With kids flocking to pools amid heat wave, this Pennsylvania swim club is offering free swim lessons
Kids are flocking to the pools as the Philadelphia area continues to experience a heat wave, making water safety even more important.
At , a free swim program is underway to teach kids the skills to conquer their fears of water and stay safe in the pool.
Haalah Cunningham, 11, was at the swim club, learning how to swim for the first time.
"It's definitely important to me because most of my friends have pools and I love going over their houses like being in their pools and if I can't swim, I really can't do much," she said.
Haalah joined several other kids taking lessons as part of the swim club's No Child Will Drown in Our Town swim program. It's a free 10-day class that teaches kids how to swim.
Haalah's mom says making sure her daughter knew how to swim was a priority for her this summer.
"Making sure [my kids] are safe and able to help themselves if they ever get in trouble in the water is very important to me," said Sanayy Miller, the mother of Haalah Cunningham.
With more kids flocking to the pools during this heat wave, water safety is even more important. According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 4.
It's also an issue that disproportionately affects kids of color
"Everyone is drawn to the pool, everyone wants to swim but when you don't know how to swim it can become a very dangerous place," said Lisa Marie Ivory, president of Nile Swim Club.
Ivory is fighting to change those numbers, and it's been a part of the club's mission for decades. The club opened in 1959 after its founders were denied access to a local pool during segregation.
Ivory and the club's work continues to be focused on making sure all kids know how to swim.
"We want our kids to have all the same opportunities that all the other children have had. And it's really important to us that kids in Pennsylvania, not just here in the area of the swim club, learn how to swim," she said.
Nile Swim Club's No Child Will Drown in Our Town swim program continues into July. If you're interested and want to sign up, .
