May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 46

WATER SAFETY
such as epilepsy, are at higher
risk of fatal and nonfatal drowning
than the general population.
There are several strategies used
by The Maryland-National Capital
Park and Planning Commission
(M-NCPPC) to foster and to support
the development of a " waterwell
community. " What does it
mean to be a water-well community?
Water-well communities comprise
residents, park and recreation agencies,
and government officials who
recognize the importance of keeping
their communities safe in and
around water through the provision
of funded and accessible aquatics
programs, services and facilities.
One of the strategies our aquatics
program uses is developing watercompetent
residents in Prince
George's County, Maryland,
through the provision of our learnto-swim
and water safety education
programs for ages 6 months to 60 or
more years. According to the American
Red Cross, water competency
is a way of improving water safety
by avoiding common dangers, developing
essential water safety skills
to make you safer in and around the
water, and knowing how to prevent
and respond to drowning emergencies.
Providing access to water safety
information and learn-to-swim
programs for all ages and abilities
is an essential service for park and
recreation agencies.
Our department utilizes
resources granted to us through
the American Red Cross Aquatics
Centennial Campaign to support
the development of a strong
" Ecosystem of Water Safety "
in Prince George's County. This
generous support has allowed us
to provide
swimming lessons
to
children and to refund 50 percent of
the lesson fees paid by caretakers if
the children successfully complete
learn-to-swim levels one through
three and register for the next level
swim lesson. The goal of this swim
lesson incentive program is to create
water-competent children who
successfully
complete
levels
one
through three of our learn-to-swim
program and who can navigate
safely while swimming in our pools.
The Aquatics Centennial
Campaign also has supported our
" Lady Lifesavers " and " Guys
Save Lives " mentoring programs,
which provide free lifeguard prep
swim lessons, lifeguard training
and certification, aquatics career
mentoring opportunities for teens,
and employment opportunities with
our department pools. The campaign
also has provided funding to support
free Water Safety Instructor and
Lifeguard Management certification
opportunities
for
employees
interested in these higher-level
opportunities. Providing these
aquatics training and employment
opportunities to predominantly
African American and Hispanic/
Latino residents further supports our
goal of improving drowning statistics
within these communities.
There are several outstanding
learn-to-swim curricula used
throughout
the
country. When
selecting which program is best for
your community, you will want to
ensure the program emphasizes
water safety education and skill
building
throughout
the
learnto-swim
levels. You will want to
ensure the program offers instructor
development and/or certification
options to ensure the most highly
trained
instructors
organization's
are afforded
to your community and leading
the
learn-to-swim
program. Additionally, you will
want to make certain the program
provides
instructors
modifying skills to accommodate
learners of varying ability.
Providing
water
inclusion guidance for
and/or training
safety
opportunities and access for
individuals with disabilities or
individuals of varying abilities
has always been a priority for our
department. We are
fortunate
in
Prince George's County to have an
outstanding Therapeutic Recreation
and Inclusion Services team. These
subject matter experts provide
invaluable guidance and support
for our learn-to-swim and adapted
aquatics programs to ensure residents
of all abilities can participate in group
and individual programs. This team
also is an essential resource when
designing inclusive aquatics spaces.
It is critical for agencies
and park and recreation
leadership to advocate
for keeping pools
funded and accessible
to communities most
in need.
46 Parks & Recreation | MAY 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
Providing Inclusive Training
and Facilities
M-NCPPC recently opened the
Southern Regional Aquatic Wellness
Center in Fort Washington,
Maryland (tinyurl.com/yckn7ncs),
providing
the community
for
with
the department's first warm water
http://www.tinyurl.com/yckn7ncs

May 2022 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2022 - Parks & Recreation

May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 1
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 2
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 3
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 4
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 5
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 6
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 7
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8a
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8b
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 9
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 10
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 11
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 12
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 13
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 14
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 15
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 16
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 17
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 18
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 19
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 20
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 21
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 22
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 23
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 24
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 25
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 26
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 27
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 28
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 29
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 30
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 31
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 32
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 33
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 34
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 35
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 36
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 37
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 38
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 39
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 40
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 41
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 42
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 43
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 44
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 45
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 46
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 47
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 48
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 49
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 50
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 51
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 52
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 53
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 54
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 55
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 56
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
May 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
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