Lifeguards urge swim lessons ahead of summer to prevent child drownings

With kids out for summer vacation, families are headed to pools and beaches.

Lifeguards are encouraging families to brush up on water safety.

Over at Goldfish Swim School in Colonie, babies can start taking a dip in the pool as young as 4 months.

Vince Cooper, Certified Lifeguard and Assistant General Manager at Goldfish Swim on Wolf road said the younger kids start learning how to swim, the safer they are.

"Until you see it in the water, you don’t think a small child’s going to be able to roll over on their back by themselves or swim to the wall," Cooper said. "So once they’re in the water and they actually see it, the parents are blown away at what we can teach the kids."

According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of unintentional death among children ages 1 to 4.

Over at Goldfish Swim, babies and children are not only learning swim lessons, but they are also learning water safety. Courses go from Baby Swim Lessons: Mini Lessons for the Littlest Fish to the Goldfish Swim Force Team, for kids ages 5 to 12.

Cooper is reminding parents ahead of summer, even if your child is a strong swimmer, it’s important to always stay alert when they are near water.

"The number one thing is just always make sure if you’re with a big group of friends, family members, designate a water guardian to always watching the pool, always watching those kids," Cooper added.

Water Guardians should be adults and should change every 30 minutes so he or she is alert and refreshed.

Children should also wear bright, colored swim wear and US Coast Guard approved life jackets.