May is National Water Safety Month

May is National Water Safety Month and Miami-Dade Parks provides the community with safety measures proven to reduce, prevent and ultimately eliminate water-related injuries and deaths. Miami-Dade County encourages you to have conversations with your fellow community members and loved ones about the importance of water safety. Drowning is preventable and with your help in providing information to others, we could make a world of a difference in the outcome of potentially dangerous situations.

Learn2Swim
The Miami-Dade Parks aquatics division has worked diligently over the years to offer swimming lessons to individuals ages 2 and up. These classes help children get comfortable around water, provide parents with helpful information to orient their children to the water safely, teach independent locomotion skills, and teach students safe water practices and skills such as breath control and stroke mechanics. You or your child can be safer at the beach and pool by enrolling in a Learn2Swim class. Swim classes are offered at County pool locations.

Summer Safety Splash
During National Water Safety Month in May, Miami-Dade Parks will host the 14th Annual Summer Safety Splash. Activities will include swimming lesson demonstrations, interactive water safety activities and information on the importance of water safety from community leaders.

• Saturday, May 18
  10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  Wilbur B. Bell Park - West Perrine Aquatic Center
  10301 SW 170th Terrace
  Miami, FL 33157

This is our largest drowning prevention event of the year, in partnership with Nicklaus Children Hospital. If you would like additional information, please call 305-663-6800.

World's Largest Swimming Lesson
Taking place Thursday, June 20, the World's Largest Swimming Lesson is a global drowning prevention event to help communities build awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim and water safety. Miami-Dade Parks will have the following pool host sites:

• Oak Grove
• Tropical Estates
• West Perrine
• South Dade

Throughout the day, Miami-Dade Park staff will keep track of the attendance of students in our Learn2Swim classes that attend and send the information to the World Water Park Association for submission into the Guinness World Records in hopes of breaking the world's record of the World's Largest Swimming Lesson. 

*Please note: This event is only open to children registered in the Learn2Swim program.