Josh the Baby Otter: teaching little kids to stay safe in and out of the water

WASILLA—The fourth annual “Josh the Baby Otter” water safety series returns next month at the Wasilla Alaska Club and Palmer Pool. There will be multiple opportunities for parents to take their children (ages 3 to 6) to learn essential water safety skills. The Susitna Rotary Club coordinates these Valley efforts in order to educate the public. All of it is free of charge.

“Drowning is the No. 1 cause of accidental deaths for kids in Alaska,” said event coordinator/Susitna Rotary member, Claire Horton. “We’re doing what we can to save lives in the Valley.”

Josh the Baby Otter is a book and nation-wide movement to educate young children about water safety after the accidental death of founders, Blake and Kathy Collingsworth’s child Joshua, the character’s namesake.

Horton said that Josh was only in about one foot of water when he drowned. Horton’s brother drowned to death when she was just a baby so when two Rotarians brought Josh the Baby Otter’s mission up here, she immediately flocked to it. Now, she coordinates the Valley’s efforts to promote the simple, yet lifesaving, “Josh the Otter Water Safety Pledge: I promise to be a good son or daughter. I promise to get an adult when I go near the water. This will keep me safe like Josh the baby otter.”

“What Smokey the Bear does for wildfire prevention, Josh the Baby Otter does for water safety,” Horton said.

She likened the Otter to the iconic bear, saying that a cute character like that makes the education fun and easier to digest with the younger audiences.

Each class will focus on pre-school to kindergarten children, who are the most likely to drown. Horton said that she coordinated with the Alaska Office of Boating Safety to modify the award-winning Kids Don’t Float program. There will be four stations: life jackets, simple rescues, canoe safety and floating on your back. Instructors will show each child how to flip and float on their back (like an otter) if they find themselves in trouble in the water. This is a simple yet lifesaving skill, according to Horton.

“Swimmers and non-swimmers are invited,” Horton said.

According to Tim Pickard, Palmer/Wasilla Pool Manager, the biggest risk for children is lack of supervision. That’s why children nine and under are required to be accompanied by and an adult or “responsible teen” at any pool in the Mat-Su Valley.

“You have to be ready for anything to happen,” Pickard said.

He’s been a lifeguard for 30 years. A lifeguard’s job is of course, to stay vigilant and keep their eyes and ears peeled for any signs of distress.

“We’re not just up there to look pretty,” he said.

Aurora Watson has been the water safety instructor / life guard, life guard instructor 13 years at the Palmer Pool. Her favorite classes to teach are parent/child-centered, so she is eager to have the Josh the Baby Otter series in her domain.

“Hopefully we can incorporate some of their skills into our own programs,” Watson said.

She said that when it comes to water safety, parents need to talk to their kids and drill them regularly on water safety, be it at the pool or on the lake.

“We’re teaching them to safely cross the street,” Watson said. “We need to be teaching them what it means to be safe around all kinds of bodies of water. It can be just as dangerous as a busy road.”

Josh the Baby Otter water safety schedule:

Alaska Club

05/03- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

05/05- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

05/10- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Palmer Pool

05/12- 2 to 3:30 p.m. or 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Josh the Baby Otter will be at every class to sing and dance with kids. Each kid will get a free copy of the book with other goodies like coloring books and stickers.

To register for classes online, visit: www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0c4eaea623abfd0-josh