Childhood Drowning Prevention Initiative

Drowning is the single leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 in our country. It is fast, silent, and not what people expect. A lack of understanding and awareness is pervasive because people just don’t want to talk about this.

What’s happening in this space

Childhood drowning is often a preventable tragedy. The story for far too many families is often the same. The family spent the day having fun around water, and later in the day, when nobody was watching, the young child went back to the pool or lake for more fun.

What’s missing

It’s critical that more parents and caregivers understand the realities of the danger water presents, and for more parents to have the tools to protect their kids around water.

Why this initiative is needed now

This initiative is needed now because we are about to enter the summer season, which is historically when most childhood drownings occur. It’s critical that we get the word out.

Our mission

• To end drowning as the leading cause of death among children ages 1-4 in the United States.
• To ensure that no parents ever need utter the words, “I just didn’t know.”
• To develop drowning prevention programs and solutions for the autistic community.

Who it serves: Children, primarily under 5; families; pediatricians; and children with autism.

Core strategy

Strategy 1: Partner with Pediatricians

Pediatricians present the greatest opportunity for reaching parents of children who are under 4. CDPI provides free resources such as educational toolkits, videos, and educational protocols to help pediatricians to educate parents and caregivers. To date, thousands of pediatricians have taken part, potentially reaching millions of parents.

Strategy 2: Awareness Campaigns

Two of the biggest barriers to preventing drowning are the lack of awareness of the problem and the need to overcome misperceptions. CDPI engages prominent partners at the local and national levels to raise awareness. We define the message and deploy it creatively through social media, websites, special events, and more. “The Five Layers of Protection” campaign addresses the best ways that parents can protect their children.

“I just didn’t know,” is a tragic and all too common theme. Parents and caregivers want to protect their children, but they can’t if they are operating under false information. Empathy, education, and awareness are the most important aspects of this work for long-term change.

Strategy 3: Community Engagement and Accessibility

Beginning in San Diego, CDPI collaborates with local partners, including the YMCA, to expand access through free swim lessons and community events for families with young children.

Strategy 4: Support Families with Children Who are Autistic

Through partnerships with trained instructors and local organizations in San Diego, CDPI supports specialized swim instruction and community experiences for children with autism, a population disproportionately impacted by drowning risk.

How we measure success

Success is measured by the number of pediatricians reached with our pediatrician toolkit, the number of families reached through our awareness efforts and campaigns, the number of children and swimming programs to receive direct support such as free swim lessons and supplies, and the number of swim instructors who are taught to give swim lessons to children with autism.

2025 San Diego community statistics

• 1,000% increase in adaptive swim instructor capacity
• 500+ children reached through the YMCA pilot program
• 300+ families supported through parent/tot workshops
• 600+ children served by the citywide toddler swim safety program across six sites
• 1.27M+ media views across six segments featuring San Diego’s World’s Largest Swim Lesson

Overall campaign statistics

• ~20B media impressions
• Tens of millions of social media views
• 2,500+ pediatrician toolkits distributed reaching millions of families
• 1M+ #FirstSport PSA views
• 1M+ views of “Layers Of Protection” video
• 150+ partners in alignment

How impact will be tracked: Data is gathered through our extensive network of partners and partner organizations, via media reporting metrics, and through direct grants to specific organizations.

Reporting cadence: Annual updates, comprehensive visual report annually.

Decision-making and updates

Who is responsible: The team at Anonymous Philanthropy is led by a seasoned expert in the drowning prevention space along with a team that includes partnership development, youth engagement, marketing, public relations and events.

How often strategy is reviewed: Strategy is reviewed and set annually.

Key collaborators: YMCA San Diego, Swim Angelfish, the City of San Diego, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, Nike Swim, Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Subject matter experts

Ben Hoffman MD CPST-I FAAP

Dr. Hoffman is a pediatrician and nationally recognized expert in child injury prevention and education. Dr. Hoffman began advocating for safer car seat policies and practices in the 1990s, and led a push to change laws in New Mexico and Oregon. Those efforts were rewarded with his 2019 induction into the National Child Passenger Safety Hall of Fame. Most recently, his research and work on SIDS prevention led to a new federal rule banning all products marketed for infant sleep that have more than a 10 degree incline (ie. rockers and bouncers). Ben is a professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine, and very active in the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is the former chair of the AAP’s Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention Council, and is the incoming president of the AAP.

Dr. Adam Katchmarchi

Dr. Adam Katchmarchi is the Vice President of Educational Development at the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and former Executive Director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA). An expert in water safety, Adam helped lead the development of the first U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan and has worked to elevate drowning prevention education among pediatricians and communities nationwide. He received a National Swimming Pool Foundation Fellowship Award in 2014 and has been recognized twice by Aquatic International as a Power Award recipient, first in 2012 as a “Next Generation Leader in the Field of Aquatics” and again in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential People in the Aquatic Industry.”

Success story

“It is amazing to work with a group of creative, thoughtful, innovative and talented outside-the-box thinkers to work to address a challenge as daunting as preventing childhood drowning. I have been involved in work to improve the health and well-being of kids for over 30 years, and had never before been given the opportunity and freedom to really dig in on a problem and partner with families to create programs and resources that really get to the heart of the issue. The Childhood Drowning Prevention Initiative opened avenues and doors that I never even knew existed!”

Ben Hoffman MD CPST-I FAAP, Past-President, American Academy of Pediatrics