Water Safety in South Asian (Desi) Communities
A culturally aware water safety guide for desi families: swim lessons for kids and adults, modest swimwear, grandparents as caregivers, help in your language.
Community Water Safety
Free water safety toolkits for schools, camps, mosques, temples, churches and cultural centers, plus vacation rentals, desi families and the responders who help.
Water safety spreads fastest through the places people already trust: schools, camps, mosques, temples, gurdwaras, churches, community centers and families. This hub gives organizers free lesson plans, workshop kits and printables, and practical guides for the trips and gatherings where many emergencies begin.
It also names the gaps honestly. The CDC found that in 2023, 40 million U.S. adults said they can't swim (opens in a new tab), and that drowning rates are highest among American Indian and Alaska Native people and Black people. The Amin Foundation's founding family, Bangladeshi-Americans from Queens, wrote in 2022: "Lack of water safety/swimming education is rampant in the desi community as well as in other minority communities in the United States."
For schools, camps and child care: free K-12 lesson plans, questions to ask a camp and how to host a workshop.
For faith and cultural communities: a toolkit for picnics, trips and talks, a guide for desi families, and one for families new to the U.S.
For trips: vacation water safety and rental homes with pools.
For changing the odds: what the data show, how to start a community swim program, life jacket loaner stations, what water rescue teams need and World Drowning Prevention Day.
Everything here is free to use, with no sign-up. The foundation's own programs, such as workshops and swim lesson scholarships, are things we are working toward; we'll describe them here when they are running. If you'd like to work with us, visit Get involved.
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Free Water Safety Lesson Plans for Schools (K-12)
Free, printable water safety lesson plans for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12, each one class period long and aligned to National Health Education Standards.
Water Safety for Mosques, Temples, Churches and Faith Groups
A free water safety toolkit for mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras and cultural centers: safer picnics and trips, a ready-made talk, modest swim options.
Vacation Rental Pool Safety: What to Check Before You Book
Booking a short-term rental with a pool or hot tub? What to ask the host, what to check on arrival, and what to do if the fence, gate or alarms aren't there.
Summer Camp Water Safety: Questions Parents Should Ask
What to ask a camp, day camp or child care program about swimming: swim tests, buddy checks, lifeguards, field trips and staff training, with New York rules.
Drowning Disparities: Why Some Communities Face Higher Risk
CDC data show American Indian, Alaska Native and Black Americans face higher drowning rates. What the numbers say, the history behind them, and what helps.
More guides
Vacation Water Safety: New Places, New Water
Plan a safer family trip near water: check the destination, pack life jackets, name Water Watchers, and learn the risks of lakes, beaches and pools abroad.
Water Safety for Families New to the United States
New to the U.S.? A plain-language guide to water safety: pools, beaches and lifeguards, calling 911 with an interpreter, free swim lessons, floods and ice.
How to Host a Water Safety Workshop in Your Community
Plan and run a free water safety workshop for parents, teens, grandparents or a faith group, using ready-made lesson plans, printables and a free CPR class.
What Water Rescue Teams Need: Training and Equipment
What water rescue teams need: training levels and NFPA standards, protective equipment, boats, FEMA grants for fire departments, and how communities can help.
Life Jacket Loaner Stations and Public Rescue Equipment
How life jacket loaner stations work, where they help most, and how a community group can start one with the landowner's permission and regular checks.
World Drowning Prevention Day and Water Safety Month: How to Take Part
World Drowning Prevention Day is July 25 and National Water Safety Month is May. Simple ways for schools, faith groups, families and local leaders to join in.
How to Start a Community Swim Program
How to bring free or low-cost swim lessons to your community: partner with a pool, use certified instructors and lifeguards, find grants, remove barriers.
Tools and printables
Interactive tool
Vacation water safety check
Check a vacation rental pool before you book, and get ready for lakes and beaches: fences, drain covers, life jackets, flags and lifeguards.
Printable
Vacation Rental Checklist
A one-page checklist for rental homes with a pool, hot tub, lake or beach: what to ask before you book, what to check on arrival, and daily habits.
Printable
Lake, River and Open Water Safety Checklist
A one-page checklist for lake, river and pond days: where to swim, life jackets, feet-first entry, currents, alcohol, storms and getting help.
Interactive tool
Pool barrier check
Check your pool fence and gate against the CPSC barrier guidelines: height, gaps, latches, door alarms and covers. Get a printable list of what to fix.
Infographic
Have a pool? Fence it on all four sides.
A four-sided isolation fence cuts a child’s drowning risk by 83% compared with three-sided fencing.
Questions and answers
- Schools, Camps and Communities: Your Questions (14 questions)
- Vacation Water Safety: Your Questions (13 questions)