Louisiana has the fourth highest drowning rate in the United States among children 0-14 years of age. Drowning is also the fourth leading cause of injury-related death for Louisiana children in this age group.1 Younger children are at particularly high risk. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4.
The Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health’s Violence and Injury Prevention Program works to prevent and reduce injuries and violence, including drowning and water-related injuries. The program partners with state and local organizations to raise awareness, promote water safety, and provide drowning prevention education in communities across Louisiana
Drowning Prevention Tips
- Supervise children: Watch children when they are in or around the water, without being distracted. Young children should always be within arm’s reach of an adult. Make sure more experienced swimmers are with a partner every time they are around bodies of water.
- Designate a “water watcher:” When there are several adults present, take turns designating an adult responsible for watching children in or near the water for a certain period of time (e.g., designated water watchers can switch out every 15 minutes).
- Teach children to swim: Every child is different, so enroll children in swim lessons when they are ready. Take their age, development, and how often they are around water into consideration.
- Have proper barriers: Ensure the fence around your pool is at least five feet tall with a self-closing and self-latching gate. Make sure doors and windows to the pool are always locked and alarmed. Have a pool alarm installed to alert you when anyone goes into the water.
- Learn CPR: Become certified in CPR and update your skills annually. It could save the life of your child or another person.
Helpful Data Resources
Fact Sheets
This parent-friendly infographic provides a snapshot of Louisiana’s drowning rates from 2021-2023 and prevention method recommendations.
This parent-friendly infographic provides a snapshot of Louisiana drowning rates from 2020-2022 and prevention method recommendations.
Webpages
This webpage includes information about how Louisiana works to prevent the deaths of children and works to understand how and why children die unexpectedly through a comprehensive review of the circumstances by teams of diverse, multidisciplinary professionals in law enforcement, healthcare, and other state agencies. This webpage houses important data highlights within fact sheets and the Louisiana Child Death Review Annual Legislative Reports.
Water Safety Resources
The local resources below can be used to find places across Louisiana offering swimming and water safety education lessons for infants, children, adolescents, and families. The national resources below can be used to find boating lessons, handouts, fact sheets, and more about water safety nationwide.
Region 1: New Orleans
- Big Easy Swim Easy: Through the New Orleans Health Department, this program offers swimming lessons and water safety education across the city at no cost
- H2 Geaux Swim: Partners with the YMCA and the Jefferson Community Foundation to provide a no-cost learn-to-swim program
- YMCA Greater New Orleans: Provides low cost or no cost swimming lessons
Region 2: Baton Rouge
- Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge: Offers no-cost swim lessons on a limited basis
- Down Syndrome Awareness Group (DSAG) Baton Rouge: Offers no-cost swim lessons for children with Down syndrome
- YMCA Baton Rouge: Provides low cost or no cost swimming lessons
Region 3: Thibodeaux
- Children’s Water Safety Awareness: Offers swimming certificates for no-cost swim lessons and a life jacket trade-up program
- Blue Boot Foundation: Offers several programs, including “Life Jacket for Life,” swim lessons, CPR classes, and water safety education
Region 4: Lafayette
- City of Lafayette Aquatics: Offers child and adult swim lessons, including basic swimming skills for young children
- Crawfish Aquatics: Offers swim lessons in the Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas
- Tadpole Academy Swim School: Offers private and group swim lessons
Region 5: Lake Charles
- Jaq’s Little Swimmers ISR: Offers self-rescue swim lessons for infants
- Ward 3 Recreation Lake Charles: Offers swimming programs and swimming summer camps
Region 6: Alexandria
- First United Methodist Church of Alexandria (FUMP): Offers swimming lessons and basic water safety skills for children 3-6 years old
- Infant Swimming Resource-Cenla: Offers survival and water safety instruction for infants and young children
- The Judah Brown Project: Provides drowning prevention education and offers survival swimming scholarship opportunities
- YWCA Alexandria: Provides low cost or no cost swimming lessons
Region 7: Shreveport
- Jump! Swim Schools Shreveport: Offers parent, infant, and child water safety and swimming classes – contact shreveport@jumpswimschools.com for more information
- SouthSide Swim Club: Offers swimming programs for all ages and skill levels, from infants six months to adults
- Town South Swim Club: Private, family-friendly recreational facility located in South Shreveport, Louisiana, offering swim lessons– contact townsouthbilling@yahoo.com for more information
- Terri’s Swim Academy: Community-focused swim school with over 10 years of experience offering lessons for all skill levels, from preschool to intermediate, that emphasize safety and confidence – contact TerrisSwimAcademy@gmail.com for more information
- Willis Knighton Wellness Centers: Swim lessons for the toddlers and children of members (parents or grandparents) or employees of the center
- Swim Life-North Bossier, “Float like a boat”: A specialized, private swim school focusing on survival-oriented swim lessons for children as young as 6 months old – contact swimlife@gmail.com for more information
- Minden Recreation Center: Offers swim lessons for children ages 5-12 who have some experience in swimming
- Natchitoches Recreation and Parks: Offers swim lessons for children ages 4-14
- YMCA of Northwest Louisiana: Provides low cost or no cost swimming lessons
Region 8: Monroe
- Bulldog Aquatics Club: Offers group and private swim lessons
- ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) Monroe: Offers survival swimming lessons to infants and young children
- PoolSafely.gov: Launched by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to reduce childhood drownings and submersion injuries, this website includes brochures, tip cards, fact sheets, social media tools, videos, and press releases
- Safe Kids Worldwide: A nonprofit organization working to reduce preventable injuries in children ages 0-19 and building sustainable systems to protect all families – the website includes infographics, checklists, and links to other child safety resources
- American Red Cross: Offers free online water safety and drowning prevention courses in English and Spanish for families and caregivers
- Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) Locator: Tool to assist families with finding certified survival swim instructors in their area
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Website with drowning prevention tips for parents, focusing on toddlers
- National Safe Boating Council: Website with no-cost, online boating education and life jacket information
- Life Jackets Worn … Nobody Mourns: From the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this website has campaign materials and video public service announcements about the importance of life jackets
For more information about water safety and drowning prevention resources in your area, visit partnersforfamilyhealth.org/mortality-surveillance-contacts.
References
- 2022-2024 CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research). https://wonder.cdc.gov/