Make swim lessons more affordable for Sacramento kids

Aubrey Hage holds her kickboard with the help of swim instructor, Tim Fiscus, in July 2014 at Sonoma Elementary School’s Burris Pool in Modesto. Sacramento can reduce toddler drownings by expanding free, drop-in swim lessons at public pools to ensure every child learns lifesaving water safety skills.

Joan Barnett Lee

The Modesto Bee

Last summer, I cared for a toddler who had been pulled from a backyard pool, found just minutes after slipping out of sight and under the water. He survived, but with brain damage that will shape the rest of his and his family’s lives.

Not every child makes it that far. Each year, thousands of children in the U.S. die from drowning, and many more are left with lifelong complications. What’s difficult is knowing how preventable this is.

In Sacramento, where pools are part of everyday life, swimming is a basic safety skill too many kids never get.

Drowning is the most common cause of accidental death among Sacramento’s toddlers and preschool aged children, with 70% of all drowning deaths in Sacramento County occurring in those under age 5.

Over the last few years, several local community organizations such as the Sacramento County Fire Department have advertised the “ABC’s” of Swimming to promote child safety around water, referring to A: adult supervision; B: barriers around pools; and C: CPR and swim classes.

But limited access to swim lessons is one factor contributing to unequal health outcomes in water safety. According to the USA Swimming Foundation, 79% of children in households earning under $50,000 per year have little to no swimming ability, which puts them at greater risk for accidental drowning injuries or death.

Affordable or no-cost swim lessons in early childhood can help prevent drowning deaths by supporting populations at higher risk.

Too often, drowning prevention is framed as a matter of personal responsibility, but that framing ignores a critical reality: Access to swim lessons, safe places to swim and the time and resources required for close supervision are not equally available to all families. The evidence clearly shows that pediatric drownings disproportionately affect children from low-income households and under-resourced communities. Though safe pool environments, proper fencing and close, attentive supervision remain important, swimming lessons are one of the best tools we have to reduce this disparity.

The City of Sacramento operates 12 neighborhood pools, all of which offer seasonal swim lessons. A six-session package costs $72. A scholarship program does exist (the Youth Program Scholarship Fund), and families can apply for it anytime during the calendar year. While applications may take up to 21 days to process, once approved, a family remains eligible for the remainder of the year.

A truly accessible solution would be to offer free, drop-in swim classes at all Sacramento public pools. While this would create logistical challenges — such as limited instructors and the need to maintain safe class sizes — these challenges can be overcome. A first-come, first-served model, capped class sizes and age-based grouping allows programs to expand safely.

If we are serious about preventing childhood drowning in Sacramento, especially among our most vulnerable populations, we need to treat swimming as a basic safety skill, not a privilege. That means making swimming lessons truly accessible.

As a pediatrician caring for Sacramento’s children, I have seen firsthand how a single drowning incident can devastate an entire community. We have the opportunity to prevent these tragedies by ensuring every child in Sacramento has the chance to learn these lifesaving skills.

Maddie Leong is a pediatrician in Sacramento with a special interest in sports medicine and expanding access to youth sports.

This story was originally published August 14, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

CORRECTION: This opinion piece has been updated to correct the City of Sacramento’s Youth Program Scholarship Fund application process. Families can apply at any time, and applications take up to 21 days to process.

Corrected Aug 14, 2026

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