Water Safety Drowning
Water Safety Drowning is a major cause of death among children under 5 years of age in California. Water safety presents a particular challenge to child care providers. Most drownings in this age group occur in home swimming pools. Water-filled bathtubs, wading pools, toilets, buckets or other containers are also places where top-heavy young children can drown. Water safety presents its own set of challenges to the child care environment. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 years are at greatest risk from drowning. These children are just learning to walk and explore. They excel at getting out from under the watchful eye of the provider. Wading in bodies of freshwater may carry the additional risk of injury from cuts, puncture wounds and infections. Standing bodies of water such as swimming pools, wading pools and hot tubs also have the potential for spreading disease, so they are not recommended for use with young children. Instead, the use of sprinklers is recommended.
Reducing the Risk of Drowning
Reduce water hazards and prevent access to water
Safety precautions must be taken to keep any water in the child care environment as risk-free as possible.
Any body of water poses a threat and young children can drown in as little as one inch of water,
The indoor and outdoor environments should be thoroughly screened to detect hazards that may lead to the risk of drowning
