Keeping children safe during the pool season
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4. It's the second leading cause of unintentional deaths for children ages 5 to 14. This information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A national nonprofit wants to bring an end to unintentional drownings. It's called the ZAC Foundation.
The foundation was established in 2008. The founders, Karen and Brian Cohn, suffered the loss of their six-year-old son, Zachary, in a pool drain entrapment in their backyard swimming pool.
Megan Ferraro is the executive director of the ZAC Foundation. She is also the chair of the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan.
She spoke about the developing action plan being designed in Austin and Central Texas to keep children safe during the summer season.
There were 103 drownings in Texas in 2024. Ferraro spoke about the role parents play in making sure their children are safe.
The simple and easy-to-do safety tips begin with keeping your toddler/child within arm's reach and making sure you're watching them at all times.
If you have a pool at home, make sure there is appropriate fencing of some variety around the pool and lock it when the pool is not in use to prevent the young ones from getting in and falling into the water.
Ferraro talked about the importance of getting your children swimming lessons, and, if needed, swimming lessons for yourself if you don't know how to swim.
The ZAC Foundation's commitment to keeping children safe is enhanced through a partnership with community partners, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, to provide ZAC camps. The goal? To ensure these organizations have a drowning prevention action plan to reduce, if not eliminate, drowning rates.
The ZAC Foundation has an informative website that offers tips to prevent drowning, and safety precautions for all child age groups from infant to toddler to teen.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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