Page 12 - City of El Centro :: Winter 2021 Community Newsletter

Aquatic Center Summer Activities
Though the Aquatic Center was closed from March 20 - September 28, 2020, due to COVID-19, it did not stop the efforts of sharing and educating the community in the importance of Water Safety and Drowning Prevention. As all in-person activities and programs were suspended, the Aquatic Center started to amplify the use of social media to implement interaction within the community. Throughout the month of May - International Water Safety Month - in partnership with the American Red Cross Centennial Campaign, there were multiple free interactive certification courses for parents, such as the most popular, Water Safety for Parents & Caregivers, and Water Safety Ambassadors.
For the kids, the Aquatic Center staff hosted a free Water Safety Drive Thru event, where over 200 At Home Water Safety Activity Kits were handed out. All kits included fun, water safety educational activities that the whole family could get involved in. The City of El Centro, Dippy Duck, American Red Cross, National Drowning Prevention Alliance and the Fraternal Order of Eagles 1159, all made this drive thru event possible.
In the months of July and August, the Aquatics staff assisted with Recreation’s Virtual Summer Camp in providing a segment all about Water Safety. In this segment, the kids were taught the importance of learning how to swim, and the precautions that everyone must take when visiting the pool, beach, or lake.
All lessons were taught through the American Red Cross Longfellow WHALE Tale’s curriculum. In water safety education, WHALE is an acronym that means, Water Habits Are Learned Early. By teaching these habits young and educating our youth in the importance of water safety and drowning prevention, we can then have a more water competent society. Water competency means that we are teaching the community to have the ability to anticipate, avoid, and survive common drowning situations, along with being able to recognize and possibly give assistance to those in need if it is safe to do so. Even though we were unable to teach the ordinary swim lessons, the Aquatic Center still reached families throughout the Imperial Valley and continued the education of Water Safety all through virtual learning.
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