Drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages one to four in the United States. Yet for many years, the topic of drowning prevention was considered taboo in the pool industry. That narrative is changing, thanks to the work of organizations like Every Child a Swimmer (ECAS) and advocates like Casey McGovern, who are helping bring the issue to the forefront through legislation, education, and collaborative industry support.
Backed by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, ECAS is a national initiative ensuring all children—regardless of income—have access to swim lessons and water safety education. At the heart of the program is a mission rooted in tragedy. For Casey McGovern, this work is more than a cause. It’s a personal mission rooted in her own family’s tragedy and her determination to turn grief into meaningful change.
From Tragedy to National Impact
On August 3, 2009, McGovern experienced what no parent ever should. She had just returned from the grocery store and placed her 19-month-old daughter, Edna Mae, in a chair near the kitchen while she began putting away groceries. “She was in my line of sight,” McGovern recalled. But a brief distraction—stepping into another room to answer a question—was all it took. When she returned, Edna Mae was gone.
McGovern searched the house room by room before noticing the backyard slider was slightly ajar. “I wasn’t even thinking about the pool,” she said. “But then I caught a glimpse of her floating.” Despite having a pool fence, the gate hadn’t latched shut—a small oversight with devastating consequences.
Her husband immediately performed CPR, allowing the family one more week with Edna Mae in the hospital. But her injuries were too severe. “At the end of that week, she was left with no brain activity,” said McGovern. “We had to say goodbye.”
That moment reshaped her life. “I promised her I would commit my life to this. I haven’t stopped since.”
“I checked out of the supermarket at 3:46 p.m., and at 4:15 I was sitting in the emergency room watching my daughter fight for her life,” said McGovern. “Our world changed in 29 minutes.”
In the midst of that heartbreak, she made a vow to her daughter: to dedicate her life to preventing childhood drownings. That commitment eventually led her to a role at the Florida Department of Health, where she ran the state’s drowning prevention program for over eight years. But McGovern wanted to do more.
“I realized I was prepared to take it further,” she said. “One of my first initiatives was to work with the pool industry. These are the people building and servicing the pools where these tragedies can happen. At the time, many saw drowning prevention as taboo. But we started changing that.”
McGovern partnered with industry leaders like Dr. Bill Kent to help draft and pass Every Child a Swimmer legislation, beginning with Florida. The law requires schools to distribute water safety information and connect families to local swim lesson providers.
“I never imagined I’d be helping write and pass legislation,” she said. “But here we are. We’ve passed Every Child a Swimmer legislation in eight states so far, and we’re just getting started.”
Building a Scalable, Accountable Model
In addition to legislation, ECAS operates a national scholarship program to ensure access to swim lessons for families in need. Scholarships cover up to $500 per child and are paired with approved swim schools that meet strict quality standards.
“We track every child from start to finish,” said McGovern. “Our swim schools must report skill progress and maintain no more than a 6:1 class size ratio. Every scholarship goes to a child from a family earning less than $50,000 a year.”
Currently, ECAS partners with more than 370 swim schools across the country. Each is given a line of credit to support children in their communities.
“It’s not just a transaction. It’s a relationship,” McGovern explained. “Our partners know that we’re in it together.”
Transparency is core to the model. “Only 5% of our funding goes to administration. Ninety-five percent goes directly back into the program,” she added.
The Role of the Pool Industry
The support of the pool industry has been instrumental to ECAS’s growth. Builders, service pros, manufacturers, and distributors all have a role to play.
“Have the conversation,” said McGovern. “If you’re a builder, talk to clients about door alarms, fences, and supervision. If you’re a service tech, remind families not to leave toys in the pool. Simple tips can save lives.”
She encouraged companies to include water safety materials in welcome packets, invoices, and social media posts. “Make it part of your business. Normalize the conversation.”
Financial support is another avenue. “If you’re servicing pools, consider donating $1 per pool. If you’re building a pool, set aside $100 per project and ask the client to match it. It adds up, and it changes lives.”
A Vision for the Future
McGovern’s vision for ECAS over the next decade is clear: expand legislation, remove waitlists, and create broad-based access to swim education.
ECAS is currently advancing two legislative approaches: a school-based bill that requires schools to send water safety information home with students, and a hospital-based bill that ensures new parents receive drowning prevention education before leaving the hospital.
“We want legislation in every state—the school bill and the hospital bill,” she said. “We’re also looking at integrating pediatricians. Parents trust their doctors. We need to meet them where they are.”
She says ECAS also hopes to eliminate financial barriers entirely. “Our dream is not to turn away a single child. We want to provide lessons to every family that needs them. Maybe even expand to adults. Over 50% of Americans can’t swim well enough to save themselves.”
Normalizing the Conversation
Ultimately, McGovern believes the biggest shift will come when swim safety becomes as ingrained in our culture as fire safety.
“We all know stop, drop, and roll. We know to check our smoke detectors. But nobody talks about water safety,” she said. “That needs to change. We need to create a generation of swimmers.”
Formal swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by 88%. With a clear mission, a growing network, and the support of the industry, Every Child a Swimmer is working every day to make that vision a reality. To get involved, visit everychildaswimmer.org.
Ready to take a deeper dive?
Listen to our entire conversation with Casey McGovern on the Pool Magazine Podcast.
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