Grant allows North Las Vegas to offer toddler swimming lessons

By Erin Dostal

Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010 | 7:21 p.m.

After receiving a $1,500 grant, North Las Vegas will be able to offer free swimming lessons to toddlers up to 4 years old.

The grant from the Southern Nevada Chapter of the International Code Council is meant to provide lessons to help prevent drowning deaths of toddlers, said Michael Bouse, a former director of the council and current director of building and fire safety in Henderson.

The North Las Vegas City Council voted unanimously to accept the funds at its Wednesday night meeting.

Mayor Shari Buck accepted the funds in the form of an oversized novelty check from the code council.

The average cost of a season of swim lessons for a toddler is about $50 per student, Bouse said.

Since 2007, 26 toddlers have died by drowning in pools in Clark County, he said. “That’s a whole classroom of toddlers,” he said.

Bouse said that all municipalities in Southern Nevada are being offered the grant, including Pahrump and Mesquite. Cities that receive the funds must write a letter to the council about how they used the money.

According to the agreement, if not all $1,500 is spent teaching toddlers, the city can use the leftover money to provide lessons to children of any age.

Safety codes require barriers around residential pools, Bouse said. But homes built before the codes took effect are exempt, he said.

“These pools present a very serious hazard to toddlers,” he said. Toddlers who get swimming lessons, he said, are 88 percent less likely to drown.