Grant funds swim safety lessons for children at Franklin County’s YMCA

GREENFIELD — Newton School students have been making a splash at Franklin County’s YMCA thanks to a grant that has allowed it to resume a program that had been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The local organization is using a $5,000 Youth Swim Lessons grant from YMCA of the USA to partner with Greenfield’s public schools to educate 55 children in second and third grades on life-saving water safety skills. The program is in its sixth week, out of eight.

“It is definitely a success,” Aquatics Director Lisa Woodall said before getting in the pool with the youngsters last week.

Over the course of eight weeks, students are transported to the YMCA’s pool at 451 Main St. for structured lessons. Children practice skills such as blowing bubbles, floating on their backs, and safely entering and exiting the pool. Lessons also include instruction on how to assist someone in need, call for help during an emergency, and stay afloat in deeper water under the supervision of certified instructors.

Franklin County’s YMCA pays the busing cost of $289.05 per day, four days a week. Woodall said the hope is to enter into a longer-term contract with TravelKuz to continue busing at an affordable rate if this partnership with the schools continues.

Woodall, who said she has been fighting for two years to bring back the water safety program, stressed to the students some crucial safety tips. She told them they must always ask permission before getting into any pool and always be with an undistracted adult. She said it is important to have a “water watcher” to ensure swimming safety.

Woodall explained that drowning does not happen the way it is portrayed in movies, when victims often have the time and energy to call for help and take a final breath before going below the water’s surface.

“Drowning is silent,” Woodall told the students.

According to the American Red Cross, there are an estimated 4,000 unintentional drownings in the United States each year — that’s an average of 11 per day.

Newton School teacher Alexis Silk said the program has been an amazing experience and opportunity for students.

“Swimming and water safety are important and essential skills to have,” she said in a statement. “The kids are thrilled each week to get in the water, splash around and learn something new. The smiles and laughs they share as they are learning are priceless.”

Sara Hannon, director of communications, marketing and social media at Franklin County’s YMCA, said the goal is to eventually include Federal Street School students, as the program used to.

“The easiest way to get kids in here is to go back to the schools where we were before,” she said.

Hannon mentioned that the learned safety skills can be applied to the area’s rivers, streams and lakes. She also said the lessons have a ripple effect on the students’ cooperation and listening skills.

“I hear the kids,” she said. “They are always so well-behaved when they come in.”