May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 44

Best practices for water safety with an emphasis on equity and inclusion
By Tara Eggleston Stewart, CPRE, M.S.
M
ay is National Water Safety Month! But before we take that
first monumental splash in the pool, it is important that we
take a moment to reflect on the critical need for water safety
- especially within communities serving higher numbers
of diverse and/or economically-disadvantaged residents and individuals
with disabilities. May 15 is International Water Safety Day (tinyurl.
com/2kykmecw). Not only is this a time of celebration for the aquatics
industry, but also it is a reminder of the need for increased water safety
education, access to learn-to-swim programs and facilities, and implementation
of drowning prevention strategies.
Fatal and non-fatal drowning in
our communities is a national public
health crisis, disproportionately
impacting minorities and individuals
with disabilities. These critical
incidents can be prevented, and
water safety education and drowning
prevention strategies must be
prioritized by the park and recreation
field. What better industry
than ours to provide public access
to safely operated swimming pools,
to train and develop aquatics professionals,
and to offer water safety
education and learn-to-swim programs
for the community?
As park and recreation leaders,
experts and users, we must
commit to being inclusive and
equitable regarding how facilities
and programs are geographically
located,
funded,
to
reduce
designed,
operated and maintained. Park
and recreation agencies are wellpositioned
drownings
through
learn-to-swim programs
and the provision of water safety
education, promoting the need
for water competency, providing
and/or allowing the use of U.S.
Coast Guard-approved lifejackets
for non-swimmers, and fostering a
vigilant lifeguarding team through
regular in-service training. We -
the nation's park and recreation
professionals - are the key to
ending this public health crisis.
Creating Water-Well
Communities
Fatal drowning and water-related
injuries continue to be a growing
44 Parks & Recreation | MAY 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
issue within diverse communities
and among individuals with disabilities.
Some of the latest statistics
(tinyurl.com/35f9c2ua) tell us:
* Sixty-four percent of African
American, 45 percent of Hispanic/Latino,
and 40 percent of
Caucasian children have no/low
swimming ability.
* Seventy-nine percent of children
in families with a household income
less than $50,000 have no/
low swimming ability.
* Children who qualify for free or
reduced school lunch programs
are 63 percent less likely to have
good swimming ability.
* In swimming pools, African
American children ages 10 to 14
drown at rates 7.6 times higher
than Caucasian children.
* African American children and
youth are more likely to drown in
public pools, and Caucasian children
and youth are more likely to
drown in residential pools.
* Children with autism spectrum
disorder are 160 times more likely
to experience nonfatal and
fatal drowning than their neurotypical
peers.
* People with seizure
disorders,
Recognizing
Safety
Month
http://www.tinyurl.com/35f9c2ua https://www.tinyurl.com/2kykmecw https://www.tinyurl.com/2kykmecw
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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