MISSION VIEJO, Calif. — According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1 to 4 years old.
Every year, there are about 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings in the U.S. — that’s about 11 drowning deaths per day.
Each year, the Y teaches more than one million kids to swim.
The YMCA of Orange County offers swim lessons for children of all ages at its Fullerton, Mission Viejo and Newport-Mesa Family YMCA locations.
Marlene Gutierrez, who lives in Orange County, brought her 11-year-old daughter Dahlia Lambert to a recent free water safety workshop at the Mission Viejo Family YMCA.
She was especially anxious for her daughter to learn lifesaving skills.
“We had an incident about a year ago where we both almost drowned. And it was scary because all I heard behind me was, ‘Mom,’ And I saw her little face go down,” she said.
Both made it to safety. Gutierrez does not know how to swim yet, but said her daughter learning to be confident in the water may inspire her to learn one day.
The YMCA of Orange County plans to offer another free water safety workshop in the fall. Information will be posted here closer to the event.