Learning to Swim Helps Club Kids Build Skills & Confidence with Every Stroke

“Dreams are best pursued by diving in head-first” - Anonymous 

At Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, we're constantly encouraging our members to engage in new experiences that will push them to reach new heights -- and new depths too. As we recognize #NationalWaterSafetyMonth throughout the month of May, we're reflecting on the critical importance of safety and skill in the water, and the longterm developmental benefits for youth of accomplishing the feat of learning to swim. For many of our members, learning how to swim serves as the foundation upon which they'll build the confidence they need to try even more new things as they march towards adolescence and young adulthood. 

As the summer months draw near, National Water Safety Month helps us promote the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to become water competent. This means being aware of surroundings while in the water, understanding risks, having swimming skills, and knowing how to help others in the water. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South safety is our highest priority, and as such we offer swimming lessons for children as young as 6 months as well as lessons for older youth and adults throughout the entire programming year. We work to ensure that all of our swimmers -- young and "old" -- are safe, comfortable, and confident in and out of the water.

In our Taunton Clubhouse Aquatics Center, our swim lessons offer a safe, positive, and fun experience for swimmers of all levels. We offer a wide range of swim classes, private lessons, clinics, and swim camps for various ages and skill levels. Open swim is also a daily option for our regular after-school program participants throughout the year. Each spring, many of our members take swim lessons at our Taunton Clubhouse in preparation for the warmer months ahead. However, due to the unprecedented closure of our Clubs this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our members have lost months of instruction time that would have set them up for the summer. This year, swim lessons offered during the summer season will be more important than ever for our kids, and especially critical for our members who do not yet know how to swim.

Many of our members come to us without any swimming experience, and in many cases, this lack of experience leads to hesitation around the water. Our spray deck at Camp Riverside helps kids who may not be comfortable around water gain familiarity before learning how to swim in the pool. The spray deck is an engaging, approachable, ADA compliant play area that features water elements like sprinklers and waterfalls. This play-based exposure to water helps kids who may be reluctant to swim become more comfortable and confident in and around the water, and encourages them to continue engaging in new experiences and learning new skills.

Learning to swim cannot only be a daunting task for some children but for many of the youth we serve, swimming lessons can often be entirely inaccessible. For many families in our community, swimming lessons are considered a non-essential luxury, and studies have found a correlation between income levels and children’s ability to swim.

According to a 2019 study published by the USA Swimming Foundation, 66% of free or reduced lunch-eligible youth report having little to no swimming ability. 

The study found that child and parent fear of drowning and parental involvement or encouragement were the most commonly reported barriers to learning how to swim. 92% of BGCMS Club members qualify to receive free or reduced lunch, meaning the population of kids we serve is much more likely to have little or no swimming ability than youth in more affluent communities. 

Not only does swimming open the door to some of the other water-related activities that we offer at Camp Riverside - like fishing, canoeing, and kayaking - but it also sets the tone for our kids to continue diving head-first into other new experiences. Mastering a major life skill like swimming builds confidence and empowers children to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their goals. 

Learning how to swim helps instill resilience in our members so they can continue trying new things and pursuing their goals as they grow. We are always working to help our members build important skills that will inspire confidence and courage as they work to achieve #greatfutures!