This summer, the Summerville YMCA is bringing their Splash Into Safety program to Walterboro for a 6th Summer. For just $1 per lesson, the goal is to make swim lessons and water safety education accessible to as many children as possible. As temperatures rise and families spend more time around water, the need for these life-saving skills becomes even more urgent—especially in communities where access to formal swim instruction can be limited.
The YMCA partners with HCA Healthcare, Colleton and Dorchester Parks and Recreation and the school districts to remove financial barriers and expand access to this program, ensuring more children have the opportunity to learn basic swim skills, water safety techniques, and confidence in and around the water.
The program’s total cost is $5 ($1 a day for 5 days). We have 5 different sessions, with each session lasting 30 minutes. Splash into Safety focuses on life-saving skills for children, and engages parents in learning important skills to keep their children safe. Parents are taught CPR and asked to pledge to be “Water Watchers” to help reduce water emergencies for their and other children. Be Water Safe this Summer!
Below are the dates and times for each location. To register go to summervilleymca.org, click on the time slot, and you will be taken to the registration page:
Colleton County Parks & Rec:
June 15th -19th
9:00 am – 9:30 am
9:40 am – 10:10 am
10:20 am – 10:50 am
11:00 am – 11:30 am
11:40 am – 12:10 pm
Colleton County Parks & Rec:
June 22nd -26th
9:00 am – 9:30 am
9:40 am – 10:10 am
10:20 am – 10:50 am
11:00 am – 11:30 am
11:40 am – 12:10 pm
According to the CDC, South Carolina ranks 9th in drowning deaths in the US, with Dorchester, Berkeley & Colleton counties contributing to these statistics. Each spring and summer, our local emergency rooms see a rising number of children who have had a near drowning or a drowning-related accident that could have been prevented with proper water safety training. The Summerville Family YMCA has a long-standing commitment to addressing these alarming drowning statistics in our area and beyond.
In 2023, the Summerville Family YMCA joined forces with local partners to curb these statistics. Alongside Summerville Medical Center, Colleton, and Dorchester Counties, the Summerville Family YMCA took drowning prevention to the streets with a program now known as Splash into Safety. Splash into Safety utilized a mobile swimming pool, which was set up in St. George and Walterboro, SC, neither of which have swimming pools accessible for public use. Most swim programs in our area charge between $60-75 per lesson making these life-saving programs inaccessible, both financially and geographically, for many who live in Upper Dorchester and Colleton counties.
The summer program served over 500 children between 5 and 11 years old. Two lifeguards and five swim instructors participated in the program, teaching children critical skills such as treading water, floating, recovery in case of falling into a body of water, and swim-float-swim. Children were instructed to always ask permission from an adult before entering the water. While Splash into Safety focuses on life-saving skills for children, the curriculum also engages parents in learning important skills to keep their children safe. Parents are taught CPR and asked to pledge to be “Water Watchers” to help reduce water emergencies for their and other children.
