With drowning deaths on the rise, how accessible are swim lessons in Sacramento?

Emma Hall
·2 min read

Swim lessons can save a person’s life, but their cost can be out of reach for some households.

There is a clear disparity in access to swim lessons when you look at people’s race and ethnicity. A Center for Disease Control study released in May found that 63% of Black adults and 72% of Hispanic adults have never taken a swimming lesson. More than 50% of their white counterparts reported receiving instruction. The study cited cost as one of the reasons these gaps exist.

At the Sacramento Central Young Men’s Christian Association, swim lessons can cost up to $110 to $225 depending on gym membership and the type of instruction. The more expensive courses are private lessons, with the cheaper option being classes taught in a group setting.

For those who can’t afford classes, the YMCA offers scholarships and a program called Y-Assist, where individuals can get free swim lessons. Individuals are advised to fill out an online application and provide proof of income.

Classes require a ratio of four-to-six swimmers to one instructor, and they fill up fast for specific age ranges, said Sabrina Wiederhold, the aquatics coordinator for YMCA of Superior California.

Children play in the pool at the North Natomas Aquatic Complex as temperatures reach 103 on Monday.
Children play in the pool at the North Natomas Aquatic Complex as temperatures reach 103 on Monday.

If the demand for a class is big enough, sometimes they’ll add another instructor. The YMCA has said they’ve had to turn away those trying to get into classes, resulting in them being placed on a waitlist.

It’s at a point where the YMCA “constantly has a waitlist for classes,” said Alexandra Lunar, the association aquatics director for YMCA of Superior California. She said the organization tries to keep up with demand by training new instructors and offering private lessons.

People have the best chance to get a slot in affordable classes by getting on the waitlist.

“Sometimes it can be as little as a week, sometimes it can be a couple months because we only do a month at a time,” Wiederhold said. “Right now, I’m finishing planning for July, but in a week or two, I’ll start planning for August. So it’s just a matter of how far in advance they register.”

The wait is worth it, especially when you consider a nationwide increase in drowning deaths. From 2020 to 2022, more than 4,500 people have died from drowning each year according to the CDC. The study identified that drowning was the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 years old. In terms of race and ethnicity, Native Americans and Black Americans had the highest rate of drownings each year.

Among the contributing factors to this uptick, experts say not enough people have taken swimming lessons because they can’t afford or have access to them.