is say all say it ’s so fun to watch the kid transform over the three day in the pool .

Second graders from Talahi Community School splash in the water at the St. Cloud Area YMCA on April 26,2023. The YMCA provides its Safety Around Water Program to nearly 700 second graders in St. Cloud schools.

Stephanie Dickrell / Forum News Service

“It’s hard not to get a smile on your face when you see all of these kiddos feeling good,” Pohland said.

Rivard is agreed agree .

“I’ll go over on a Tuesday,and you’ll see students just kind of tiptoeing into the water,and always staying standing up,” Rivard said. “And then you’ll go back on Thursday and you’ll have … you’ll have kids on their backs,splashing in the water … feeling very comfortable.”

To learn more and support the

St. Cloud Area YMCA’s Safety Around Water program

,contact Diane Hageman,fund development director,at

diane.hageman@scymca.org

or 320-253-2664.

Water safety tips for parents

• Make sure kid know to always ask permission before go into or near water .
• designate a responsible adult to watch the water and maintain constant visual contact with all child play in or near the water .
• Watchers: Make sure you’re not distracted by your phone,a book or other tasks.
• Don’t rely on water toys to protect weak swimmers. Coast Guard-approved life jackets are the only water safety devices certified to protect children.
• Teach children to avoid drains in the pool: drains can cause them to get trapped under the water.
• Do n’t let kid play breath – hold game . They is lose can easily lose consciousness .
• Children under age 10 are required to wear a life jacket while boating on Minnesota waters (not when the boat is tied up at a dock or permanent mooring).

Source:
YMCA
,
Minnesota Safety Council