Drowning is the #1 reason why children ages one to four don’t reach kindergarten.

Drowning is a leading cause of death among children and youth in the United States. No one is drown-proof, and drowning doesn’t discriminate. It is fast and silent, and it can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds. This is not for lack of love or caring. It’s due to lack of awareness among parents, pediatricians, policy-makers, and public service agencies. And, it is a surprisingly complex problem with many different risk factors, divergent perspectives, and proposed solutions.

But even with all this complexity, drowning is preventable. With the right information, safety measures, and partners, we can stop this tragedy. The Child Drowning Prevention Initiative brings stakeholders together, deepens our understanding of the problem, raises awareness of the risks, and advocates for effective measures to protect children.

The facts about childhood drowning are shocking. But facts can change.

Every year, almost 1,000 children drown. Half are under 5 years old.

  • More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death

  • For children ages 5–14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes

  • 70% of childhood drowning deaths take place during non-swim time

  • For every child who dies from drowning, another eight receive emergency department care for nonfatal drowning

  • Nonfatal drowning may lead to brain damage, memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning

There are widespread and accepted public health guidelines and support for many childhood health concerns, as well as general childhood safety and development. But not about drowning. Most people don’t know about the dangers of drowning.

And, while drowning costs our economy more than $50 billion each year—and a profound emotional cost—the federal government spends only $30-$40 million annually on prevention. By bringing stakeholders together and advocating for collective action, the Child Drowning Prevention Initiative is working to end this tragedy.

Drowning is 100% preventable—and we can achieve that goal.

Achieving prevention will require continuous investment and work. The Child Drowning Prevention Initiative focuses on three areas to keep children safe from drowning:

AWARENESS IS THE #1 NEED 

Parents, especially of young children, are inundated with advice and concerns for their kids. But we hear “I just didn’t know” all too frequently after tragedy strikes. Overcoming this information gap and creating awareness requires strategic, consistent, focused, and coordinated messaging to reach all audiences across a wide range of platforms. The Child Drowning Prevention Initiative engages prominent partners at the local and national levels to raise awareness. We define the message and deploy it creatively through social media, websites, special events, and more. ”The Five Layers of Protection” campaign addresses the best ways that parents can protect their children.


KNOWLEDGE IS CRITICAL

Not enough is known about the solutions because not enough data has been collected. By bringing experts together and encouraging investigation and quantification of the risks and protections, the Child Drowning Prevention Initiative is advancing the knowledge to provide the solutions. Much more is needed. It is only after research has provided definitive results, proven the risks, and validated safety measures that we can drive the widespread change needed to protect children.


ADVOCACY SAVES YOUNG LIVES

Using this data, we influence change. Our ‘‘End the Misinformation” campaign led to Walmart changing their marketing for child flotation devices. We are only getting started. Until now, every developed country in the world had a Water Safety Action Plan— except ours. We are active in developing a comprehensive approach to significantly reduce drowning. Over 50 organizations are involved, including private, public, and government. The plan launched this year and our partner, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, is its official leader.

A unifying force in a crowded, yet overlooked field.

Although drowning does not discriminate, the risks differ among ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds—with different bodies of water posing different dangers to different groups. What also differs are approaches to prevention. And, with a problem as painful as this, there is little surprise that this can be an emotionally charged field.

RAISING ALL VOICES 

At the heart of our approach is our singular focus on identifying and advocating for solutions that save the lives of children. The Child Drowning Prevention Initiative is collective, unbiased, and unaffiliated with any one agency or approach. In this independent position, we are a convener of all key players in the field, bringing voices together and getting all solutions on the table. By working with organizations and individuals representing different interests, we collect ideas and create cohesion rather than redundancies.


A SOLUTIONS-BASED APPROACH

Many organizations have invested time and resources into researching and preventing childhood drowning. As a result, many solutions have been proposed in a crowded field with many voices. Approaching the issue holistically and openly, the Child Drowning Prevention Initiative seeks and advocates for effective and pragmatic solutions that benefit all children and families.


OVERCOMING MISINFORMATION

“I just didn’t know” is a tragic and all too common theme. Two of the biggest barriers to preventing drowning are the lack of awareness of the problem and the need to overcome misperceptions. Parents and caregivers want to protect their children, but they can’t if they are operating under false information. Empathy, education, and awareness are the most important aspects of this work for long-term change.

Solutions exist. Childhood drowning is preventable. We can save lives.

Contact Us.

For more information about the Child Drowning Prevention Initiative, please complete our inquiry form.