ROGERS, Ark. — Drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages one to four. Nici Fleming, Owner and General Manager of Goldfish Swim School in Rogers is committed to teaching parents and children the importance of being safe around water.
“Water safety is so important, there are so many things we can do to keep our kids safe,” said Fleming. “We'll teach the kiddos how to roll onto their backs to flow, we'll teach them how to climb out safely, and how to tread water.”
However, when it comes to dressing your child to swim, you may want to avoid light colors.
"We train our lifeguards to scan the water. And so they're looking at all the different layers of the water, those blue colors, those whites, they really blend in with the water,” said Fleming. “So the best colors that you can wear are the bright colors like purple, pink, and orange, whereas colors that you want to avoid would be blues, whites, and darker colors like black and gray”
In lakes and ponds, bright colors are even more important.
It's actually a little more difficult to see in the lake because that can be a little murkier," Fleming stated.
Brooke Lemoine says this is something she practices with her two-year-old daughter, Blair.
"Just try shooting for bright colors, so that they're easily visible to not only you as a parent, but to lifeguards,” said Lemoine.
Along with wearing bright colors, Fleming says supervision is a must, even if your child is a strong swimmer.
"Summer is the time for gatherings and pool parties. Just make sure you always have a designated guest or adult to watch the kids— somebody that's not going to be consuming alcoholic beverages or be on their cell phone. Just anybody that can pay attention to those kiddos and keep them safe,” said Fleming.
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