In anticipation of the warmer weather, and as the school year winds down, the Northeast Swimming Pool Association (NESPA) Foundation (The Foundation) has recently awarded grants to two educational programs, which serve to prepare families that planning summer outings that include swimming at pools, lakes, and beaches.
The educational program provides children with life-saving water skills while introducing them to a life-long love of swimming. Both grantees are long-time partners with The Foundation and have proven track records.
KidSwim Long Island was awarded a $4,600 grant from The Foundation which will be used to expand its water safety initiative. KidSwim is a water safety program focused on educating pre-school and elementary school aged children on the rules of water safety. Over the past three years, the program has given out more than 100,000 water safety booklets while performing more than 150 water safety book readings, character/ puppet shows and assemblies. KidSwim has already reached more than 37,000 children ranging from nursery school age to the 5th grade.
“Long Island has more than 965 km (600 miles) of shoreline and it’s estimated that one in six homes has a pool,” said the Long Island Pool and Spa Association (LIPSA) president, CJ DelVaglio. “The chance that children in our community will be near water is very high. KidSwim gives them the tools they need to be safer not just in the summer, but year-round. With the support of The NESPA Foundation, we look forward to another successful season of teaching children about water safety.”
The Foundation has also awarded a $5,000 grant in support of New York State’s sixth season of its ‘Learn to Swim’ initiative. The program encourages area residents with age-eligible children to sign up for free swimming lessons that are focused on getting kids acquainted with the water in a safe and fun way.
Since its start in 2013, the learn to swim program has grown each year and expanded its reach to serve low-income urban inner-city communities, as well as rural populations across all of New York State where swimming options and instruction are limited.
“[The] learn to swim program is a remarkable accomplishment that started with just two parks in 2013 and will expand to more than 30 parks in 2018,” said New York State Parks commissioner, Rose Harvey. “Through the support of the NESPA Foundation, we have been able to provide swimming lessons to more than 3,500 kids and we look forward to seeing that number climb this summer.”
The Foundation is thrilled to support these programs and is focused on providing these children and families with important water safety information, said NESPA Foundation president, John Lochren.
“KidSwim Long Island and New York State’s Learn to Swim Program fit perfectly with The Foundation’s mission,” added Lochren. “Starting with water safety and then taking the next step of learning to swim, we look forward to this next generation of swimmers using recreational water as an outlet for fun and exercise.”
