An estimated 3,600 U.S. children go to an emergency room each year after nearly drowning. Understanding water dangers is key to staying safe in and around water for both children and adults. Kohl’s Cares Grow Safe & Healthy, a partnership of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Kohl’s Cares®, knows that education and awareness leads to prevention. The following are important safety tips for children and caregivers:

Practice caution when in or near water.

• Children always should swim with adult supervision.
• Enroll children in swim lessons to teach them water safety.
• Make sure that approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) are worn at all times while in or on the water.
• Teach children not to play near creeks, drainage ditches or other bodies of water.
• Enclose pools and spas completely with a barrier.

Maintain constant supervision.

• Drowning usually happens quickly and silently when most children are out of sight for less than five minutes and in the care of one or both parents.
• Avoid distractions when supervising children around water.
• Block access to unguarded, non-designated swimming areas.

Know how to respond to a water emergency.

• If a child is missing, check the water first – seconds count in preventing death or disability.
• Know how and when to call 9-1-1.
• Enroll in water safety, first aid and CPR courses to learn what to do, and insist that babysitters, grandparents and other caregivers know these life-saving skills.

The Kohl’s Cares Grow Safe & Healthy Program

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Kohl’s Cares® share the mission of keeping kids in our community safe, healthy and injury free. That’s why, together, they developed Kohl’s Cares Grow Safe & Healthy, a community injury prevention program that provides a trusted educational resource for safety in the home, outdoors and on the go. The program includes an informative Website, a popular game app for kids called Keep Spriggy Safe — available on iTunes or Google Play, and a Mobile Tour Unit that facilitates injury prevention outreach and education at community events. For more information, visit the website KohlsSafeandHealthy.com.