Early childhood educators play a critical role in the lives of young children and their families around the world. As the administrator of the Child Development Associate® (CDA), the Council for Professional Recognition is at the forefront of ensuring that early childhood educators are aware of and trained in education best practices and the highest quality of care for young children. The Council does this by meeting with many experts in the field, as well as adjacent fields, to discuss, understand, and evaluate the latest research on topics impacting early childhood education. As part of these efforts, we are excited to bring you our new series, Experts Speak, in which the Council sits down with experts to discuss topics that impact the field of early childhood education.
Whether living near a coastline or in the middle of the country, when summer hits, the temptation to go for a swim will strike, and little children are not immune from that temptation. But with that option for fun comes a set of risks that are acute for young children. This is why early childhood educators must be aware of drowning prevention measures. And it is why Angela Wild, Owner of Elemental Aquatics, Co-Founder of the United States Drowning Research Alliance, and Member of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, still spends about 35 hours a week in the pool teaching young children and families how to be safe in the water.
“Swim lessons are more than just teaching kids how to swim. It’s an all-encompassing recreational activity that benefits them in both health and wellness. I pursued Graduate School with an emphasis in preschool age swimmers. I really wanted to bridge the gap in the academics doing research, and those swim instructors that are in the pool but may not have access to what academia has been doing.” She says. With her experience, this is what she has to say about pool and swimming safety for our youngest learners.
First and foremost, Angela states, “My best recommendation for children as young as one or even younger can be enrolled and do really well with lessons. It is a wonderful time to start, and my best recommendation is just getting them in ear swim lessons early and be consistent.” In general, Angela notes that there are two main formats and goals with teaching young children how to swim, traditional swim lessons and infant survival swim lessons.
If a child has a fear of the water, Angela advises families, guardians, and caregivers not to forgo swimming lessons. Instead, look for swim instructors that your child already knows because “for a child to learn and absorb information, they have to be in an environment where they have a good rapport with that individual in charge. When those factors are in place, the child is receptive to learning.”
Most importantly, for swim instructors teaching children who are nervous around the water, “Your biggest tool when teaching children to swim is going to be patience, empathy, compassion and then always be willing to learn. Because fear or trauma-based practices will do nothing to ensure the child will have an enjoyable water experience.”
However, being a responsible care provider for a child at a pool or large body of water goes beyond making sure a child attends swimming lessons. The National Drowning and Prevention Association (NDPA) advocates for 5 layers of protection around water:
Public perception of what someone drowning looks like is often riddled with misconceptions. Angela explains, “We are victims of Hollywood and the depictions of drowning as this arm-flailing and splashing and bobbing up and down in the water. But what most families who have lost children by drowning will tell you it is quick and silent.”
“Often, care providers do not report hearing a splash for infants, toddlers and young children.” Angela tells us, “They may have accidentally fallen into a pool because they are reaching to pick up that floating rubber ducky or the pool noodle that might be floating by, and they fall into the pool. So, there’s very little splash or noise.”
What follows is often just as silent, Angela continues, “Children will then often enter what’s called the drowning position, where they will remain vertical. Unfortunately, that position will then eventually lead to drowning. So, the adult mindset that they will expect to hear a child cry for help, or they will expect a large splash is ill informed.” This is why if suddenly a child can’t be found, it’s vital for parents and caregivers to search bodies of water first.
Angela advises first to have someone go for help, including calling for lifeguards and calling 911 while you keep an eye on the person in trouble. Do not dive in to retrieve an individual; leave that to professionals if possible. Angela tells us, “Because unfortunately they may have injuries that you are unaware of and pulling them out of the water may actually aggravate the condition or make them worse.”
While waiting for lifeguards and first responders, you can help by throwing out a floatation device or a Shepard’s crook or even a pool noodle to reach out to them. Only go in to retrieve an individual if there are no professionals around and aim to do so with a buddy so that you can work together to get the drowning person to safety. This should be your last resort. Once a person has been retrieved, immediately begin administering CPR rescue breaths.
By following the five layers of protection around water, caregivers of young children will hopefully never have to respond to a drowning. Angela explains, “We want to make sure that we’re teaching our children that the water is a fun place to be, but it can be dangerous. It’s also important that supervising adults demonstrate water safety.
Early childhood educators with a CDA who have studied the Essentials for Working with Young Children textbook can make all the difference when it comes to keeping children safe around water. Angela explains, “Water safety advocates, agree that early childhood educators, are at the forefront of pushing for water safety. If we had just one hour of water safety in the classroom during the school year, children could grow up with consistent water safety messages and practices that will have a lifelong impact.“
To learn more about Angela Wild, Elemental Aquatics, the United States Drowning Research Alliance, and the National Drowning Prevention Alliance can be found at:
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Vice President of Strategic Alliances
Elisa Shepherd is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at the Council, where she leads initiatives to advance the Council’s mission and strategic plan through designing, managing, and executing a comprehensive stakeholder relationship strategy.
With over 25 years of experience in early childhood education (ECE), Elisa has dedicated her career to developing impactful programs, professional development opportunities, and public policies that support working families, young children, and ECE staff. Before joining the Council, Elisa held numerous roles within the childcare industry. Most recently, she served as Associate Vice President at The Learning Experience and as Senior Manager at KinderCare Education, where she influenced government affairs and public policies across 40 states.
Elisa’s commitment to leadership is reflected in her external roles on the Early Care and Education Consortium Board of Directors, the Florida Chamber Foundation Board of Trustees, and as the DEI Caucus Leader for KinderCare Education. She has been recognized as an Emerging Leader in Early Childhood by Childcare Exchange’s Leadership Initiative.
Elisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a focus on child development from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.
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Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
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In Janie’s prior role, she was the Vice President of Administration at Equal Justice Works, where she was responsible for leading human resources, financial operations, facilities management, and information technology. She was also accountable for developing and implementing Equal Justice Works Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy focused on attracting diverse, mission-oriented talent and creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. With more than fifteen years of private, federal, and not-for-profit experience, Janie is known for her intuitive skill in administration management, human resources management, designing and leading complex system change, diversity and inclusion, and social justice reform efforts.
Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
Janie began her career with Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic), where she held numerous roles of increasing responsibility, where she directed a diversity program that resulted in significant improvement in diversity profile measures. Janie was also a faculty member for the company’s Black Managers Workshop, a training program designed to provide managers of color with the skills needed to overcome barriers to their success that were encountered because of race. She initiated a company-wide effort to establish team-based systems and structures to impact corporate bottom line results which was recognized by the Department of Labor. Janie was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Human Resources Executive magazine.
Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
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