Legislature Considers Free Swimming Lessons for Children Under Age 18

Helping children learn to swim is what experts consider to be among the “very top strategies to reduce drowning emergencies and fatalities.”  Other strategies include ensuring adequate supervision for all children in the water; and ensuring water safety education for all children.

The Connecticut legislature is currently considering legislation (Senate Bill 91) that focuses on one of those three strategies, calling for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to establish and administer a program to provide free swimming lessons to individuals under the age of eighteen.

The program, if it becomes law, would be offered free of charge to participants, operate during the summer months, and be conducted at eight or more state parks, according to the legislative proposal being considered by the Committee on Children. 

Kevin Borrup, Associate Director of the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, told the Committee this month that “Swimming lessons are an effective strategy in reducing drowning risks. In one multi-state study that looked to the effectiveness of swim lessons, swim lessons were found to reduce the risk of drowning in 1 to 4 year olds by as much as 88%.”

The Office of the Child Advocate and the state’s Child Fatality Review Panel, in a recently issued report, noted that “Drowning is a leading cause of death for all children. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. Children 1 to 4 years old have the highest drowning rates and are most at-risk, though teens are often at risk as well.”

The report indicated that “Teens are at risk for drowning because they may not wear a life jacket while boating, they may not be aware of risks and safety measures in bodies of water, may not be able to judge water conditions, overestimate their own swimming ability (particularly when with friends), may use alcohol or drugs while on or in the water, or have not learned how to swim.”

The report also emphasized that “Over a recent 7 year period of time in Connecticut, 39 children died from drowning. 12 of these children were ages 1 to 3, and 12 of these children were age 13 to 17. Black and Hispanic children are disproportionately affected by drowning. Nearly 65% of children who drowned in Connecticut were Black or Hispanic. Research also tells us that children with certain disabilities are at significantly greater risk of drowning. For example, children with autism are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than their peers.”

State Child Advocate Sarah Eagan told the legislature’s Committee on Children earlier this month that “Swimming lessons are not accessible to all children and many children never learn to swim. Swimming is a life skill and protection from accidental and untimely death. The state should take steps to ensure that all children, regardless of race, gender, disability, and family income level have access to this critical help.”

Marie Miszewski, President & CEO of Regional YMCA of Western CT, pointed out in testimony supporting the proposal that “drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children 1 to 4 years old and is the second leading cause of death for children from 5 to 14 years old.”  She added that “with youth obesity at an all-time high, swimming skills are even important as these skills will stay with for a lifetime.

The legislation would allow the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to accept gifts, grants and donations, from any source, public or private, for the purposes of establishing and administering the program.

In its testimony, the Newington-based Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association suggested that the state provide appropriations to municipalities to offer free lessons in their existing programs. “This would allow for greater efficiency and less duplication of services between both entities,” Executive Director Valerie Stolfi Collins testified.

The public hearing was held on February 14; it is unclear when the Committee may vote on the bill, which, if approved there would next move to the Senate for a vote.

“Two children die every day because of drowning in our country,” Miszewski told the Committee in her testimony. “This is unacceptable but it is also preventable.”