Second graders on Staten Island are making a big splash learning to swim.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most weeks, a handful of second graders take a bus to the Joan and Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island with their teachers and classmates for a group swim lesson. The water safety instruction happens during the school day, and it is free.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s part of a program run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation called “Swim for Life.”<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
“Swim for Life” is a program run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation\u00a0
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There are three \u201cSwim for Life\u201d sessions a year: in the fall, winter and spring. Each session runs for eight to 10 weeks\u00a0
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In 2024, more than 6,000 kids took park in the “Swim for Life” program, which is in all five boroughs\u00a0\u00a0
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For kids ages 1 to 4, the state reports drowning is the fourth leading cause of death. For children 5 to 14, it\u2019s the seventh leading cause of death<\/p>\n
Seven-year old Amyra Naija told NY1, \u201cSwimming is fun and awesome, because we get to learn new things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her friend Juniper Veasey echoed that sentiment, saying the swim lessons are \u201creally fun” and that she likes learning how to \u201ckick better.\u201d<\/p>\n
NYC Parks holds “Swim for Life” sessions three times a year: in the fall, winter and spring. Each session runs for eight to 10 weeks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Second grader Jernyah Gildes understands the importance of the programming, explaining to NY1, \u201cIf you don’t know how to swim, you will drown.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Swim for Life” started back in 2005 with the goal of teaching as many kids as possible to swim.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn New York City, we have miles of beaches, we have indoor and outdoor pools, and we want to make sure that people know they should only swim when a lifeguard is present, that they have basic skills and awareness, and that they have a confidence that they can operate in and around the water safely,\u201d Emily Chase, the assistant commissioner of public programs at NYC Parks, told NY1.<\/p>\n
Chase said NYC Public Schools is a key partner with “Swim for Life.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ability to bring these kids together as a class in partnership with NYC Public Schools is critically important,” Chase said. “They come with the support of their teacher. They’re here with our qualified and motivated instructors. There are no barriers to entering the water, and it’s a non-competitive, fun, welcoming environment.”<\/p>\n
In 2024, more than 6,000 kids took park in the “Swim for Life” program, which is in all five boroughs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the New York State Department of Health, more than 4,500 people in the United States drown every year. Roughly 150 of those incidents happen in New York.<\/p>\n
For kids ages 1 to 4, the state reports drowning is the fourth leading cause of death. For children 5 to 14, it\u2019s the seventh leading cause of death.<\/p>\n
Lee Guttenplan, the chief operating officer of the Joan and Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island said, \u201cFor some of these children, if not for programs like this, opportunities to get in the water, opportunities to learn how to swim or how to be safe around water just would not be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the city administers the program, it partners with several nonprofit agencies that help find pools and create the curriculum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater safety is such an important skill for young children,” Guttenplan said. “All too often, you hear about swimming pool accidents, drownings, et cetera.”<\/p>\n
For the kids, it just feels like a lot of fun, but experts point out they are learning life-saving skills they\u2019ll use for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n
Veasey knows these lessons will help her grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I grow up, I can be in bigger pools,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Second graders on Staten Island are making a big splash learning to swim.\u00a0\u00a0 Most weeks, a handful of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[2296,25,3691,231,9,24,12,63,134,136,135,27,200],"class_list":{"0":"post-95246","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-app-human-interest","9":"tag-app-top-stories","10":"tag-emma-barnett","11":"tag-human-interest","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-staten-island","17":"tag-staten-island-headlines","18":"tag-staten-island-news","19":"tag-top-stories","20":"tag-vod"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}