Shepard Swim School in Elkhart teaching water safety to babies, young children

ELKHART, Ind. (WNDU) - Did you know there’s a local spot teaching babies an important survival skill as soon as their umbilical cord falls off?

It might be alarming to see babies in the water, but they’re learning water safety moves at the Shepard Swim School in Elkhart.

From flipping over on their backs to kicks, instructors work on water safety with every age from babies all the way up to adults. The school has been teaching swimming lessons for over 25 years, and instructors say it’s rewarding to see a child’s progress.

“We have parents come back to us that have been in a near-drowning incident and found their child hanging on the wall, learning the skills that we have taught them in swim class,” says Kari Shepard, co-owner of Shepard Swim School.

In Indiana, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 through 5, and the second-leading cause for older children. So, the sooner they start, the better.

“You know, all it takes is us turning around for one minute, and she’s off doing something else,” says Tommy Hall, a parent whose daughter is enrolled at Shepard Swim School. “Good, bad, or indifferent situations, it’s good that she has some knowledge underneath her belt and underneath her arms that she can get herself out of some situations and get comfortable out of the water. It really pays off in the long term.”

For more information on how to enroll your child for swimming lessons at the Shepard Swim School, click here.

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