ALL EYES ON THE WATER
- Yulia Strokova
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 4 minutes ago
In Miami-Dade County, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-14. A powerful local coalition is embracing collective responsibility — uniting schools, families, and community partners in a bold effort to bring that number down to zero.
Photo Courtesy of The Children’s Trust
When Olga Londoño lost her 15-month-old son Eduardo to a drowning accident in August 2021, her world shattered. What began as a deeply personal healing journey has since transformed into a life-saving mission — she was shocked to learn that, as the mother of a drowning victim, she was far from alone.
So, in the painful aftermath of unimaginable loss, Olga and her family launched Edu Foundation, a swimming education nonprofit. Named for Eduardo, they teach underserved children in Florida, Colombia, and Nicaragua about swimming and water safety. When Olga heard about the Zero Drownings Miami-Dade initiative, she joined without hesitation.
“We would never want another family to have to go through what we went through,” she shares.
The statistics are as alarming as they are overlooked: drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 in Miami-Dade County. But participation in formal swim lessons can reduce drowning risk by 88%.
“It’s incredible that, before this project, Miami-Dade County, where there are more than 1.5 million pools and beaches all over, had never had a large-scale drowning prevention program,” Olga says.
A UNITED FRONT FOR WATER SAFETY
The Edu Foundation became a founding partner alongside Miami-Dade County, The Children’s Trust, The Miami Foundation, United Way Miami, Templeton Family Foundation, Florida Blue Foundation, Peacock Foundation, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the American Red Cross.
Zero Drownings Miami-Dade launched with a small pilot in April of the 2023–24 school year, and has one main goal: to expand over the next two years so that by the 2026–27 school year — and every year after — 20,000 children ages 4 and 5 receive essential drowning prevention lessons.
Photo Courtesy of The Children’s Trust
For a child to be included in the program’s ten 30-minute group swimming lessons, parent/guardian online registration is required, but other than that, it’s completely free of cost, and transportation is taken care of — children take their swim lessons within the school day, during field trips.
Olga wants more adults to understand that swimming lessons are a necessity, and she describes how, conveniently, for many students, they aren’t a chore. She says:
“Whenever we go to the pools and see the kids receiving their swimming lessons, they come out smiling and thankful for the classes. For me, it's incredibly rewarding to know that because of my son, other children are gaining life — this life-saving skill of learning how to swim.”
COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Behind the scenes, The Children’s Trust, an organization that funds programs for Miami-Dade kids and families through property tax revenue, played a pivotal role in catalyzing the initiative. The spark originated with a simple but urgent question: What are we doing on a large scale to prevent childhood drownings in our community?
Drawing on lessons from Broward County’s successful Swim Central model, the team began customizing a version suited to Miami-Dade. The focus on younger children—including those with special needs—required smaller student-to-instructor ratios, as well as American Red Cross curriculum and staff certifications.
“There are many logistical challenges related to including pre-K children in this program, and it is not commonly done around the country,” says Natalia Zea, Chief Public Policy & Engagement Officer for The Children's Trust. “But we made it a priority because the need is urgent, and the younger children can learn water safety, the safer they will be as they grow.”
Photo Courtesy of The Children’s Trust
The program is coordinated through the Miami-Dade County Office of Drowning Prevention, formed by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Board of County Commissioners to support this initiative. The participating swim providers include Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces, and vetted partner providers from the City of Miami, City of Miami Springs, and various other municipalities currently in the process of joining the collaborative.
On the private side, Ocaquatics Swim School, the largest swim provider in Miami-Dade, has joined, reducing its fees to fit the standardized program model.
“Ocaquatics is choosing purpose over profit by partnering with us because they truly believe in the impact of this program,” Natalia explains. “We hope their leadership inspires other private swim schools to join this important mission.”
Miren Oca of Ocaquatics, Miami-Dade's largest private swim provider
WATER ACCESS FOR ALL
Inclusivity is paramount. Children with disabilities, especially those on the autism spectrum who may be more drawn to water, are actively prioritized. A Disabilities Committee, formed with County experts, and those from Florida International University and the Advocacy Network on Disabilities, ensures instruction is adaptive, class sizes are small, and appropriate accommodations are made.
Natalia emphasizes:
“We don’t separate children with disabilities; those attending general pre-k and kindergarten programs are included with their classrooms. We simply make the supports available to ensure their safety and success. We are also working to partner with school programs that exclusively serve children with disabilities to ensure expanded reach to these populations of kids.”
Because parental trust — and partnership — is central to the program’s success, resources are also extended to parents and caregivers. Through Zero Drownings Miami-Dade, they gain access to a free American Red Cross Water Safety Course, offered in English, Spanish, and — for the first time nationwide, thanks to this initiative — in Haitian Creole.
With its rallying cry, Join the Zero Challenge, this program seeks to inspire collective vigilance from school systems to city officials and parents to neighbors.
As Natalia says:
“We understand this has to be a community-wide effort. Water safety isn’t just about the kids in the pool. It’s about the vigilance of the entire community, and we can all play a part in that.”
A LAYER OF PROTECTION
Ocaquatics founder Miren Oca speaks candidly when she says all families need to be prepared:
“Drowning doesn’t discriminate, it can affect any family, no matter how caring or attentive. That’s why water safety education is so important. When we learn to respect the water, we can enjoy it more safely and confidently.”
Photo Courtesy of Ocaquatics
Miren believes swimming lessons are the best way to prepare for water’s inherent risks:
“Swimming lessons should be as important as seat belts. They don’t drown-proof children, but they add a layer of protection, and they buy you time if a child ends up in the water.”
“A parent recently shared that while they were doing yard work, their child accidentally fell into the pool, but thanks to swim lessons at Ocaquatics, he knew exactly what to do and safely swam back to the wall. They were incredibly grateful for our program and said it made all the difference.”
Miren didn’t set out to open a swim school. At 22, she was a young mother raising her toddler alone. She planned to attend medical school when her child was older and what began as a temporary business turned into a lifelong mission.
Today, more than 31 years later, she leads Ocaquatics Swim School, an employee-owned, certified B Corporation with five indoor, warm-water pools serving families across Miami-Dade. To date, they have taught almost 3,000,000 swimming lessons.
She’s especially passionate about the Zero Drownings Miami-Dade initiative and its commitment to including neurodivergent children and children with disabilities in water safety programs:
“When children with autism get in the water, it can be incredibly calming. It’s quieter and can be less overwhelming for them,” Miren explains. “But if they don’t know what to do in that environment, it can be dangerous. That’s why our lessons are designed to be both joyful and highly structured. We teach every child: if you fall in, you turn around and swim back to the wall or you roll onto your back to float.”
A LIFELONG LOVE FOR THE WATER
Adam Steckley knows the impact of learning to swim as a young child — he started at 3 years old. By age 5, he was already swimming competitively.
“I think it helps develop confidence at an early age — not only as a competitive swimmer, but simply as someone who now has a skill that can save your life,” Adam says.
His passion has taken him far from neighborhood pools. Today, he competes in open-water races, including a recent one in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, which inspired him to reflect on the lifelong impact of swimming:
“The fact that, throughout my life, I have gravitated to coastal cities is probably a direct result of learning to swim at a young age. I absolutely love the ocean.”
His love for water also led him to co-found Blue Scholars Initiative, a nonprofit that connects students from underserved communities with conservation and marine biology-focused experiences on the water. Students don’t pay for the trips; they complete the Ocean Hero Challenge service project in exchange — creating and presenting a Public Service Announcement about how to be a hero for the ocean.
Photo Courtesy of Blue Scholars Initiative
Adam says limited access to swimming lessons not only increases drowning risk but breeds what he calls a culture of fear surrounding water, limiting children’s ability to experience the ocean.
He recognizes that not every child has the same access or encouragement: “If my parents had a fear of water or didn’t know how to swim, that would have been passed down to me. It really starts with the family.”
Adam points to cultural fears, economic barriers, and lack of access as major hurdles: “Transportation and money — in many communities, those are deal breakers. Community pools need to be accessible. They need to be either free or low cost.”
As part of their commitment to expanding safe access to water, Blue Scholars Initiative co-hosts Miami’s World Ocean Celebration with ARTSail, May 30 through June 8. The event features a range of activities — including reef snorkeling, a ceremonial paddle-out, beach clean-ups, art installations, and film screenings — and also offers young participants instruction to safely swim in the ocean.
“It’s a way for us to invite families who maybe aren’t as familiar with the ocean to experience, with an instructor, the skills needed to go into a large body of water like the ocean,” Adam says.
“It’s about helping kids feel safe and confident in the water before any fears even set in, and hopefully beginning a lifelong connection with the water.”
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