Josh the Otter

With McCook’s shiny new Aquatic Park now open for the season, it seems like an appropriate moment to reflect on water safety — particularly for young children who may be drawn to water long before they fully understand its dangers.

That thought recently brought to mind the story behind Josh the Otter Water Safety Foundation, a Lincoln-based effort devoted to drowning prevention and early childhood swim education.

In 2008, Kathy and Blake Collingsworth of Lincoln lost their two-year-old son, Joshua, in a backyard pool accident. In the midst of unimaginable grief, they chose to honor their son’s memory by establishing the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation and creating the “Josh the Otter” program, which teaches children basic water safety concepts through books, school presentations and community outreach.

The program’s simple but memorable message — “Float, Float, Float” — encourages children who unexpectedly enter the water to roll onto their backs, float, rest, breathe and call for help. The back-floating concept became central to the program because it can buy precious seconds in an emergency, particularly for young children who may panic or quickly exhaust themselves trying to swim.

Hearing about the foundation struck a personal chord with me. Many years ago, I lost a high school classmate to drowning. Calvin was an extraordinarily talented guitar player, full of promise and creativity, yet I later learned he had never learned how to swim. That tragedy also opened my eyes to something many people don’t often consider: swimming ability and access to lessons are not distributed evenly across all socio-economic groups.

That experience stayed with me when my own children were young. I insisted both attend swimming lessons while still preschoolers, and fortunately, our local YMCA provided that opportunity. Because of those lessons, my children became comfortable around water from an early age. Certainly, parents must always remain vigilant. No swim lesson replaces supervision. Yet there was reassurance in knowing they understood basic survival concepts like floating on their backs, relaxing, breathing and conserving energy if trouble arose.

The statistics behind these efforts are sobering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning remains the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and four. The CDC also reports that roughly 70 percent of drowning victims never received formal swimming instruction.

McCook’s new Aquatic Park does not currently offer swimming lessons, but the McCook YMCA continues to provide them, including private instruction for toddlers. As families prepare to enjoy the new facility this summer, grandparents and extended family members might consider helping young parents cover the cost of swim lessons. It may prove one of the most valuable gifts a child ever receives.

Programs like Josh the Otter emphasize simple but vital lessons: always swim with supervision, wear life jackets when appropriate and understand the dangers posed not only by pools, but also lakes, ponds and open water. Most importantly, children can learn basic survival skills such as floating on their backs, remaining calm and conserving energy until help arrives.

No community can eliminate every accident. Still, prevention matters. Sometimes the most important public service is not dramatic rescue after disaster strikes, but the quiet work of teaching children skills that may someday save their lives.