Kids in North Texas are getting free water safety lessons this week. The YMCA is providing the lessons with a $30,000 donation from Reliant Energy.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services says 103 children drowned across the state in 2024, up from 90 in 2023. Through May 30 this year, 22 kids had drowned.
Those kids ranged in age from 11 months to 16 years old.
"The CDC says formal swim lessons reduce a child's risk of drowning 88%," says YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas Associate Vice President for Aquatics Jennifer Pewitt. "That's not if a kid becomes a really proficient swimmer. That's just if they have some really basic swim skills."
Volunteers showed kids how to jump in the water and find the wall, float on their back and go underwater safely. Pewitt says they also told kids the importance of not swimming alone and making sure a parent or lifeguard is watching.
She says the kids could learn skills they could use so they would know what to do if they fall in water by mistake, but the lesson could also help kids make friends while they are home for summer.
"All of these kids live here in the community, so they also now know there's a pool here, we offer family swim, and we're giving them information about our programming, too," she says.
The YMCA of Metropolitant Dallas says it will use Reliant's donation to provide water safety lessons at more than 100 locations.
"It's great. The kids are learning how to swim, which is such a great opportunity for them," says Alyssa Cowie, sponsorship manager at Reliant. "We are so much more about giving to the community and making a difference in the lives of our community."
Cowie says the Safety Around Water program can reduce the risk of drowning but also helps kids feel safe and enjoy the water.
"I think this really gives them the opportunity to feel that," she says. "A lot of them may not have spent a lot of time around water, so this can give them that safe feeling and life-saving skills if they fell in."
Across the country, the Red Cross says 4,000 kids drown each year. The Red Cross says drowning is the leading cause of death for for kids ages one to four. The organization says 64% of African American kids, 45% of Latino kids and 40% of white kids have "few to no swimming skills."