As a manager at one of the Valley's premier swim schools, my job is to help kids be safe around the water. Never once would I claim to make a child "drown-proof," but if a child were to fall into the pool, my job is to make sure they know how to get back to the wall and take a breath if needed, no matter what age they are.

Swim lessons are not a replacement for pool barriers or parent supervision, but it is possible for children under the age of 4 to learn to swim. We see the proof on a daily basis at our swim school.

Our students, many of them 4 years or younger, can swim across our pool by kicking and rolling over to take a breath, some even doing their freestyle arms.

Maybe if more children were enrolled in swim lessons before the age of 4, there would fewer 1- to 2-year-olds drowning each year.

Reproduced with permission from: The Arizona Republic By Jennifer Schroder ©Copyright 2007 Arizona Republic