MIDLAND, Texas — Jessica McCoy is the owner and head coach of Head Above Water Midland and she started swim lessons at six months old before swimming competitively. She spoke with NewsWest 9 and gave some tips on how to keep children safe while swimming.
"The first thing is just make sure that locking your doors, your windows and your doggy doors before you go in for the day is the most important thing," McCoy said. "The majority of drownings actually happen when it's during non swim time."
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 90 children died by drowning in 2023. Texas DFPS also reports that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under five years old.
Texas State law requires individual pool owners to have a "pool yard enclosure" or "enclosure" which means a fence, wall or combination of fences, walls, gates, windows or doors that completely surround a pool.
According to McCoy, the safest way to dress children for swimming is in bright colors. Also, people should avoid dressing their children in pastel colors, especially blues and greens.
"Dress your kids in colors like oranges, neon's and yellows, because it makes it easier for a lifeguard and for other adults to see your child if they're in a drowning incident," said McCoy.
McCoy shared that it's important to consider a person's risk of drowning.
"Ages one to four are more likely to drown in pools, whereas children ages 14 to 18 are more likely to drown in natural bodies of water," McCoy said. "So think places like lakes and rivers."
McCoy recommends for people who are not going to pools on a regular basis to start swimming lessons at a minimum of 12 months to 18 months. If a person owns a pool, it may be best to start when the child is one years old or as early as 6 months.
"I think it's essential for a swim instructor to partner with parents," McCoy said. "So talking to parents about what their goals are, what their drowning risks are and then talking to them about what they want out of a swim program."