Kids in Seymour learn water safety

SEYMOUR, Conn. (WTNH) -- A water safety program for kids in Seymour is designed to keep them safe while they're having fun in the sun.

School will be done soon, and for some kids, that means heading for the water.

"You know that the water can be dangerous," News 8's Kent Pierce asked 6-year-old Michael Taylor.

"Yeah," he replied.

"What can happen?"

"You could drown or you could get hurt if there's a big wave,"

That's why in Seymour, every first grade class gets a water safety lecture before the end of school. They also all read "Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim" put out by the Stew Leonard's family, who lost lost a child to drowning.

It's actually the leading cause of accidental death in children under five.

"The biggest thing that I see most frequently would probably be kids with the hitting and the pushing and a lot of them will try to shove them under water so we try to control that a lot," said lifeguard Katherine Acquavella.

At News 8, we're always talking about how we have your back, but when it comes to kids around water, parents, you have to have your kid's back, front and all the sides, too.

"Yeah, you always want a parent with them because it's usually better to have their eyes on them as well as the lifeguard's too," Acquavella said.

Of course, parents need to learn to swim, too. For any with home pools, a fence and alarm are a must. But mostly, you just need to pay attention. And teach the kids that the water is off-limits without supervision.

"I learned that you should always go into the pool with a grown-up. like I did at the YMCA," said 7-year-old Sarah Walsh.

Floaties and life jackets can help, but it's knowledge that will keep these kids safe in the water.