BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The leading cause of death for children is drowning. It’s an issue that Program Manager Michelle Corson from Kern County Public Health says is silent and devastating, but preventable.
The Kern County Child Death Review Team found that 22 children drowned from 2020 to 2024, and 15 of them were at a swimming pool. In all pool related cases, the review found that the drownings happened when there was a lapse in adult supervision.
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Corson warned that drownings often happen at large gatherings where there are many adults half-watching, but everyone is distracted. She added that the Water Watcher Program is designed to tackle this issue; only one adult watches the kids at a time, this person is switched out every 15 minutes, and most importantly, there are zero distractions, no phones, books, or conversations with the designated water watcher.
Another layer of protection is learning. For kids, you can introduce them to water lessons as young as age 1. Corson says parents can learn how to perform CPR by walking into the Kern County Public Health Department at any time during business hours, and someone from their Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team will teach you on the spot for free…