Practice caution when in or near water.
- Adults should always supervise children while swimming or playing near water.
- Enroll children in swim lessons to help teach them water safety. Contact your local YMCA, many YMCAs offer parent/child swim lessons as young as 6 months on up through adult classes.
- Make sure that approved personal flotation devices (lifejackets) are worn at all times while in a boat and/or near bodies of water.
- Teach children how to safely act and play around water — never run, push, dunk or jump on others in or around water.
- Do not to play near creeks, drainage ditches or other bodies of water, especially when there is fast-running water or currents. Also, the water may be deeper than you think.
- Enclose pools and spas completely with a barrier or fence.
- Swim only in areas designated for swimming and areas that are guarded by lifeguards.
Maintain constant supervision.
- Drowning usually happens quickly and silently when children are out of sight for less than five minutes, even when one or both parents are around.
- Avoid distractions when supervising children around water.
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 Red Cross water safety, first aid and/or CPR courses to learn what to do. Insist that babysitters, grandparents and other caregivers know these lifesaving 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.
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