SIOUX CITY, IA -
The summer swimming season is here, so how do we keep children safe when they hit the pool, or swim at a lake?
There are just a few simple steps you can take to make sure your kids stay safe when they're making a splash this summer.
Sioux City's swimming pools opened for the summer season Monday.
A little knowledge about swimming safety can go a long way toward avoiding tragedy at the pool.
"I believe that every child should learn to swim before they walk," said Karen Taylor Burton, Founder and Director of Siouxland Aquatics.
Monday was the official start of the summer swimming season in Sioux City, and if your kids are heading for an afternoon of aquatic fun, you should think about safety first.
"Over 95% of accidents with toddlers around the water happen within an arms distance of safety," said Taylor Burton.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says an average of 390 children under 15 drowned each year between 2007 and 2009, and 75% of them were under age five.
So how do you keep your kids safe?
It may seem simple, but the most important thing parents can do is to keep an eye on them.
"We have to know where they are, because the water is a magnet for them," said Taylor Burton. "They want to be in it."
Want to know one other way to help keep your kids safe? Swimming lessons.
"I know you're never 100% guaranteed, but I think it certainly is a step in the right direction to make sure that they're safe," said Jen Drees, a mother who has two of her children enrolled in swimming lessons with Siouxland Aquatics.
It's never too late or early to start those lessons, either.
Rachel Rodgers enrolled her 8 month old son Jaiden with Siouxland Aquatics.
"I want to make sure he gets trained young and is comfortable in the water and safe," said Rodgers. "I guess for his safety I think it's really important to get him started early."
A few safety lessons right now can go a long way to making sure your children have a lifetime of swimming fun.
Siouxland Aquatics does offer swimming lessons all year round.
If you'd like to learn more, please visit this web site: http://siouxlandaquatics.com/
If you'd like to read the Consumer Product Safety Commission report regarding childhood drowning and water dangers, please visit this web site: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12186.html
