"Drowning is an Epidemic. We have the Cure."

    CHICAGO, IL, July 06, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Heartbreaking news stories in recent days of Nigerian hip-hop artist D'banj losing his 13-month-old son to accidental drowning and Olympic skier Bode Miller's 19-month-old daughter drowning at a pool party are stark reminders to parents everywhere to be extra vigilant this summer. Marlene Bloom and Mindy York, the founders of Baby Otter Swim School, are working overtime to let families know that even children under one year old can learn water safety skills.

The world's fastest learn-to-swim program, "Turn, Kick, Reach" is a method of water survival developed by Bloom more than 40 years ago. The program lasts five consecutive days and teaches children what they need to know to save themselves if they happen to fall into water. It also teaches parents the proper way to practice with their child so the child will feel comfortable in the water with them.

"Drowning is an epidemic," says Bloom, "and we have the cure."

"The statistics for drowning in the United States are alarming," York adds. "The Centers for Disease Control estimate ten people die every day due to unintentional drowning. Drowning is the second-leading cause of death for children ages one to 14. In California, Arizona, and Florida — sunbelt states where it's warm year round — drowning is the number one cause of death in children under five. Parents need to learn the layers of protection such as having a fence around the pool, a phone nearby, alarms on the gate, and so on. Learning to swim is one very important layer, but not the only one."

Baby Otter Swim School just taught all of former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton's grandchildren the "Turn, Kick, Reach" approach. The school has also had wonderful success teaching water survival skills to children with autism. Layla Crehan's mother was told she would never swim before she came to Baby Otter Swim School. Eight years later, she is now a gold and silver medalist in the Florida Special Olympics.

Baby Otter Swim School's mission is to dramatically change the drowning statistics in the United States and the rest of the world through its extraordinary swim program and educational/safety products. The school's goals are simple and revolve around preventing drowning accidents:

1. Train every child and adult in the specialized water survival program of "Turn, Kick, Reach."

2. Educate the public on the importance of drowning prevention and the steps to take to prevent such tragedies. This is accomplished through seminars, training materials, educational DVDs, and CPR classes.

3. Provide extensive training to others via the school's master trainers. Baby Otter Swim School travels the country to expand its "Turn, Kick, Reach" program by training instructors on how to teach this survival skill.

4. Provide access to water survival and swimming lessons to people with special needs. This enables these children to be capable of saving themselves if they fall into water and also provides empowering socialization skills.

5. Offer continuing education for all of its instructors throughout the country on new techniques in drowning prevention, in addition to continual water training.

6. Develop educational and safety products, such as informative DVDs, books, and toys.

For more information, visit www.BabyOtter.com.

About Marlene: Marlene Bloom is co-founder of Baby Otter Swim School and the Baby Otter Andre Dawson Aquatic Center, which specialize in water survival training for children as young as nine-months old, as well as adults. Bloom has been a swim instructor for over 40 years. Her "Turn, Kick, Reach" method is a life-saving technique that all swimmers should understand, not just children under three.

About Mindy: Mindy York is a water safety expert and co-founder of Baby Otter Swim School and the Baby Otter Andre Dawson Aquatic Center, which specialize in water survival training for children as young as nine-months old, as well as adults. York became active in swim instruction and accidental drowning prevention following the near drowning of her own daughter.

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