When is the right time to teach kids to swim?

Playing in the water is a great way to beat the heat. And yet every year, kids drown. From 1999 to 2010, nearly 14,000 Americans age 19 and younger drowned, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forty percent of those cases were among children ages 1 to 4, and at least half of those deaths occurred in swimming pools.

The good news is that the rate of accidental drowning has decreased in recent decades. This trend may reflect the more widespread adoption of preventive strategies such as pool fencing and swimming lessons.

But as swimming programs — including those for children as young as 6 months — proliferate, a difficult question remains: At what age is it ideal for children to take swim lessons?

Kids won’t really become competent swimmers until age 6 or 7, says Terri Lees, who is a Red Cross instructor trainer and sits on the organization’s Scientific Advisory Council. But it’s a slow progression, she says. “Just like a child slowly progresses from immobile to walking over months,” so starting at 4 or 5 can be helpful, she says.

Also, parent-and-baby classes offer the opportunity for parents to hear water safety messages that may help protect their children.

Concerns have been raised that kids who take lessons too early might develop a false sense of security around water and therefore be more in danger of drowning than kids who don’t.

The American Association of Pediatrics says children can safely take swim lessons as early as age 1. Until 2010, the AAP had specified this number as age 4, but when research showed a reduced risk of drowning in preschoolers who had taken swimming lessons, the organization amended its advice.

Survival programs such as the Infant Swimming Resource and Infant Aquatics promise to teach children as young as 6 months how to maneuver themselves so they are floating on their backs. You can watch babies doing just this on the companies’ Web sites. The videos can be disturbing to watch, if only because seeing babies underwater is unsettling.

The lessons can present an emotional hurdle for parents, says Michael Middleton, a pediatrician in Orlando. Hundreds of his patients have taken survival swimming lessons, as have his own children.

“This is not water enjoyment. The child is being forced to do something they’re not comfortable doing,” Middleton says. But it’s worth it, he says, especially in places where water is ubiquitous.

When to start swimming lessons depends in part on your child and your family, says Julie Gilchrist, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Is your child emotionally and physically ready for swim lessons? Does your family spend a lot of time near water or on a boat, or is there a pond on your property?

Choosing a program comes with its own set of questions, beginning with a look at pool temperature and quality.

One risk of swimming is what the professionals call recreational water illness. Children who swim are exposed to a host of pathogenic germs, and babies in particular tend to swallow the water they’re swimming in. Also, water that is too cold is not good for babies, Gilchrist says. “You have to watch out for hypothermia.”

Class size and level of supervision also is important. American Red Cross lessons have no more than 10 students per instructor, Lees says. With younger children or less experienced instructors, a lower ratio is better. A lifeguard should be on duty during a class, she says. “The teacher cannot also act as a lifeguard.”

As for teaching style, look for encouragement, not pressure or coercion, Gilchrist says. “Are kids pushed to do things they don’t want to do?”

Lessons for kids too young to swim should include safety skills such as controlled breathing and floating on one’s back, Gilchrist says. Also, parent-and-baby classes should cover risk awareness and safety measures that parents can take to keep their kids safe.

Free swim lessons

The Everett and Mill Creek branches of the YMCA are offering free swimming lessons for kids ages 3 to 12 through a program aimed at reducing drownings. More information is available at tinyurl.com/YMCAswimsafety or by contacting Janette Parent, aquatics director, at parent@ymca-snoco.org.

Swim lessons

Here’s a list of other pools in the county that offer swim lessons:Forest Park Swim Center: 425-257-8300; www.everettwa.org