Miami, FL
Free swim lessons for children offered in Miami-Dade area
MIAMI – We are about a month away from the first official day of summer and the heat is already on.
So many of us will spend our time in the pool or at the beach. According to the American Red Cross drowning is still the leading cause of death for children one to four years old, besides birth defects, but swim lessons can be expensive. So we went to find out where to learn how to swim for free!
“I love to get in the water,” said seven-year-old Kaliyah Readon, who plans to spend her summer doing tricks in the pool. “I love to swim because every time I get in the pool I do front flips.”
Kaliyah’s comfort around the water is all thanks to Dr. Bridget McKinney, the principal at Miami Carol City Senior High School and the founder of P-SWAP in Opa-locka.
“We teach kids to learn to swim to prevent unintentional injuries or death,” Dr. McKinney said.
Dr. McKinney teaches about 400 children how to swim each summer, at no charge, all with the help of the American Red Cross and The Children’s Trust.
“This gives me a platform to continue these efforts. Not just teach them to swim but to train them to be safe around bodies of water,” says Dr. McKinney.
For the last ten years, she has volunteered her time to make sure children in her community know what to do in a water emergency and the parents are grateful.
“Our Black and brown children have the highest death rates when it comes to drowning. As a parent knowing that my baby can swim and he will forever be able to take that skill,” said Opa-locka Commissioner Veronica Williams, whose son took the lessons.
The children really are learning the importance of these lessons.
“If I don’t know how to swim I could drown but if I do know how to swim I will not drown,” said Veronica’s son, Jaylen.
Kayliah agrees.
“I have a teacher so I don’t drown,” she said.
In Miami Gardens, swim lessons are also free for all residents starting at just six months old.
“The earlier you can get them involved in it, teach them how not to fear water but how to respect water I think it will carry them for a long time in their lives,” said Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris.
The mayor says offering life-saving skills for free is important in his community and all over South Florida.
“We’re giving opportunities to our residents and our younger residents to be in a position to save their lives or somebody else’s lives,” said the mayor.
With water surrounding us, knowing what to do and how to do it can save lives.
“We have pools. People have pools in their backyards, we have canals that surround us so it’s important that we teach our kids how to swim,” said Harris.
“Our swim lessons are free. Completely free. So there is no excuse,” said Karla Smith, the Aquatic Facilities manager for Miami Gardens.
Miami Gardens residents can find more information about the program here.
On Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium, the Kansas City Royals (43-37) are set to face the Miami Marlins (27-51). With the Royals currently in contention for an AL Wild Card spot, every game holds significant weight as they aim to build on their recent successes against a lower-ranked opponents.
Seth Lugo takes the mound for Kansas City, boasting an impressive 10-2 record with a stellar 2.42 ERA and 87 strikeouts. Lugo’s consistency and dominance on the mound have been instrumental for the Royals this season, providing stability in crucial games.
The Marlins will counter with Yonny Chirinos, who recently joined their roster. Chirinos brings a 0-0 record and a 3.60 ERA with six strikeouts. His role in Miami’s rotation marks an opportunity for him to establish himself and contribute to the Marlins’ efforts to disrupt the Royals’ offense.
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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Miami Dolphins fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Miami Dolphins are about a month away from training camp starting, bringing together the full roster and starting the build-up toward the 2024 NFL season. This year’s roster saw some major changes as players like defensive lineman Christian Wilkins and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel left in free agency while the team signed free agency defensive lineman Calais Campbell and drafted edge rusher Chop Robinson. It has been a busy offseason in South Florida.
Was it enough? Where are your concerns about the team and the roster they have built? We bring back our SB Nation Reacts fan poll today to get your thoughts on the Dolphins’ roster. We want to know where you think the biggest hole remaining on Miami’s roster is.
Vote in the poll below and head to the comments to share why you voted the way you did. We will be back with the results later this week.
The Miami Dolphins wasn’t the same after they lost their starting center, Connor Williams, for the year after an ACL injury. Williams is still without a team as he rehabs from the injury, but his agent Drew Rosenhaus believes the o-lineman will be good to go for the start of the season. Rosenhaus doesn’t believe a reunion with the Dolphins will happen as the team went out and invested in a new center in Aaron Brewer. Williams prefers to stay at center and from the sounds of it, there will be plenty of teams interested in him when he is ready to go.
You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below.
Will center Connor Williams re-sign with the Dolphins? His agent offers insight – Yahoo Sports
Dolphins free agent center Williams looking elsewhere.
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