“Cook Children's is really invested in prevention in our community, and it's written into our promise,” said Jillian Mitchell, program coordinator for the injury prevention team at the Center for Community Health. 

Drowning is the leading cause of injury for children ages 1 to 4 at the highest risk. According to the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment, Cook Children’s Medical Centers in Fort Worth and Prosper treated 224 drowning-related injuries from 2021 to 2023. These incidents occurred in bathtubs, open water (lakes, rivers, and ponds), and pools or hot tubs.  

Cook Children's Health Care System shows a slight decrease in drownings in the last five years: 

Mitchell notes that as summer vacation and hot weather arrive, families will be looking to cool off, but months may have passed since the last dip in the pool. 

“As we're heading out to any kind of open water or to a pool, it's important to have preparation top of mind,” said Mitchell. 

Lifesaving Access: Loaner Life Jacket Station 

To help protect swimmers in open water, Cook Children’s supports more than 60 Loaner Life Jacket Stations across North Texas. The stations provide five different sizes of U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, ranging from infant to adult, which families can borrow and return free of charge. Each station features educational graphics detailing how to properly fit and secure the vests. 

Local officials at Lake Worth report that the stations are heavily utilized, with life jackets consistently borrowed and safely returned by the end of each weekend day. 

“We want to make sure that that resource is available for families that maybe don't have the opportunity to get a life jacket for their child,” said Mitchell. In 2025 alone, the program distributed more than 1,800 U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets to area lakes across Tarrant, Denton, Rockwall, and Stephens counties.  

Water Safety Tips 

• Transition time
  • Make sure to put a life jacket on children before you get out of the car.
  • If a child goes missing, check the water first.
• Designate a Water Watcher to ensure constant visual supervision.
  • A Water Watcher should be in-reach of the children in the pool.
  • A 10-15 minute shift rotation is recommended. During that time, Water Watchers should not be distracted by conversations, cell phones, reading, etc.
• Keep backyards and bathrooms safe.
  • Dump all water buckets and empty kiddie pools when they are not in use.
  • Install multiple barriers in areas leading to pools and spas: pool fences, self-closing, self-latching gates and door alarms.
  • Keep the pool area picked up and clear of toys and other items which might attract an unsupervised child.
  • Never leave children unattended in the bathtub.
• Wear “U.S. Coast Guard-Approved” or “USCG approved,” life jackets
  • As your child grows, the life jacket needs to meet their new weight.
  • Get a new life jacket if there are rips and tears or if the straps are fraying.
  • Do not rely on floats or other toys to keep children safe.
• Sign up for CPR and swim lessons.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting children in swim lessons as young as 12 months old to reduce the risk of drowning.
  • The National Drowning Prevention Alliance provides parents with a printable questionnaire to help identify the right swim program for their children.
• Have a safety plan in place.
  • If an emergency does happen, remember that seconds count. Call 911 immediately and then begin CPR while EMS is in route.
  • Know water conditions before you get into open water. Water conditions in lakes and oceans can vary on a daily basis.
  • Sit near a lifeguard if there is one present. 

"Combining swim lessons, life jackets, dedicated water watchers, brightly colored swimsuits, and pool fences creates multiple layers of protection," Mitchell said. "The more layers of safety you put in place, the lower the risk of drowning."

Related stories: 

• Big Game, Big Safety: Preventing Hot Car Tragedies 

• Make a Splash: Why Swim Lessons are Essential This Summer 

• The Power of Prevention: Cook Children's Reports a Drop in Drownings 

• Lifeguard Your Child: 6 Tips for Keeping Bathtime Safe in Every Season 

Drowning is the leading cause of injury, with children between the ages 1 to 4 at the highest risk. According to the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment, Cook Children’s Medical Centers in Fort Worth and Prosper treated 224 drowning-related injuries from 2021 to 2023. These incidents occurred in bathtubs, open water (lakes, rivers, and ponds), and pools or hot tubs.  

“Spring break is really our kind of entry point of getting back into the water,” said Jillian Mitchell, program coordinator for the injury prevention team at the Center for Community Health. 

Cook Children’s Loaner Life Jacket Station provide five different sizes of U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets, ranging from infant to adult, that can be borrowed and returned. The goal is to make sure no child or adult drowns at a public lake because they didn’t have access to a life jacket. In 2025 more than 1,800 U.S. Coast Guard life jackets to area lakes in Tarrant, Denton, Rockwall, and Stephens counties.  

Mitchell encourages families and caregivers to make a plan before heading to the water. The “Lifeguard Your Child” program teaches parents how to create a safety plan for children anytime they are around water. 

According to data from the Community Health Needs Assessment, 85% of drowning-related injuries were pool-or hot tub-related. Of those 8% were fatal, with most fatalities occurring with children ages 0 to 4. 

While many public and community pools are not yet open, families may travel to lakes, rivers, or oceans.  

“Open water behaves differently than in a pool,” explained Mitchell, “It's dark. It's deep, it's murky. Anyone that is on a lake or a river or in the ocean should wear a life jacket all the time because it is an unpredictable water source.” 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends kids begin swim lessons as young as 1 year old. 

Mitchell shares these tips for families heading to the water for their spring break: 

• Learn about the flag system when you go out to the beach. 

• Sit near a lifeguard if there is one present.
• Look for a life jacket that's approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
• Spring break is a great time to pull out those life jackets from last year. You may find that your child has outgrown the life jacket.
• Make sure that your children know they should always ask permission before going to the water. 

Related Stories:  

• Expert Tips for a Safe Spring Break: Aim for Safety
• Lifeguard Your Child: 6 Tips for Keeping Bathtime Safe in Every Season
• The Power of Prevention: Cook Children's Reports a Drop in Drownings
• Lifeguard Your Child: 5 Water Safety Tips for Parents 

As families and friends come together to celebrate Independence Day, it's important to keep safety in mind. According to experts at Cook Children's, drowning is the primary threat to children during this holiday. Drowning patients are commonly seen in the emergency room and these incidents can often have severe outcomes.

To ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend, consider the following safety tips:

• Always supervise children when they are in or near water, even if they know how to swim.
• Designate a Water Watcher, an adult who will watch all children while they are in or around water with no distractions.
• Keep pool areas fenced and locked when not in use and remove all pool toys/floats. One to 4-year-olds are at the most risk to drown in a pool.

DROWNING PREVENTION

From June 1 to June 23, 2023, there were 10 drownings treated at Cook Children’s, two of which were fatal. Most of these patients have been in the 5 years old and under age group.

Since Jan. 1, 2023, there have been 25 drownings at Cook Children’s, three of which were fatal. Most drownings in 2023 have occurred in a swimming pool or hot tub.

While most patients survived these incidents, drowning injuries can result in severe effects, especially on a child’s brain development.

Drownings can happen silently and quickly. A submerged person might not attract attention or appear to be in danger

Drownings can occur even with many adults present. When there are children around water, always designate a Water Watcher, an adult who is in charge of watching all children without any distractions. The Water Watcher should not use a cell phone, socialize, drink alcohol or do anything else that might be a distraction.

Parents can put barriers in place to help prevent a child from accessing the water or make it more difficult to access when an adult is not present. Barriers – such as locks, alarms and fencing – can help keep unsupervised young children from getting into swimming pools.

Go here for more information on Water Watcher tags. Lifeguardyourchild.org shares many resources and tips for drowning prevention.

HEAT SAFETY

In very hot weather, high humidity, and other conditions, heat in the body can build to dangerous levels. This can cause heat illness, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke.

With highs in the upper 90s, be sure to keep these heat safety tips in mind. 

Wear appropriate clothing: Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothes. Wear a hat to shield yourself from the sun, until you feel yourself getting warm. Then remove any items covering your head that can trap heat close to the body.

Schedule outdoor activities carefully: Heatstroke can occur in less than an hour when you are participating in a strenuous activity on a hot day. Try to limit outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, like morning and evening hours. Rest often in shady areas so your child’s body has a chance to recover.

Hydrate: Drink plenty of water during the day, especially if you are engaged in any strenuous activity. Be sure to drink water or a sports drink before, during and after any strenuous activity.

Wear sunscreen: If you go outside, use sunscreen, wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, and put on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes before going outside. Continue to reapply according to the package directions.

FIREWORKS

Fireworks can cause severe injuries that are both harmful and painful to children. Children should never handle fireworks. Even seemingly harmless sparklers can heat up to more than 1,200 degrees, making them dangerous for young children. 

Some people light sparklers at home or even set off their own fireworks, but this is dangerous. Some of the people hurt each year aren't the ones setting off the fireworks, but people who are nearby.

The safest way to enjoy fireworks is at a professional display.

If setting off fireworks at home, adults should only set them off in a designated “kid-free” zone. Adults should not hold fireworks in their hands or keep any part of their body over them while lighting. Wear eye protection, and don't carry fireworks in your pocket — the friction could set them off.

Point fireworks away from homes, and keep away from brush and leaves and flammable substances. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that local fire departments respond to more 50,000 fires caused by fireworks each year.

It’s also important to keep children away from bonfires and grills to help prevent any accidental burns.

ATV SAFETY

Though often thrilling for children, off-road motorized vehicles — including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), ATV mules, go-karts, and even golf carts — can be extremely dangerous for them to ride, especially if they don’t use safety measures once they get on board. Cook Children's sees many patients with injuries from ATV accidents every year.

To prevent such injuries among children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under 16 should not drive or ride as passengers in two- and four-wheeled off-road vehicles.

ATV Safety:

• Always wear protective gear such as:
• Helmet
• Eye Protection
• Boots, gloves, long pants, jacket
• Do not ride an ATV at night
• Take an ATV safety course
• Never ride on public roads
• Perform ATV safety checks

RELATED

A Cautionary Tale: The Misadventures of Summer & Top Injuries Seen at Cook Children's (checkupnewsroom.com)

Should My Child Ride ATVs? Cook Children's Experts Weigh In (checkupnewsroom.com)

A Pediatrician's Advice for a Safe and Fun Fourth of July (checkupnewsroom.com)

Cook Children’s has treated nine drownings so far this year, one of which was fatal. As the weather warms up, parents and caregivers should take time to review how to keep their young children safe around water.

With the recent news of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player’s 2-year-old daughter drowning in their swimming pool, we are reminded of how quickly water can turn into a tragic accident. It only takes a minute for a child to drown, and most of the time it is silent.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children between 1 and 4 years old. Even if a child survives a drowning, it's possible to have lasting neurological effects. Cook Children’s leads a campaign called Lifeguard Your Child for parents and caregivers to learn how to protect children in all kinds of water.

Drownings can occur even with many adults present. One key tip is to designate a “water watcher” – a responsible adult who agrees to watch the children in the water without distractions.

Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s, said it is vital for parents and homeowners to realize they must be on guard at all times if they have a pool.

“All of the barriers along with swimming lessons can prevent drownings,” Sharon said. “Not only having these barriers in place but ensuring the alarms work and are on and the gates remain closed is important as well.”

Drownings can happen silently and quickly. A submerged person might not attract attention or appear to be in danger. Younger children most often drown in swimming pools by falling in while unsupervised. Parents can put barriers in place to help prevent a child from accessing the water or make it more difficult to access when an adult is not present.

Top Pool Barriers
The more barriers in place, the safer the child will be.

• Four-sided isolation fences with self-latching gates
• Alarms (pool, door, gate)
• Automatic pool covers
• Doorknob covers and high locks on doors leading to the outdoors
• Reroute dog/pet doors that have direct access to the pool area

Lifeguard Your Child

Cook Children’s initiated a drowning prevention campaign called Lifeguard Your Child in 2015 in response to a high number of drowning injuries treated in the Emergency Department and medical center that year. The Lifeguard Your Child campaign is spread through the Safe Kids North Texas Coalition, which is based in Fort Worth and led by Cook Children’s.

The campaign’s strategies include Cook Children’s Loaner Life Jacket Stations at many lake entry points across the region. Families can go to the stations to find U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets in a variety of sizes with easy tips for a proper fit.

Safety tips for home swimming pools: 
• Restrict access by installing door locks high out of children’s reach. Door and window alarms can signal if someone leaves the house. 
• Install four-sided fencing around pools with a self-latching gate that only opens out. The fence should be at least 4 feet (preferably 5 feet) high. 
• Remove all toys and floats from the pool area so children are not tempted to get close to the water. 
• For above-ground pools, make sure the ladder is removed and not accessible when it’s not swimming time. 
• Consider a pool surface alarm to alert if anyone/anything falls into the water. 

Safety tips for the bathtub: 
• An adult must stay at the side of the tub in reach of the child. 
• Pay attention. This is not the time for multitasking. 
• Ignore distractions like the doorbell or phone calls. 
• Drain the tub after each use. 
For more information about drowning prevention, go to www.lifeguardyourchild.org.

he drownings were unrelated and all took place at home pools after the children escaped adult supervision, with two of the toddlers getting outside through doggie doors. 

“This recent burst of drownings is incredibly worrisome,” said Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s. “Now is the time for parents, grandparents and caregivers to reassess the ‘layers of protection’ they have at home. Make sure that pool gates still close and self-latch correctly, locks on outside doors are up high and out of reach of children and certainly don’t let your guard down!”

Sadly, 2021 surpassed recent years for the number of drowning injuries seen at Cook Children’s, with 82 children admitted to our hospital. Seven were fatal and four resulted in life-altering diagnoses. The data includes drowning in bathtubs and open water, such as lakes; the majority, however, occurred in swimming pools.

While the fall season is here and temperatures in Texas begin to cool down, this is a reminder that a child can drown at any time of the year and in any place where there is water. 

"Home safety checks are helpful for families with busy households and small children," said Dana Walraven, manager of community health outreach for the Center for Children’s Health. "Go through each room of your home to identify all points that would allow access to potential danger zones both indoors and outdoors."

Pool season in Texas tends to run through November, and even into the winter months with heated pools and hot tubs. Water safety advocates urge pool owners to put multiple safety measures in place to help prevent pediatric drownings. 

Safety tips include:

• Prevent access when adults are not watching:
  • Doors with locks out of reaching of children, safety alarms for both pools and children, doorknob covers on doors accessing water, etc.
• Install four-sided fencing around home pools with a self-closing/self-latching gate that only opens out.
• Reroute any doggie doors that have direct access to the pool area.
• Install pool and spa covers that are sturdy enough to support the weight of a child or multiple children.
• Schedule water safety and swim lessons.
• Take family CPR lessons.
• Create and follow pool rules.

For more information about steps to prevent drowning, go to www.lifeguardyourchild.org.

Hot weather and summer vacation means Texas kids are headed to the water. Sadly, it also means more opportunity for tragedy.

Summer has barely begun and Cook Children's has already seen 24 children at the medical center this year for drowning, with 15 occurring at a swimming pool.

Dana Walraven, community health outreach manager for Cook Children’s, stresses adults supervision of children at all times. She calls the parents who are in charge of lifeguarding the kids a Water Watcher.

So what does it mean to be a “Water Watcher?”

An adult is within arms-reach, no distractions, while children are in and around all water. After 15 minutes, another responsible adult takes over. This allows everyone to enjoy the party while ensuring the kids are being properly watched. It is especially helpful at parties or around the pool or lake. 

Water Watcher tags are available to any person or group who will use them or would like to distribute them. To receive a Water Watcher Tag, email safe.kids@cookchildrens.org. 

Leslie Zvitt works at Cook Children’s as the Senior Epic Business Intelligence Developer and is the mother of two children, ages 12 and 8 years old.

Zvitt makes sure a Water Watcher is on hand for all of her pool parties and makes sure adults are supervising the pool with undistracted attention.

"Our kids love to invite friends over for swim parties, and often times it’s a relief to us, as parents, for the kids to occupy themselves with their friends, while the adults visit and have grown-up discussions," Zvitt said. "However, we still have a very real responsibility to keep them safe from harm; after all, a pool is no substitute for a babysitter. Since I found out about Water Watchers, I’ve been applying some simple guidelines for our pool parties that are really easy to follow, and make all of us safer as a result."

The safety experts at Cook Children’s say kids can’t afford anything less than 100 percent adult supervision at the pool at all times. That means not taking your eyes off of a child while he or she is in the water.

Forgive the safety experts at Cook Children’s if they are coming across as bossy or even condemning, but they are at their wits’ end trying to find a message that will stop the tragic amounts of drownings over the past few summers. 

But they have come with a response: Lifeguard Your Child. And that starts with putting away perhaps the greatest competion for a grownup's attention - their smartphone.

“We understand the need for a phone at the pool, in case of emergencies, but those phones need to be put away until you leave the swimming area,” said Dana Walraven, Community Health Outreach manager at Cook Children’s and Safe Kids Tarrant County Coordinator. “Parents should only be spending time watching their kids and not on the phone.”

Smartphones have changed the way we look at the world, but it’s also made it much easier to be distracted and not pay attention to what is happening right in front of us.

Nonfatal injuries to children under age 5 rose 12 percent between 2007 and 2010, after injury rates were steadily falling the previous decade. During that same time period, smartphone users increased from 9 million in mid-2007 to 63 million at the end of 2010.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 1,100 people a day are injured in car crashes that involved a distracted driver.

Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention/Outreach coordinator for Cook Children’s Medical Center says she would like to see similar research into distracted adults and drownings.

But she doesn’t need stats to know that it’s the adult’s responsibility to stay focused on the children, and nothing else, while they are swimming.

“Parents are distracted enough with people around them talking, eating and everything going on in their lives. After a hard day they may even zone out for a little while. But parents can’t afford to be distracted and that includes using their smart phones while their child is in the water,” Evans said. “I don’t think parents understand how quickly and quietly drowning occurs. There is no thrashing, no yelling for help. The drowning child is just trying to push down on the water to get their head above the surface to gasp a breath of air.”

Walraven reminds parents it takes only two seconds for a drowning to occur.

She encourages any adult watching children at the pool, including parents grandparents, family friends or babysitters, to use Water Watcher system if possible where the grownups at the pool take shifts with the sole responsibility of keeping an eye on the children swimming at all times.

They are expected to stay sober and focused during their 15 minute shift or if they are the only one out there, to stay alert the whole time. This isn't a job for kids, even older children. Walraven said this is a job solely for the adults. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of a teen. The younger person may be easily distracted, have trouble pulling the child out of the water and in case of a fatal drowning, the child could be scarred for life.

“This is definitely a job for a grownup, but that means acting like an adult,” Walraven said. “Many drownings occur when a caregiver is present. But being ‘present’ or being ‘there’ is not enough, you have to watch and be involved. Drowning is silent so keep your eyes on the water, not the phone. A text is not worth the risk and it’s certainly not worth your child losing his or her life.”

Other resources:

• Drowning prevention page at Cook Children's
• 9 ways to protect your child from drowning
• Is your baby ready for swim lessons?
• This life-saving tip could prevent your child from drowning
• Life after drowning
• Be a water watcher. Adult supervisions saves lives.
• Drowning tragedy - 'I can't believe this happened to me.'
• The life-saving reason for Water Watchers

Since Oct. 1, 2014 to present, 40 drownings have been seen here and three of them have been fatal.

Those numbers are chilling and once again place an emphasis on water safety in the area.

Dana Walraven, community health outreach manager for Cook Children’s, wants to make sure that parents are prepared for warm weather and children in the water. She said the safety begins with making sure a grownup is watching the kids in the water at all times.

“Active adult supervision and layers of protection such as door alarms and a fence can lower the risk for your child,” Walraven said. “The majority of these water-related incidents happen in the child’s own backyard pools and to children 4 years old and younger. Drowning prevention around the pool starts with adult supervision.”

Children are protected by layers of protection by using these safety techniques whenever children are around the pool:

· Always have adult supervision present when children are swimming or around pools.

· A fence with a locking gate should surround the pool.

· Install door alarms to alert adults when a child is entering the pool area.

· Require life jacket use for non-swimmers.

· Enroll children in swimming lessons.

· Parents and caregivers should undergo CPR training.

In nearly nine out of 10 child drowning –related deaths, the parent or caregiver said the child had been with them in the house or pool within five minutes of the accident. Walraven says she knows it is difficult to supervise children 100 percent of the time. She said the levels of protection provide barriers in case the child should slip out of supervision.

Safe Kids Tarrant County, led by Cook Children’s, also offers Water Watcher tags to anyone or group who will use or distribute them. These are especially helpful at parties around the pool or lake to help designate adults that are watching the water. After 15 minutes, the tag is given to another responsible adult – letting everyone enjoy the party while ensuring that the kids are being properly watched. To receive a Water Watcher Tag, call 682-885-4244.

In large pools, it’s ideal to split up in groups and take sections of the pool.

“If you are somewhere where children are in the pool, insist that an adult be on watch,” Walraven said. “It should be done by a sober adult and that should be his or her only focus during their time watching the kids.”

Aside from supervision, four-sided isolation fencing with self-closing/self-latching gates is the best protection for your child and pets. It could prevent 50-90 percent of childhood drowning and near-drowning incidents. This type of fencing goes beyond the yard, to fencing in the pool itself, preventing direct access from the house.

Door and gate alarms give another signal that a child may have access to the pool area without supervision. The tendency is to disconnect it – especially at parties where people are going in and out. But these are also the times when small children are the most vulnerable for injury because of the confusion.

Learning CPR can save a child’s life by restoring breathing and circulation until advance life support can be given by health care providers.

Swim programs for children should teach good water safety behaviors in and around the pool but should not be seen as the sole way to decrease the risk of drowning.

Use a U.S. Coast Guard approved lifejacket with children who can’t swim. It should fit snugly when the child is buckled in and should not go beyond the top of the ears when lifted at the shoulders. Many air-filled, float-type toys are thought to be lifesavers but are not.

Check your pool and spa for cracked or broken drain covers on a regular basis. The suction around the drain can catch hair or clothing, pinning the child underwater. Anti-entrapment drain covers are available for as low as $40 and serve as another level of protection.

Since beach balls, noodles and other toys are attractive to curious young children – put them away when not at the pool.

For more information

Cook Children's has many resources on drowning prevention, beginning here. Click the links below with downloadable information in both Spanish and English, as well as videos. 

• Drowning prevention tips - English
• Drowning prevention tips - Spanish
• Water safety resources
• Drowning prevention education (English and Spanish)

Videos:

• Pool safety video step 1: Supervision
• Pool safety video step 2: Fencing
• Pool safety video step 3: Pool and spa covers
• Pool safety video step 4: Alarms
• Pool safety video step 5: Safety drain covers
• Pool safety video step 6: Swimming lessons
• Pool safety video step 7: Learning CPR
• Safe Kids Tarrant County Drowning Prevention Tips
• Safe Kids Tarrant County sugerencias de prevención de ahogamientos