Swimming

According to the Center for Disease Control, more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14. In predominantly minority communities, the youth drowning rate is often 2-3 times higher than the national average.  In addition, swimming teaches resilience and strategies to overcome fears and obstacles; it inspires a healthy lifestyle, it introduces a competitive sport, and teaches skills for summer employment 

Swimming is a key component to the Horizons program. Horizons students walk 2 blocks down the street to Germantown’s Life Enrichment Center (GLEC) swimming pool on a near-daily basis to take lessons and have fun splishing and splashing!

Students learned safety in the water, how to blow bubbles underwater, and how to tread water. Every student showed growth and improvement in their skills.  By the program’s end, 100% of our students were comfortable wading if not treading water in the pool.