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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

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Swim Safe Sumter

Florida Department of Health in Sumter County

Registration for the 2025 season date, time, and location are listed below.  

2025 Registration Form 

Date: Friday, April 4 and 11, 2025
Time: 8 - 11:30 a.m. and 1 - 4 p.m.
Location: Sumter County Health Department, 415 East Noble Ave., Bushnell, FL  

Each year, our education and lessons take place in May, June, and July. We are excited to welcome everyone to the 2025 Swim Safe Sumter program season, continuing to provide the high-quality service our residents trust. It is truly rewarding to help teach today’s youth how to stay safe in and around the water.

Please contact me, Robbin Washburn, at 352-569-3149, if you have any questions and continue to check back at our website for updates.

Sincerely,
Robbin Washburn, Public Health Services Manager

Did You Know?

Swim Safe Sumter is a county-wide summer program that provides affordable swimming lessons for children ages 3 to 17, as well as adults.

Parent and Child Aquatics (only 3 years old) helps children to become more comfortable in the water while remaining in the security of their parents arms.  This class requires a parent or guardian to accompany the child in the pool.

Preschool Aquatics (Ages 4-5) begins with basic skills, floating and moving through the water with support and continues to build on these skills until the child is able to swim independently or until the child reaches age 6.

Learn to Swim (Ages 6-17) begins with basic skills, floating and moving through the water with assistance.  The child continues to build on these skills until he or she can swim independently advancing to individual strokes including front crawl, elementary backstroke, back crawl, breaststroke and more.

Adult (Ages 18 and up) begins with basic skills, advancing to swimming on their own, then to individual strokes including front crawl, elementary backstroke, back crawl, breastroke and more.

Lessons in the early levels emphasize skills to make the child both comfortable and safe in the water.

  • Drowning is the leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 4.
  • The highest risk of drowning for both males and females is between ages 1 to 4.
  • In 2013, Florida had the highest unintentional drowning death rate (7.54 per 100,000 population) in the nation for children 1 to 4 year old age group.
  • Florida had the second highest drowning rate (2.54 per 100,000 population) in the nation for children 1-14 years old.
Current national injury data

Swim Safe Sumter Brochure

 

little girl under water