Last Friday night (7.9) a father climbed down the stone walls of a 40-foot well to help rescue his 3-year-old son after the boy fell in, fire officials in northeast Ohio said.

The Repository in Canton said the boy, only a mere toddler, feel through rotted plywood that covered the well near his grandfather’s home.

The little boy had been taking swim lessons and was able to stay afloat in 10 feet of water until his father reached him.  At this point, it wasn’t long before a rescue team arrived and rigged ropes to get the father and son out of the well to take them to safety.

The importance of water safety and teaching children at a young age to be able to float on their back is paramount, as displayed by this little boy who was able to save himself from drowning.

British Swim School has been dedicated to teaching water survival for over 30 years.  Their methods are based on teaching beginners of all age groups that the ability to float on their back is the most important survival skill of all.

To enroll your child in British Swim School swim lessons, click here or call 1-800-495-1718.

Drowning is the largest single cause of accidental death in children under 4 years of age. We lose more little ones in Florida to drowning than to home or road accidents. It is an appalling statistic, and no way includes the number of children that are near drowning and are permanently horrendously handicapped by a near drowning accident. The causes and the blame are often multiple, and in many cases misunderstood by both parents and caregivers.

I believe that all the following precautions must be taken as a matter of course. Vigilance near water at all times. Locks on doors, barriers around our pools, alarms wherever possible. No large toys around the pool itself. And finally, survival swimming skills. These precautions absolutely must take place, but I also believe that the basic cause of most accidents around water is due to much deeper rooted problems than failing to take all the above actions.

I believe that mostly they are caused by the belief that, and I quote many a parent/caregiver “I love my children therefore, it could never happen to me.”  I believe that not teaching them survival swimming skills is not laziness, nor connected to finances, but it is purely a belief that “it cannot happen to me!” I believe that, yes, they have busy schedules, and early swimming lessons may involve a adult getting wet, or an evening or weekend commitment but again, the true reason is the belief that, of course, “it couldn’t happen to me!”

Well sadly, it can and does happen to children of wonderful caring intelligent parents/caregivers, who absolutely adore their children. It happens to children of the very rich, the very poor, and all in-between. It happens to an only child and one in a large family, all with parents/caregivers who believe that “It cannot happen to me!”  I am certain that the belief “that it could never happen to me” is the basic cause of nearly all the drownings or near drownings. Yet unfortunately, it happens because we are human, and humans make mistakes. The gardener/pool guy who may leave a gate open is human. The Grandparent/Aunt/ Uncle who does not completely lock a door are human. The Dad who thinks that Mom is watching and vice versa is human. The older sibling, playing with a friend is human. All of the above care, they are just human, and indeed, it can happen to any parent/caregiver, we are all human too! continue reading

Q:When is the earliest I can take my baby for swim lessons, and what’s the best way for a baby to learn water survival or swimming skills?

A: The answer may vary slightly from teacher to teacher, but most agree that a gentle fun program has a great advantage if you begin when your little one has completed his or her first immunizations. Usually that is between three to six months.

Generally, you should begin with water survival classes. British Swim School’s programs are deeply committed to learning the back float, initially.  The belief is that once a child, however young, can float on his back, he has a far better chance of survival in the event of an accident. His airways are clear and he has the ability to shout, cry and be heard.

Drowning is often a silent killer since most victims have never been taught to roll over and float on their backs. Swim instructors working with parents can teach babies, some as young as 10 to 11 months, to roll over and float. With gentle, fun teaching, this is completely achievable. If water survival skills are taught first, babies learn the technique of propulsion and stroke improvement very quickly, and advance to be safe and happy swimmers.

Fear, which is a natural development in childhood, can be avoided by starting very young. In recent years the American Academy of Pediatrics did not accept that survival classes saved lives, but last year, due to the work of dedicated swim professionals, the Academy reversed its position.

There is a much preparation that can be done in the first three months by Mom or Dad in the tub. Gently trickling water on the face, eyes and ears and not wiping with a towel is enormously helpful, Splashing and making noise is great also.
Constant vigilance is vital at all times even when they can swim.

Start classes and you will be amazed at what can be achieved.

She never learned how to swim, and at 63, she took matters into her own hands. Last summer, Laura Miller, of Plantation, learned how to swim at the British Swim Schools in Sunrise, graduating from the program in December. Now at 64, she is taking a refresher course in a group class.

Why didn’t you learn to swim as a child?

I grew up in an apartment in Brooklyn; neither one of my parents swam. I only went to sleep-away camp twice for two weeks and [I didn't learn] there. I went to Brighton Beach with my parents, where the waves were very strong. Other than those few weeks at camp, I didn’t really have any instruction or role models. It’s something I always wanted to do, but I had a fear.

Did your children learn to swim?

Yes … they took professional swim lessons. My husband worked with them, too, but they were very young and I tried to not let them notice because I didn’t want them to develop a fear of the water. When my son got to be 5 or 6, he said, “Mommy, you don’t swim!” But I was very happy that my children learned to swim at a young age.

What encouraged you to learn?

I was at a point in my life where I wanted to do something different, I wanted to do something new. And also, for me, since swimming was the one thing that I had wanted to accomplish my whole life, it seemed natural that that would be the thing that I would tackle. I did call various facilities to find out information about them; the British Swim School seemed to be a very good fit for me.

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Rita Goldberg’s children’s book, “I Love to Swim” was featured on the Retail Therapy Lounge blog.  Check out what The Lounge had to say about Goldberg’s book on water safety.

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Rita Goldberg can’t believe some people still teach kids to swim by proverbially throwing them in the water to see if they sink or swim instinctively.

“Many parents and even some traumatic swim programs still use that ancient and ridiculous method of introducing children to swimming by throwing them into the water without any knowledge about swimming whatsoever – and all they are doing is teaching their children how to be terrified of the water,” said Goldberg, a former national swimmer in Great Britain, owner of British Swim School and author of the children’s book “I Love to Swim“. “These advocates claim they are teaching survival, but I believe teaching survival can be – and should be – gentle and fun.”

Goldberg’s lament is that too many children drown needlessly every year, and too many parents are either resistant to teaching their toddlers to swim, or teach them the wrong way.

“No child, and I mean no child, has to ever drown in a swimming pool again if they are taught how to survive in the water the right way and at the earliest possible age,” she added. “Drowning is actually the second leading cause of accidental death in the country. It is leading in Florida and a few other states, and the real tragedy is that most every child who drowns could have been saved by simply being taught to swim correctly. Traumatizing them only teaches them to fear the water, and who among us makes the best choices, or can even process calm thought, when we are afraid? Children are no different. They need to be given the tools to survival and draw their confidence in the water from that knowledge. We want kids to respect the water, not fear it.”

Goldberg’s tips for teaching kids to swim include:

* Start Young — New studies show that the best age to teach a child to swim is between the ages of six and twelve months. Just as parents are learning this is a good time to teach children how to read, they are beginning to understand this is a time when children are able to absorb information like sponges. Teaching them to swim at this early age is a great way to make swimming second nature to them.
* Float to Survive – As a supplement to safeguarding your kids through extra vigilant supervision and a safety gate around the pool, focus on giving your child the best lifesaving tool you could offer them – the ability to survive in the water. The first gift I give children when I teach them is the ability to float on their backs. This is the most important survival skill of all. This enables all swimmers to rest, breathe and call for help, thus alleviating the “silent” danger of floating face down.
* Gentle and Fun – Swimming will come more naturally to children who are taught gently, without trauma, and with a sense of fun. You cannot teach a 2-year-old not to go near the swimming pool. You cannot teach them that the pool is dangerous. Parents see the swimming pool as a potential death trap for their kids, but all kids see is a big, wet playground. You’re not going to change their opinion, so stop trying. Focus on calm, gentle fun, and your kids will take to their lessons like fish to water.

“Parents need to understand that playing in a swimming pool is the same as playing on dry land to children,” she added. “It’s all play to them. While it’s important for them to feel confident in the water, we need to help temper that confidence with a strong sense of safety and good judgment. Adhering to those rules as parents will serve to reinforce those rules, however, the best way to pull it all together is to start them young. Once both swimming and safety are second nature to them, they’ll be safer and your supervision of them in the water will be more fun for everyone.

About Rita Goldberg:

Before opening her British Swim School locations in the USA, Rita Goldberg was a national swimmer in Britain, who went on to become a dedicated teacher. Working in the education system for many years, she left in 1981 to open her own private swim school in the basement of a Victorian house in Manchester, England. It was there she developed the unique teaching methods that have become a recognized trademark of British Swim School. Goldberg is an active member of the US Swim School Association and served as a board member for two years.

Swimming is fun, recreational, great exercise and, in some cases, a relaxation technique. Unfortunately, without the correct training swimming can become quite dangerous, alarmingly fast.

Swim schools like the British Swim School teach even its youngest students the importance of the back float. It is not safe to assume that danger can only occur in an open area of water, like an ocean, but it can also happen in your very own pool. It is also not safe to assume that there will always be a wall to grab on to for safety.

The back float is a survival technique best defined as a floating position on one’s back with arms extended out to the sides and face upward. This is a drowning prevention tool and takes almost no effort to maintain. It can be taught to all age groups, including very young babies in a safe and gentle manner.

In the event that a person is in an area without something to hold on to for safety, the back float will prevent fatigue, drowning and, at worst, a fatality.

Drowning is the leading cause of death in children under five years of age.

British Swim School specializes in swim survival skills, while also offering stroke development, breathing techniques and skill coordination for more advanced swimmers.

To contact a British Swim School near you, click here.