Local Aquatics Centers Team Up for Pilot Program

LOCAL AQUATICS CENTERS TEAM UP FOR PILOT PROGRAM TO TEACH SWIM LESSON TO SECOND GRADERS IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY

The YWCA Lower Cape Fear and YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina team up for a pilot program to teach swimming lessons to 2nd graders in New Hanover County.

Wilmington, NC - 15 May 2023 - The YWCA Lower Cape Fear, the oldest and largest women’s movement providing services for women and their families, teams up with YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina and New Hanover County Schools  for Schools in Pools to pilot a program to make sure every second grader in New Hanover County knows how to swim.

Starting at the end of May, through funding to YWCA from the Cape Fear Memorial Foundation, second graders from two pilot schools in New Hanover County: Freeman Elementary and Winter Park Elementary  will have the opportunity to receive life-saving water safety information and water access.

In our coastal community, learning to swim and water safety is imperative for a lifetime of safer activity in and around the water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury and death for children ages 5-14 and formal swimming lessons reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88%.  YWCA Lower Cape Fear and YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina have modeled the program after other 2nd grade swim initiatives across the country and plan to grow the program to include all 2nd graders in New Hanover County so that all students have the opportunity to learn lifesaving water safety as part of their school curriculum.

Aileen Sutton, Aquatics Director, YWCA Lower Cape Fear, says “We are excited about this partnership to make swim lessons available to a younger generation. By adding swim lessons to the school curriculum, we are sending the message that learning to swim and water safety is critical (and fun!).”

Shannon Berg, Executive Director of the Nir Family YMCA, says “This collaboration offers students both the opportunity to learn basic water safety skills, and the resources needed to get to and from swim lessons. Transportation to the pools is often a barrier for students and families, and it is just one of the ways we can make swim lessons more accessible to kids in New Hanover County. We are excited to offer this program to our first group of schools, and we look forward to expanding the program to all second grade students in New Hanover County.”

"New Hanover County Schools, in collaboration with our longstanding partners, the YWCA Lower Cape Fear and YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina, is proud to support this critical water safety initiative. This important step underscores our mutual commitment to student safety and reflects the comprehensive benefits that our collective efforts bring to our community,” says, Josh Smith Chief Communications Officer for NHCS.