TAMPA, Fla. \u2014\u00a0Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one to four, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a lifesaving skill that can be out of reach for many Hispanic families, and why one swim instructor is hoping to break those generational cycles and prepare children now.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n The CDC<\/a> reports there are over 4,000 unintentional drownings deaths in the U.S. Swimming is a fundamental life skill some people learn from a young age, but for some families, lessons aren\u2019t always easy to access.<\/p>\n According to the CDC,<\/a> three in four Hispanic adults\u00a0report that they never took a swimming lesson. That\u2019s why\u00a0Geovani Jimenez, who is Cuban and Puerto Rican, wanted a different outcome for his daughter, Leilani.<\/p>\n \u201cI never got put into swim lessons when I was a kid and I never properly learned, so I wanted to make sure that she knew how to swim,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He\u00a0enrolled Leilani in\u00a0swim lessons\u00a0when she was just six months old. Now four years old, he says she\u2019s thriving in the water.<\/p>\n “She just loves it, like a little mermaid,” said\u00a0Jimenez.<\/p>\n Jimenez said he\u00a0wanted to give his daughter\u00a0an opportunity he didn\u2019t have growing up.<\/p>\n \u201cThere wasn\u2019t really anywhere for me to go, and if there were places to go, they cost some substantial amounts of money that we just didn\u2019t have growing up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n BayCare Hospital said last year, Florida saw 119 pediatric drowning deaths. Camille Yodzis a wellness and safety educator with BayCare and says minority children face a higher risk.<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-five percent of Hispanic children could become drowning victims because they do not have the resources in order to get those swimming lessons,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She said it\u2019s important to keep a watchful eye on children near any kind of water, even still water or bathwater.<\/p>\n Yodzis said even with those sobering numbers, there are now more resources and grants to help families\u00a0pay for\u00a0swim lessons.<\/p>\n
\nMs. G\u2019s Swim School<\/a> says they\u2019re seeing more Hispanics looking to get their children into lessons
\n\u00a0According to the\u00a0CDC,<\/a>\u00a0three in four Hispanic adults\u00a0report that they never took a swimming lesson
\nFamilies in Hillsborough County are looking to break the cycle of not teaching their children how to swim<\/p>\n