Preventing Danger: Instructors teach safety and confidence in the water

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Summer is full of water activities and drowning can be a major concern for parents with small children.

Experts want to remind parents of extra precautions they can take to keep kids safe.

While fences and heavy supervision help keep children safe around water, child safety experts want to remind parents the best defense component is their child.

“Learning how to swim is important long term but the safety needs to come first, the kids need to know how to hold their breath or turn over onto their back or those things that they’ve practiced in class,” says Aquatic Coordinator for Amarillo Town Club, Diane Cattaneo.

While Town Club’s classes teach the basics of water introduction, there is a more advanced approach called infant swimming resource.

Certified instructors will teach children as young as six months old who find themselves in the water alone how to rest, breath and maintain a floating position until help arrives.

“You know there’s things like playa lakes, kids find their way to water somehow or another. Make sure they have skills so they can go and learn and enjoy and do the things, but do them safely and do them confidently,” says Master Instructor for Infant Swimming Resource, Kristin Proctor.

To sign your child up for water exploration classes at the Amarillo Town Club, you can go to their Cornell street location.

To find and ISR instructor in your area, click here.

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