At the Y, we feel that everyone should have the opportunity to learn to swim. That’s why YMCAs in Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming are committed to expanding access to water safety skills for youth, teens and adults in our community.
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 5-9, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
30% of U.S. parents have de-prioritized water safety because of affordability concerns.
In 2020, more than 400,000 children learned how to swim at the Y.
And here’s the biggie: Young children who have participated in formal swim lessons have a drastically lower risk (88 percent) of drowning, and water safety knowledge and practice can lower risk of drowning for people of all ages.
We believe every person should have the opportunity to stay safe in the water.
Here’s how we prioritize water safety for our community
Safety Around Water
In recentl years, hundreds of children, teens and adults participated in our Safety Around Water program. Safety Around Water includes grant-funded swim lessons that help people become comfortable and safe in and around water. Participants learn vital safety skills, self-rescue skills like pushing off the bottom and basic skills like floating, kicking and blowing bubbles.
Throughout the Y’s history of offering Safety Around Water, more than a thousand people in Northern Colorado and Cheyenne have benefited, including children in our preschools, local school districts and Head Start programs.