Press Releases
May 27, 2010: Tiger Academy Students And Families To Make A Splash At The Y And Learn Importance Of Water Safety
WHAT: To kick-off Make A Splash Water Safety Week at YMCAs across the First Coast next week, the Y will offer the Make A Splash curriculum to students and their families from Tiger Academy, a YMCA charter school on Jacksonville’s northside. Tiger Academy students, their families, and community volunteers will participate in Water Watcher Certification classes, swim lesson workshops, water acclimation activities, and swim testing in an effort to move the needle on the devastating drowning statistics.
Make a Splash is the national child-focused water safety initiative of the USA Swimming Foundation. The initiative aligns the nation’s top learn to swim resources in an effort to raise awareness of water safety and provide opportunities for all children to learn to swim.
WHY: Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1 to 14. It takes just one inch of water and 10 seconds for a child to drown; and minority children are three times more likely to drown than their Caucasian peers. Since two-thirds of all drowning incidents occur between the months of May and August, the YMCA is looking to educate the community as we approach the swimming season, beginning with some of the most at-risk.
With more than 75% of drowning incidents occurring during a lapse in parental supervision of less than five minutes, parents, guardians, and any others charged with supervising children in or near the water must also be educated on how to prevent accidents.
WHEN: Friday, May 28, 2010
| time | grade level |
| 10:00am – 11:00am | Kindergarten Students, Families and Volunteers Experience the Program |
| 11:15am – 12:15pm | First Grade Students, Families and Volunteers Experience the Program |
| 12:30pm – 1:30pm | Second Grade Students, Families and Volunteers Experience the Program |
(Please note: All times approximate)
WHERE: Johnson Family YMCA | 5700 Cleveland Road | Jacksonville, FL 32209
WHO: Tiger Academy students (kindergarten through second graders) and their families, plus community volunteers
VISUALS:
- Families together in the water and on the pool deck learning about water safety
- Children receiving in-water instruction, swim testing, and participating in swim lesson workshops
- Adults participating in Water Watcher Certification classes
YMCA of Florida’s First Coast - Tiger Academy
Tiger Academy is a YMCA charter school, a subsidiary of the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast, a non-profit organization. Tiger Academy, which opened in August of 2009, provides the children of northwest Jacksonville with a structured and nurturing learning environment that is focused on rigorous academic standards, character development, self-discipline, personal and social responsibility and strong family involvement. Enrichment and support services to the students and their families are provided through a unique partnership with the Johnson Family YMCA. Tiger Academy approaches the education of each child with a commitment to helping him or her grow in spirit, mind and body. For more information, visit our website.
Contact: Nikos Westmoreland, Director of Communications
nwestmoreland@FirstCoastYMCA.org
904.235.0954
