AOAP Lifejackets provided to YMCA of Snohomish County via AOAP Life Jacket Grant Program

Swimming lessons are a fundamental part of childhood education, providing essential life skills and promoting water safety.  While traditional swimming lessons focus on teaching various strokes and techniques the YMCA lesson curriculum incorporates how to put on and use a life jacket.  Integrating life jacket education into swimming lessons enhances the overall safety awareness of individuals, making them better prepared for various aquatic situations.  This approach ensures that swimming lessons not only teach the art of swimming but also impart vital knowledge about life jackets.

We start early by introducing the concept of wearing a life jacket at an early age.  We take time during our parent toddler classes to educate parents on how to fit their children in life jackets.  This involvement allows parents to learn alongside their children, ensuring that the entire family understands the significance of wearing life jackets.

We work to tailor our life jacket education to the different age groups in our program.  Younger swimmers may need simpler explanations and more hands-on assistance, whereas older swimmers can delve into the mechanics of how life jackets work.  Customized training ensures that the content is age-appropriate and effectively comprehended by all swimmers and parents.  The life jacket grant from the Association of Aquatic Professionals enabled us to provide this important water safety education to many more families than before.

Throughout our lesson curriculum we revisit the life jacket topic this reinforces the importance of wearing life jackets not only to the swimmers but to the parents as well.  We have short discussion, quizzes and games to ensure the knowledge stays fresh in the minds of the swimmers.

As swimmers progress into our upper levels we incorporate rescue techniques.  Teaching not only how to wear a life jacket but also how to assist others using a life jacket.  Instructors demonstrate techniques for supporting someone in the water while wearing a life jacket.  Emphasizing the roles these devices play in assisting others during water emergencies.

We have found that integrating life jacket education into swimming lessons, individuals develop a lifelong safety mindset when it comes to water activities.  Understanding the importance of personal floatation devices become a habit, ensuring that individual continue to prioritize their safety whenever they are in or around water, well into adulthood.

Thank you again to the Association for allowing us the opportunity to continue to teach our swimmers and families this valuable life lesson while they are learning how to swim.

Thank you,

Tom Wunderlich

Association Director of Aquatic Advancement, YMCA of Snohomish County