Leading Our Community in Water Safety
Since 1909 when group swim lessons were first developed at the Detroit YMCA, the Y has been a leader in educating communities on how to be safe around water. The YMCA of Greater Brandywine is proud to continue this legacy by offering Safety Around Water programs and swim lessons throughout Chester County.
In 2021, we were able to provide swim lessons and Safety Around Water programs to over 4,000 children in our community.
The YMCA of Greater Brandywine's Safety Around Water program is made possible through generous contributions and the annual Rebekah J. Hostetter Memorial Golf Tournament. Now in its 22nd year, the tournament is held in honor of Rebekah to continue her legacy of teaching children how to be safe around water.
Throughout May (National Water Safety Month) and early June, the Jennersville, West Chester and Kennett Area YMCAs host local elementary school students for free swim lessons focused on basic water safety and swimming skills as Safety Around Water offerings.
During the Safety Around Water swim lessons, trained instructors lead students through stations focused on basic water safety skills such as how to wear a lifejacket, how to identify risks around the water, basic flotation, basic movement and more.
Katie Doochack, our association director of risk management and aquatic safety sums up the importance of this program well, “Being able to swim and having the facts on how to be safe in and around the water is an important life skill that saves lives; yet 1 in 10 children never get the chance to learn. Our Safety Around Water programming reviews and teaches basic swimming skills and is a great jumping off point for families to learn about their child’s water safety knowledge and ability.”
Our commitment to keeping children safe doesn’t stop with our Safety Around Water programming, it continues into all of our offerings including at our outdoor pools and in our summer camps.
At the six YGBW outdoor pool locations (that opened Memorial Day weekend), our Ellis & Associates trained lifeguards diligently scan the pools looking for potential hazards and keeping our members safe to have summer fun as they swim. Our lifeguards also take on an important role by delivering swim assessments to all children 14 and younger who visit our facilities.
The swim tests assess a child’s swim competency level and allow our team to quickly identify children who are stronger in the water from children who benefit from extra assistance through a system of colored bands.
Our team also provides swim assessments to all children who participate in our camp programs to ensure that they will remain water safe while having a blast throughout the summer day.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine,
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