A NEW Swim for Life CNMI program for children six months to two years old aims to allow parents and their young ones to be “comfortable in the water,” and to “build foundational skills for learning how to swim,” according to program coordinator Jeremiah Benavente.
The Parent and Child Aquatics class offered by Swim for Life CNMI comes at no cost to participants. It takes place at the 500 Sails Guma Sakman, across from Marianas High School in Susupe.
Classes are held every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., at a time and day when many local families are already at the beach.
Benavente said the children and their parents will be instructed by certified swim teachers.
“Our coaches are all certified American Red Cross water safety instructors who utilize the swimming and water safety curriculum developed by the American Red Cross,” Benavente said. “The program is research-based and is used across the United States. In addition, it is reviewed every five years to ensure that the most updated techniques and materials are incorporated into the program.”
The Swim for Life CNMI program was established in 2019, and since then it has conducted swimming and water safety classes for Public School System students around the island.
A regular swim class takes place on Saturdays at the 500 Sails Guma Sakman for kindergarten and elementary school children ages five to 10.
Through this new parent and child aquatics class, parents can support their children to learn swimming techniques like the front crawl or breaststroke.
Benavente said parents and children take the class together. The children will be “provided with experiences that will help them become comfortable in the water,” while parents will “support their child as they explore the water” and will learn water safety, he said.
Part of the mission of Benavente and his partners in the organization is to use education and outreach to avoid drownings.
“Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages one to four,” Benavente said, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
“For children ages 5-14, it is the second cause of unintentional injury [or] death. By learning how to swim and [learning] about water safety, our children will be able to avoid dangerous situations and respond appropriately in an aquatic emergency,” he said.
For more information, email Jeremiah Benavente at jeremiah@swimcnmi.com/.
Coach Jeremiah supports a student during a parent and child aquatics class.
Coaches Christina and Roy go over holding techniques with a parent during an aquatics class.
