Drown-proofing children

“One, two, three, jump. Kick, kick, kick. Reach and pull. All the way up.”

Eighteen-month-old Sydney Drummond responds to these commands by swimming toward the blue tiles that line the walls of her Newport Beach pool, reaching for the side and pulling herself up and out of the water for a breath of air.

Steffie Delacruz, the swimming instructor who has devoted her life to “drown-proofing kids,” is right there with praise, smiles and applause for Sydney, who can’t wait to get back in the water and do it all again.

Delacruz, a long-time resident of Costa Mesa, has been teaching children to swim for the last 33 years, and believes every child should learn in their own pool.

“They should know every nook and cranny, because that’s the pool they’re using, and repetition is the most important thing,” she says.

Being familiar with the layout of the pool — knowing where the side is, how far the side is from the steps and having a sense of the distance from one spot to another can be helpful if a child is in distress, Delacruz says.

She emphasizes to all parents, though, they should never let their guard down and assume children are protected from drowning because they are learning to swim.

“Children are little Houdinis, and I tell parents that anything can happen in seconds … they’ll find any reason to slip through anything at any time.”

Most accidents happen on the sides of the pool, where children can trip, hit their head and then fall in the water, Delacruz says.

Debbie Drummond searched for almost a year to find someone who would teach a child under the age of 3 to swim. She says she’s amazed at what Sydney can do after only 10 15-minute lessons with Delacruz.

“London Bridge” is one of the exercises the two practice that Drummond described as “the craziest thing I’ve ever seen” after Sydney performed it perfectly with her instructor.

Delacruz stood in the water, the baby held her breath, went under, swam through her teacher’s legs and then came to the surface for air.

Newport Beach mom Josselyn Lowell’s son is also being taught by Delacruz.

Jeffrey is 2 ½ , and while Lowell is dealing with the “terrible twos,” Delacruz has no problem getting him to follow instructions.

“Oh my gosh, she is amazing and very patient with the kids,” Lowell said.

Delacruz said each child is different and develops coordination and strength in their own time.

“I’m very honest with parents and tell them that if the child can’t grip on to the side of the pool, they’re not ready for lessons yet.”

Delacruz will teach children as young as 6 months if they’re ready and has 13 students of different ages taking lessons this summer.

As a certified Red Cross water safety instructor, Delacruz is qualified to work with handicapped children as well. More than 30 years ago, she taught Michael Lewis, who has cerebral palsy. Lewis, now 39, still lives in Newport Beach. His mother Nancy said his love for the water has been with him all along.

“It was a wonderful experience because my son with cerebral palsy could do something like other kids,” Nancy Lewis said.

To register for lessons, call Steffie at (949) 836-2761.

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