Water Safety and Drowning Prevention

Drowning can happen to anyone. It’s quick, and it’s silent. Drowning is the single-leading cause of death among children ages 1-4 and a top cause of death among teens.

One of the best ways to reduce drowning risk is learning to swim. Water safety and swim lessons can help build lifesaving skills for a lifetime. 

Because drowning can happen quickly, it’s important to be prepared. Adults and teens should learn CPR. You can access CPR training through organizations such as the American Red Cross.

Take Steps to Lower Drowning Risks

At Home

• Always supervise children closely around water, including wading (kiddie) pools, above-ground pools, in-ground pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, buckets, basins, sinks, and toilets. Don’t let yourself be distracted by your phone, work, talking with others, or chores while you’re supervising young children around water.
• Never leave young children alone in a pool or bathtub for any reason. Drowning can happen in an instant.
• If there are young children living with you or visiting your home, keep all bathroom doors closed. Install locks on your toilet lids to keep kids from accessing water in toilets.
• Empty all buckets, sinks, bathtubs, and kiddie pools as soon as you’re done using them.
• If you have a swimming pool on your property, be sure it’s surrounded by a fence on all sides and has a gate that closes and latches on its own. Research shows that having a fence around your pool can reduce drowning risk by 50%. Pool covers and pool alarms can also help reduce drowning risk.
• If you have young children or a child with special needs, door locks and window locks can help prevent kids from going outside and accessing a pool or hot tub without your knowledge.

At Public Pools, Beaches, Ponds, and Lakes

• Always make sure you or another responsible adult is supervising children in water. Close, constant, attentive supervision around water is important.
• Follow all rules while using a public pool or beach. Obey all posted warnings about which areas are safe for swimming.
• Wear a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket whenever you swim in open water, use watercraft, or sail in a boat. Every child and adult should wear a life jacket.
• Do not drink alcohol or use drugs when you will be swimming, boating, or supervising children around water. If you have teens, make sure they know that using alcohol and drugs increases the risk of drowning while swimming or boating.

2026 Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Resources

RIDOH has partnered with several community organizations to help make swim lessons more accessible for families. Resources include:

Free swim lessons for youth of color

RIDOH has partnered with Stages of Freedom to provide free swim lessons for young Rhode Islanders of color (ages 5-19) at several YMCAs across the state. Fill out this interest form and enter RIDOH where asked: How did you hear about Swim Empowerment?

Swim scholarships for kids with physical limitations or diverse learning needs

The PAL Program, in partnership with RIDOH and the Greater Providence YMCA, will offer PAL Adaptive Swim Scholarships to low-income families of children ages 6 months to 18 years who have physical limitations or diverse learning needs. Complete this PAL Scholarship interest form to learn more.