SWIM Central

SWIM Central is the coordinating agency for water-safety instruction, awareness, and education in Broward County. It maintains the most comprehensive database in Florida for swimming pools and water-safety programs in the county, in partnership with the Broward County Commission, School Board of Broward County, and the Children's Services Council. SWIM Central partners with 23 organizations to provide water-safety education lessons to school-age children. It also provides a discount coupon for low-cost swimming lessons to children ages 6 months to 8 years of age, and discount coupons for parents and/or guardians with a qualifying child at more than 45 facilities within Broward County. Parents and guardians can apply for the coupon at www.watersmartbroward.org.

It was one of the only programs of its type in the country when it was established in 1999. Other counties have now followed our lead.

There are thousands of swimming pools, beaches, canals, lakes, and other waterways in South Florida. Consequently, drowning is the number-one cause of death for children under the age of 4. In the late 1990s, Broward County also reported an average of five drowning deaths per year among children ages 4 through 7, and near-drowning accidents left three out of four victims suffering from long-term disabilities.

SWIM Central helped change that.

Since SWIM Central started in 1999, parents and guardians have enrolled more than 700,000 children in SWIM Central water-safety programs, and more than 20,000 discount coupons for swim lessons have been distributed. SWIM Central focuses on school-aged children enrolled in Broward County Schools, charter schools, and day-care centers for the water-safety program.

Water-Safety Education

SWIM Central's curriculum-based programs provide 10 free 30-minute water-safety classes during the school day over a two-week period, taught by certified water-safety instructors who have been carefully selected and trained through SWIM Central.

There are now more than 180 elementary schools transporting children to SWIM Central educational programs offered in neighborhood pools. Children in summer camps and day-care centers have also benefitted from SWIM Central programs.

Swim Lesson Coupons

Parents and/or guardians can request a discount coupon, valued at $55, from WaterSmartBroward.org. The coupons can be redeemed at participating municipalities and other organizations for swim lessons during the year. Coupons can be requested for children aged six months to eight years old. Parents or guardians who request a child coupon may also request an adult coupon, valued at $60.

To locate participating pools, please visit https://watersmartbroward.org/swim-lessons-near-you/.

The Broward County Commission established SWIM Central as part of Broward County Parks and Recreation in 1999 with initial funding of $82,000. The Broward County School Board and the Florida legislature added $200,000 for in-school pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade water-safety education and instruction. Additional grants from the County allowed for a massive community outreach program to educate parents about local swim programs and the need to get their young children into water-safety classes.

A third partner, the Children's Services Council of Broward County (CSC), provides additional funding of more than $700,000. This money pays for the water-safety instruction program and the coupon voucher program as well as outreach events and informational sessions for child-care facilities. Since 2014, the CSC provides $275,000 in coupons annually to offset the cost of swimming lessons for children aged 6 months through 8 years. For more information and to apply for a coupon, visit the Water Smart Broward website.

The 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program allocated an additional $20 million to SWIM Central in the form of capital bond grants to pay for new pools in local cities and at several eligible nonprofit organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and Jewish community centers. These funds paid for the construction of 18 new aquatics facilities that now provide additional venues for SWIM Central and other water-safety community programming.