YWCA Hosts Free Swim Programs For Kids As Summer Approaches

Tulsa pools will soon open for the summer, and YWCA Tulsa is ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn and enjoy swimming.

The organization said 64% of black children and 45% of Hispanic/Latino children have little to no water skills. YWCA Tulsa said that is a direct impact of segregation laws historically restricting access to pools, withholding swimming from becoming a part of those cultures.

YWCA Swimming Instructor Lina Guerrero said that as a result, drownings are also higher among people of color.

To address this challenge head-on, YWCA Tulsa has created two free summer swim programs, All Swim in North Tulsa and Los Pececitos in East Tulsa. Los Pececitos means "little fish" in Spanish and has been providing lessons to kids since 2011.

Guerrero helped launch the bilingual program and said since its inception, Los Pececitos has helped 1,400 kids learn to swim.

"Whenever somebody that is from your community says we can do swimming lessons for your child, they start thinking, 'well, I never thought about that' and when they start thinking about the risks they can have when they go in a water environment they think 'maybe we do need it' and that is one of the reasons why it has such a big impact on this community," Guerrero said.

Guerrero said children come out of the swim programs enjoying the water instead of being afraid of it. She said some have also gone on to join school swim teams.

"To see that they really enjoyed it and wanted to take it a step further and now they are representing our community in a field that has never been touched by many Hispanic or black people, that really makes me very proud and happy," Guerrero added.

Swimming lessons through All Swim and Los Pececitos are free. YWCA Tulsa said it relies on donations to provide the programs at no cost to the community. Anyone interested in giving can drop off a donation at any YWCA Tulsa location donate on line by Clicking Here.

Los Pececitos will begin May 30th at the YWCA East Community Center near E 17th St. and S Memorial Dr. All Swim kicks off June 5th at Lacy Park pool near N Peoria Ave. and E Virgin St.