On Thursday, the Little Fins Swim School participated in the Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson initiative — a free, all-day swimming lesson to teach swim skills to more than 300 kids in the Colorado Springs community.

According to data by the American Red Cross, drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children, and adults with autism. It is also the number one cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause of accidental death for ages 5-14.

“Swimming lessons save lives and are the number one thing you can do for your kiddos to prevent drowning,” Lauri Armstrong, owner of Little Fins, said.

For 10 hours, swim teachers at Little Fins donated their time, spending the day in the water teaching 20-minute, one-on-one lessons to participating families, Armstrong said.

Mandy Penn, a mother of two who has had her children enrolled in lessons at Little Fins for 10 years, said that swim safety is a must for survival.

“My cousin had twins, and when one of them was three, he drowned in a pool. It’s one of those things that you don’t think about, especially in Colorado where there aren’t a ton of pools,” Penn said. “Swim lessons aren’t just that, they are survival skills.”

The event took place just before July, the month with the highest drowning statistics in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And the month kicks off with the Fourth of July, one of the busiest times of year to be at state parks and on the water, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Bridget O’Rourke.

At Colorado state parks, there have been at least six water-related deaths this year, with at least four occurring at Lake Pueblo. Last year, there were more than 30 water-related deaths at state parks, O’Rourke said.

O’Rourke’s biggest advice for Coloradans planning to spend the holiday weekend on the water is to wear life jackets, which can be supplied at life jacket loaner stations around state parks.

“The majority of water related fatalities in Colorado happen because people are not wearing life jackets. The benefit of wearing a life jacket is people can see you, you can call for help and your head will stay above the water. They can save lives,” O’Rourke said.

Another pointer for reservoir and lake visitors is to remember that the surface of water may be warm, but the body is often very cold, which can cause cold-water shock and drowning instances, according to O’Rourke. Life jackets can also mitigate these incidents.

Even those who are not planning to visit state parks this summer could benefit from swimming lessons, Armstrong said.

“We live in Colorado — we don’t grow up around a lot of water. We don’t have backyard pools, or oceans, or places that our kids can just go and swim. We have to give them that gift or else they will not know how to be safe around water,” Armstrong said.

In 2024, El Paso County saw nine water-related deaths. In 2023, it saw seven, according to the Coroner’s Office.

The Red Cross offers free, online courses year-round for parents and caregivers who are interested in teaching their children water safety skills. Prices vary for swim lessons around the Springs, but many facilities offer lessons to people of all ages.

The Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson initiative is an annual event that has been celebrated for over 15 years in 54 countries, according to the organization’s website. The Little Fins Swim School is the third Colorado facility to participate in the event, joining Pirates Cove Waterpark in Englewood and Spruce Pool in Boulder.

The Little Fins free swimming lessons were sponsored by more than a dozen Colorado Springs businesses and organizations, including the Pioneer Rodeo, Soccer Shots, several food trucks, local bakeries and Texas Roadhouse.