‘PARTNERING WITH THE NDPA’
Water safety education is a critical component in preventing drowning incidents and promoting a culture of safety in and around the water. The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) is at the forefront of the mission of water safety and drowning prevention. You can find multiple valuable resources on their website to empower communities, schools, and individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to prevent drowning incidents.
The Teacher Toolkit
The Teacher Toolkit is a great place to start with resources available to everyone. While this toolkit has been created with teachers and parents in mind, everyone can use this information to share with your friends and family and provide them with additional tools and support. You can also share this information with your clients. This is a comprehensive package designed to assist schools in effectively incorporating water safety education into the classroom. Water safety doesn’t end when summer is over, and incorporating this into the classroom helps to reinforce ways to be safer in and around the water. This toolkit also provides educators with the necessary materials to integrate water safety lessons into their current curriculum.
Book Recommendations and More
There are also book recommendations for both the classroom and for parents. These books can be read both in the classroom and at home. All of the books listed have links for easy purchase. Some can be purchased directly from the organization that published them, others through places like Amazon. You can purchase multiple copies and keep one at your house and send another with your child to be read during their school day.
Teachers are always looking for more books to add their collection, and these books are a fantastic addition. You can help share this information with your child’s teacher, and they in turn can share the schooladministration letter that is included in the Teacher Toolkit. This letter helps emphasize why water safety is important and why it needs to be taught and practiced year-round. Advocacy is a powerful tool for change, and NDPA recognizes the importance of engaging with school boards to prioritize water safety education. To help concerned individuals, parents, and teachers, NDPA has created a persuasive letter to add water safety education to the fire safety education and periodic practice into the current curriculum.
Parent handouts have also been created to be sent home with children to help spread the awareness of good water safety practices. The handouts have been created for different seasons with the first being the back-to-school water safety newsletter.
Other NDPA Website Resources
One of the goals for NDPA is to be a hub of information to share with everyone. Whether you share this information with a teacher, parent, advocate, or community member, there are other resources available. For parents, hiring a caregiver is a big undertaking, and keeping your children safe is a top priority.
The Caregiver Water Safety Checklist is a great list to add when talking with your caregiver. It includes a water safety pledge on the second page. This can be a great addition to share with your clients to show how important safety is to you.
Finding the right swim program is important, and swimming lessons should be year-round. Following along the swim lesson decision tree can help families find the right place and program. There is also a swim program checklist — in both English and Spanish — to help parents make the right decision. This can help them compare facilities and programs that can help keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
Through the range of resources, NDPA helps to empower individuals, schools, communities, and organizations with tools and resources. As we collectively work toward reducing the devastating impact of drowning incidents, these resources can serve as powerful vehicles for change. Using them, we can create a safer future for generations to come, ensuring that everyone has the skills and awareness necessary to enjoy aquatic environments responsibly and confidently.
