Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between one and four years old. For every fatal drowning incident, there are SEVEN non-fatal injuries resulting in Emergency Department care. According to the TN Department of Health, 21 children in Tennessee died by drowning in 2021 and 97% of those drowning deaths were deemed as probably preventable.
The TN State Alliance of YMCAs is incredibly thankful to have received $500,000 from the TN Department of Human Services to promote water safety and drowning prevention across the state. In 2022, TN YMCAs taught water safety skills to more than 24,000 children, but we want to do more. In 2024, the TN YMCAs have committed to 1) expanding water safety education to an additional 15 counties, 2) distributing 100,000 water safety education materials across Tennessee and 3) hosting one Statewide Water Safety Education Campaign during National Water Safety Month in May 2024.
