WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Lawmakers in Tallahassee hope to prevent drownings among children by proposing legislation that would expand access to swimming lessons.
“It’s not on the national scale like it needs to,” said Christine Martin. “So I’ll do whatever I can to make sure it’s at least talked about and understood here in Florida.”
Christine Martin sat down with News 6 on Thursday and said she sees hope when hearing about Senate Bill 544.
The bill was filed in November by state Sen. Travis Hutson, R-District 7, and it looks to create a swimming lesson voucher program for families in the state.
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If approved, the bill would apply to families with children ages 4 and under with an income that can be up to 200% of the national poverty level.
Martin told News 6 that this piece of legislation has the power to save lives as she described memories of her son Gunner, who died back in 2016.
“For me, coming from a parent who has lost and who has experienced the worst of the worst, I would give anything for my son to be here,” said Martin.
Florida, at this time, ranks third for child drownings, which is why Martin reminds parents of the “Keys to water safety” when near bodies of water.
Those keys are: adult supervision, barriers, swim lessons, and CPR.
“For us, we laid Gunner down for a nap inside his home, inside his bedroom, where we thought he was safe and he was able to sneak out of our house undetected and a barrier could have saved his life,” Martin said.
While talking to Martin, she recommended survival swim lessons, so a News 6 crew stopped by Southwest Aquatics to learn more.
News 6 met 2-and-a-half-year-old Amelia Lopez, who demonstrated the center’s swimming program called “survival pedia-swimming.”
Maureen Minervini, who is the survival pedia-swim instructor, said, “So we start by teaching children to float on their back, holding them in the correct posture where they would get good breaths.”
Minervini said it is about teaching posture for children, saying if they can crawl for about 6 months, it may be time for them to start hitting the pool for lessons that may save a life.
“After their 12 months to 16 months, they can learn the full swim-float-swim rotation, so they can get from point A to point B,” said Minervini.
Martin said swimming lessons like the ones offered at Southwest Aquatics are crucial.
She said, “That’s where this bill comes in, and that’s why it’s so important because swim lessons are going to be the only a child can save themselves if something were to happen.”
One tip Southwest Aquatics left News 6 is that before a child reaches 6 months old, during bath time, pour water gently over their heads so they can be prepared for lessons when the time comes.
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