Special pricing for multiple locations hosting an event in the same city is available upon request. In addition, limited scholarships are available for those host locations that wish to participate but are unable to pay the registration fee. Contact Bernadine Buda at bbuda@wlsl.org for more information on group pricing and applying for a scholarship.

With the support of thousands of locations around the globe, TEAM WLSL has helped raise awareness and provided crucial education about water safety and water competency since the program launched in 2010.

According to research conducted by the American Red Cross, water competency skills have increased significantly since 2014, jumping from 46% to 56% of people possessing key lifesaving water competency skills in 2020. Overall, drowning deaths worldwide and in the U.S. have decreased over the past two decades. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of unintentional drowning deaths among children ages 0-17 declined 38%, from 1.6 per 100,000 in 1999 to 1.0 in 2019.

But there is a long way to go. Research released by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2021 shows drowning has become the leading cause of unintended death for children ages 1-4, ahead of car accidents, birth defects and cancer. And, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintended death for kids 4-14 and the third for adolescents ages 15-17. The issue is truly a matter of life and death for kids and families in every community around the world.

Local WLSL Host Locations make a difference by providing kids, parents, and caregivers exposure to lifesaving water safety skills while building buzz and awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim and providing undistracted adult supervision to help prevent drowning. Since its inception, more than 332,000 children and adults have participated in lifesaving WLSL lessons, generating more than 2 billion media impressions about the vital importance of learning to swim.

Visit https://www.wlsl.org/WLSL/ host_an_event.aspx to register as a Host Location. Learn more about this phenomenal program by visiting www. WLSL.org.