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Middlesex County Offers Free Swim Lessons to Second Graders

Program Spotlight

New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance seeks to highlight innovative programs to prevent drowning in NJ. Last year, Middlesex County introduced something we haven’t seen before: Free Swim Lessons for all of their Second-Graders. New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance looks forward to hearing more about how the program was received and whether they can extend their pilot program into the 2024-2025 school year. Congratulations to Middlesex County, public health officials, and their county Commissioners for sponsoring this innovative and essential work. 

Middlesex County Board of Commissioners sponsors a pilot program for free swim lessons.

Author: Middlesex County, NJ

Every summer, we hear the stories of preventable tragedies: devastating accounts of children drowning due to inadequate water safety knowledge.

In fact, according to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), fatal nationwide drownings of children under 15 years old increased 12% from 2020 to 2021 (the most recent data available). Already between May and mid-July, four children have drowned in New Jersey.

In an effort to combat these preventable tragedies, Middlesex County recently launched a program offering free swim lessons to children aged 7 to 9 who are County residents and attended second grade during the 2023-2024 school year.  This initiative, led by the County’s Office of Health Services, aims to equip young children with essential swimming skills and educate them about water safety.

Drowning, often referred to as a “silent” killer, can occur in seconds — and in plain sight.

According to the CPSC, 81% of fatal drownings involving children under age 15 occurred at a residence — including the victim’s home or the home of a family member, neighbor, or friend — where no lifeguard was present.

By teaching second graders how to swim, Middlesex County is providing them with a solid foundation to build their skills and cultivating a culture of safety for children throughout the County.

For more information on this program and all participating aquatic facilities, please visit middlesexcountynj.gov/swim.

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David is the Founder and President of National Safety Training Center and its predecessor companies – Elite Tactical Academy and Mine Brook Search & Rescue, Inc.  He is  a seasoned business leader and public safety education expert. He currently focuses on running this large training center and keeps active teaching both provider level classes and many instructor level classes.

He holds numerous certifications including:

  • American Red Cross Instructor / Trainer
    • BLS / ALS / PALS
    • Lay Rescuer
    • Lifeguarding
    • Babysitting
  • American Heart Association Training Center Faculty
    • BLS
    • HeartSaver
  • National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Instructor
    • Tactical Emergency Casualty Care
    • Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support
    • Mental Health Resilience Officer
    • Psychological Trauma in EMS Patients

 

David has previously worked as a Red Cross employee in 2 roles:

  • Public Safety Instructor for the Northern VT Chapter – teaching corporate classes for the Red Cross
  • Lifeguard Instructor / Trainer / Educator for the National Association – Teaching the Instructor / Trainer Academies to create new Lifeguard Instructor / Trainers.

 

David lives in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater NJ with his family who are also active in the Public Safety Training / Medical training business. He is a local volunteer Firefighter / EMT, something he has been doing since 1984! David also serves as a volunteer in the US Coast Guard on a specialized deployable communications team.

Dr. Angela K. Beale is an Associate Professor, and Program Coordinator of the Health/Physical Education, Teacher Education  (HPETE) Program, in the Department of Content Area Teacher Education (CATE), in the College of Education, at Rowan University. Dr. Beale Tawfeeq’s belief as an educator and researcher are grounded in her mission of “building bridges to break down barriers” in communities, a trend that was established during her developmental years, via personal, educational,  and physical activity experiences. Dr. Beale Tawfeeq specializes in youth development through aquatic physical activity, curriculum development in health and physical education, and water safety and drowning prevention education in K-12 schools, and community-based organizations. Her recent professional include co-authoring of the most recent National Health Education Standards for the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America, 2024), a contributor and expert reviewer to the United States National Water Safety Action Plan  (2024). She currently serves as a board member and director of education and research  for Diversity In Aquatics (DIA), a non-profit 501 4c organization, whose mission is to educate, promote, and support water  safety and healthy aquatic activities for vulnerable populations, member of American Red Cross, Scientific Advisory  Council, Aquatic Sub Council; board member of the Habitheque Blue and Green Fund, which was formed to promote and  further societal awareness of emerging technologies and techniques for water conservation, ecosystem restoration and  renewable energy, while also providing a vision for scaling these advancements for global impact.