CEKF Initiative to Prevent Childhood Drowning
Drowning is the single leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 in our country.
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like it does on TV.
There’s no splashing, no waving, no yelling. It’s silent and swift.
It can happen as fast as 30 seconds, the time it takes to send a text.
88% of drownings occur with at least one adult present.
Drowning is Preventable
Childhood drowning is a pervasive problem that touches all segments of society. There’s no magic bullet, no simple solution to solve for all the different causes. It will take a sustained, strategic, multiyear effort by multiple stakeholders on multiples fronts.
The CEKF Initiative to End Childhood Drowning is focused on three key strategies to eliminate drowning as a leading cause of death:
Awareness, Research, and Advocacy.
Our first step was to find a strategic partner…
Engaging the Experts
One stood out as the ideal partner:
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA).
At the time, the NDPA was a small, scrappy organization with passionate volunteers and a visionary Executive Director, Dr. Adam Katchmarchi.
Today, NDPA is a recognized leader in drowning prevention.
In 2020, we surveyed the landscape, researching the different players working in and around the water safety space.
1. Awareness
Woring to End “I Just Didn’t Know”
Messaging & Materials
We built a robust set of educational materials: videos, posters, infographics, blogs, social media content, and more.
These resources have become the gold stnadard for the industry and have influenced the American Red Cross, American Academy of Pediatrics, Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, and other leading organizations.
The People Parents Trust Most: Pediatricians
Despite the sobering statistics, drowning prevention isn’t something many pediatricians talk about. There are lots of reasons for this, including a lack of high-quality educational materials.
We addressed that.
In partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, we developed a custom toolkit of free materials to make it easy for providers to incorporate drowning prevention strategies into their practice.
When we began, there were hundreds of organizations working on this cause. All were saying different things. There was no consensus on what to tell parents to help keep their kids safe.
We cut through the noise with a single, unifying message:
The 5 layers of protection
Our messaging has since been adopted by many of the major players in the water safety and aquatics industry.
Amplifying Awareness
With high-quality assets in place, we launched a press and publicity campaign. The Media blitz was wildy successful, but to solve this problem we needed more than impressions; we needed daily dialogue.
We knew just the right people to engage parents and caregivers: pediatricians and pool professionals.
An Army Of ADvocates
Aquatics is a massive, $20 billion per year industry. And with more than 40,000 pool and spa professionals, we saw a unique opportunity.
We created an interactive booth that brought the 5 Layers to life, and brought it to the industry’s biggest trade shows.
We turned pool and spa pros into “Water Safety Champions,” and mobilized an industry that was once reluctant to discuss water safety into a megaphone to promote it.
2. Research
The First step toward policy change
In the fall of 2021, we hosted the first research summit exclusively dedicated to the problem of childhood drowning. We gathered 45 of the brightest minds and leading thinkers in water safety.
The goal was to develop a research agenda that could potentially unlock millions of dollars in federal, insurance, and philanthropic support.
Since our summit:
The National Institutes of Health published a call for research proposals to examine drowning prevention strategies.
The CDC announced plans for an in-depth analysis of childhood drownings in several states to better understand contributing factors.
A new program for pediatricians
Under the guidance of the American Academy of Pediatrics, we funded a critically needed Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program that uses NDPA resources to teach pediatricians how to effectively incorporate drowning prevention strategies into their practice.
The MOC Program has been proven to increase the amount of information a parent recalls, while decreasing the amount of time a provider has to spend counseling them.
Funding Research
To create change at scale, we’ll need the help of local organizations and national institutions. The best way to engaged all these players is through research and data.
We are currently studying the impact of an innovative, decades-long program in Broward County, FL, that offers all children free access to basic water safety instruction. If our research proves a link between swim lessons and safety, we will then develop a plan to bring this lifesaving instruction to all children, nationwide.
3. Advocacy
Relentless pursuit of water safety through a multitude of strategies
A national action plan
In 2014, the World Health Organization called on all nations to create an action plan to reduce drowning. Eight years later, the U.S. was the only developed nation that failed to do so.
That changed in 2023, when an alliance of nonprofits led by the NDPA released the first-ever U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan, a 10-year roadmap to address the crisis.
Dr. Adam Katchmarchi played a pivotal role in shaping the strategy, and the NDPA has been named the official steward, leading implementation efforts for the next 10 years.
Ending Misinformation
Many popular floaties were being billed as "learn to swim" devices, selling a false sense of confidence to parents and kids.
Their messaging was misleading at best—deadly at worst.
We acted to end dangerous product messaging.
We created a powerful video that called the industry to task and inspired thousands of impacted parents to sign our online petition.
Amazon, Walmart, Dick's, and other major retailers took note and have updated their marketing language.
Learn more about the CEKF Initiative to End Childhood Drowning
Please reach out to info @anonymousllc.com or tap the Contact Us button.