Staff Report
Watch Me Swim (WMS), located in Riverview, was founded more than 14 years ago by Kari Bahour after experienced a near drowning incident with her then 15-month-old son.
Thankfully her son survived the incident, but concerned for her son’s safety, Bahour researched several swim programs looking for one that would teach competence in the water before instilling confidence. After her son’s experience, she knew all too well how easy a curious toddler can briefly escape supervision and end up in a dangerous situation. After doing her own research and receiving a recommendation from her neighbor, she enrolled her son in an infant aquatic self-rescue swim program. Amazed at the aquatic problem solving skills her son learned, she passionately pursued becoming an instructor to provide these essential lifesaving skills to more children. Since 2000, she has been teaching aquatic survival skills to thousands of infants and young children.
Today, the Watch Me Swim program is recognized as the area’s leading aquatic instructional program for children seven months and up. Its mission is to reduce the number of pediatric drownings through education and awareness. WMS educates the infant or child how to effectively engage in the aquatic environment for self-reliance. These skills are needed in case of supervision break down, a barrier does not exist, or the toddler finds a way to get in, over or through the barrier. Once the safety skills are mastered, students are then progressed to more advanced swimming skills based on the child’s unique physical, emotional and developmental capabilities.
During the month of May, Watch Me Swim has different themes to raise awareness on drowning prevention.
A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child ages four and under according to Orange County California Fire Authority.
For more information on Watch Me Swim, contact Bahour at kari@watchmeswim.com or 643-7946 or visit www.facebook.com/ watchmeswim.
