Water Safety Classes Might Help Prevent Drownings

Mindy York (l) and Marlene Bloom (r) are co-owners of Baby Otter Swim School. Photo: Danielle Prieur


Florida leads the country in drowning deaths in children under the age of four and as the warm weather is driving kids to the pool, but one swim school is saving lives.
Mindy York stands by the side of a pool in Port St. Lucie alternately throwing two children, Macy and Michael, in the water.
You can see their bodies turning toward the wall, followed by their slow and steady kicks as their hands reach toward it.
York says her swim school’s mission and her own is a simple one.
“We are on a mission to make Florida a zero drowning state. Parents need to teach their children to swim. They teach them to walk, they teach them to talk, but they need to teach them how to swim.”
As far as York’s concerned, this often doesn’t happen until it’s too late. She has her own story of a close call.
If you’d like to listen to the full story, please click on the clip above.
Get The 90.7 WMFE Newsletter
Your trusted news source for the latest Central Florida COVID-19 news, updates on special programs and more. Support our extended coverage.
GET THE LATESTWMFE Journalistic Ethics Code | Public Media Code of Integrity