Courtesy: Lucas Sallas-Cunha, head coach of Quicksilver Swimming in Santa Cruz.
Imagine a community where every child learns to swim before they can ride a bike. A place where water is not a risk, but a source of renewal, connection, and confidence. This article focuses on practical, often overlooked ways to help more young people start swimming. Getting kids in the water from nine months through their teen years improves both safety and skill in a sport many of us value. There has been talk about the challenges facing swimming, especially at the college level. SwimSwam has covered issues such as lower USA Swimming membership after the pandemic, reduced revenue, and alternatives like AAU. While the outlook might seem uncertain, we can shape what comes next. In my research in Watsonville, CA, where most people don’t swim, participants shared ideas to help more families get involved.
A Natural Draw
Human beings are drawn to water. One participant described a strong emotional connection, a “feeling of immense gratitude for being in the water.” Over 60% of the human body is water. A fetus develops in aquatic conditions, and newborns remain comfortable in water while bathing. Humans also tend to prefer images of real estate with water (White et al., 2010). Tragically, drowning rates show how powerful this attraction can be. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death worldwide in children ages 1-4 (CDC, 2022), so swim lessons and parent education need to start early. Participants in my study suggested swimming education for parents should begin in hospitals at birth. Swimming clearly has an inherent appeal.
- 98% of parents (n=63) agree or are neutral that their child enjoys swimming,
- 80% agreed their child enjoys swimming, 18% were neutral
- 87% of respondents (n=63) encourage their children to swim, underscoring a strong community interest in the activity.
- 86% of survey participants wanted their children to swim more.
- 76% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child would like to swim more often
Early Education
Brenner et al. (2009) found an 88% reduction in drowning risk for children ages 1–4 who received formal lessons. Families in my study suggested:
- Begin parent education in hospitals.
- Facilitate “parent-and-tot” and “water baby” classes.
- Teach parents alongside their infants: “You’re introducing the water to your child and also building your own relationship with the water.”
- There was a strong statistical relationship between a parent’s and a child’s skill levels (p = .000214). To grow the base and address the lack of parental swimming ability, we must provide swimming education and opportunities for parent participation.
- Make basic swimming competency a graduation requirement. Participants did not specify an age; I would suggest preschool, Kindergarten, or Elementary School.
Increase Swimming Frequency:
In Watsonville, most participants swim 0-1 times per month, and when they do, it is not a significant distance. Low swimming frequency leads to low swimming competency, which means fewer potential educators, less competent lifeguards, and fewer people to foster a positive swimming cycle. To grow the base, we need to educate parents about enrolling their children in swim classes at a young age and keeping them swimming regularly. One parent said, “Nobody trained me or told me how to hold my breath or swim or anything like that.” When almost no one in your family knows how to swim, it is hard to break the cycle. Low swimming frequency is the root cause of limited participation and ability. Increasing frequency is a simple solution but can be complex to implement. Parents need guidance and education. Teams, coaches, parents, municipal officials, organizations, and government must work together to show parents the importance of starting young and continuing to swim throughout childhood.
Frequency data from the study is listed below:
- 35% of children swim once or fewer times per month during the summer, and 69% swim five times or fewer.
- In winter, 59% of children swim once or less per month, and 85% swim five times or fewer.
- The low swimming frequency raises concerns about skill level: 63% of children cannot swim a continuous lap, and 76% of participants’ children swim one lap (25 yards) or less.
- Among parents in the survey, 81% can swim only one lap or less.
Make Swimming Frequent, Fun, and Family-Centered
To make swimming a central, joyful, and accessible part of family life, we need to create more opportunities for families to swim together, foster social connections, and build a clear pathway from swim lessons to team participation. Despite the popularity of Olympic champions like Michael Phelps, most survey and interview participants were not familiar with USA Swimming or how to connect their children to a team.
However, participants desire to have their children on a team. Survey results revealed a strong link between a child’s swimming ability and parents’ belief that their child could succeed on a swim team (p=.0463). Involvement with USA Swimming or a competitive team not only increases swimming frequency and skill, areas where many families fall short, but also helps create positive role models for young swimmers.
Families repeatedly expressed a desire for more time in the water. As one participant said, “Swim more frequently, swim lessons. And more of them.” This demand includes longer, more impactful lessons, affordable options (free was ideal; $80/month was considered reasonable), and chances for the entire family to swim together each week. The ideal pool would be “approachable and warm,” a place where families feel welcome and engaged.
Community Engagement
In Watsonville, community and family life go hand in hand. Participants recommended murals, school-based workshops, community events, and partnerships with local agencies to increase exposure to swimming. The key is to meet families where they already gather: schools, community centers, and workplaces.
Business and University Partnerships
Employers can help by offering water-safety benefits to families or sponsoring swim teams. Colleges, mindful of budget constraints, can engage student-athletes as swim instructors, reinforcing the value of Olympic sports while deepening connections with the broader community.
Building the Positive Swimming Cycle
Swimming’s future isn’t written by a single organization or athlete, but by all of us: families, schools, and communities who choose to make the water a place where every child belongs. If children swim more often, they become stronger and more confident. Those swimmers grow into lifeguards, instructors, and coaches. Those leaders teach the next generation. That’s the positive cycle.
To support communities like Watsonville and others across the country, I created UnderstandingWater.org, a platform dedicated to:
- Providing educational resources
- Raising funds for underserved areas
- Offering merchandise where proceeds support swim programs
- Supporting initiatives that build swimming participation
If you care about the future of swimming as a sport, a life skill, and a pathway to performance, help us build this cycle.
Visit UnderstandingWater.org and make a difference today.
Many kids and adults would use lap lanes if they were easier to access. Most people can’t join a swim team, especially those who are shorter or don’t have the ability to do advanced skills like swimming a 100IM with legal turns. Swim instructors see this all the time.
At many YMCAs, it’s hard to find lap swim times for kids or adults outside of work or school hours. Most of the schedule is filled with swim classes and team practices, which generate more revenue. Lap swim is usually only available midday or late at night.
Most YMCAs offer family swim as an alternative, but without lap lanes, it’s more about playing than actual swimming.
Kids who don’t want… Read more »
Plenty of very rural regions of America have tall, lanky farm kids (who could certainly excel in aquatics) but no readily available year round pool facility.
If you can solve that problem and really tap into this untapped population, we’d never loose another relay to the darn Aussie’s again.
Swimming is so popular (and such a priority) Down Under, I understand that even the very small towns each have their own 50 meter pools.
Here in Colorado, in order to graduate from a Littleton Public School High School, you must take and pass a swimming competency class. The class is mandatory before graduation.
We increased the size of our small varsity swim team by 20% just by asking every team member to contact ONCE any member of his class without a declared varsity sport for the winter! That personal interest clearly has worked, at least in the short term!
excellent!