OKEECHOBEE — In the state of Florida, 98 children drowned in 2021. According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children. Each year, in the United States, approximately 4,000 people die from unintentional drowning and about 8,000 nearly drown.

The CDC website explains that some people are at a higher risk of drowning. This includes children between the ages of 1 and 4, males and people with seizure disorders, autism or heart conditions.

Missie Peaden, an Okeechobee County school bus driver is also one of the most sought-after swim teachers in the area. Any time someone asks about a swim-instructor for his children, Peaden’s name is sure to come up.

Referring to a pamphlet titled “Live Like Jake,” Peaden said there are five important keys to water safety:

• Adult supervision – the number one defense is adult supervision. No level of water skills can replace this.
• Pool fences – They recommend a permanent 4-sided fence with a self-locking gate.
• Alarms – Make sure every door and window in the home has an alarm.
• Survival swim lessons – ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) is one of the most highly recommended programs to teach children not just to be comfortable in the water but to survive!
• CPR – It is essential that adults and even older children learn CPR and update their skills regularly.

Peaden said if it were up to her, all schools would teach CPR.

OKEECHOBEE — In the state of Florida, 98 children drowned in 2021. According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children. Each year, in the United States, approximately 4,000 people die from unintentional drowning and about 8,000 nearly drown.

The CDC website explains that some people are at a higher risk of drowning. This includes children between the ages of 1 and 4, males, people with seizure disorders, autism or heart conditions.

Missie Peaden, an Okeechobee County school bus driver is also one of the most sought-after swim teachers in the area. Any time someone asks about a swim-instructor for his children, Peaden’s name is sure to come up.

Referring to a pamphlet titled “Live Like Jake,” Peaden said there are five important keys to water safety:

• Adult supervision – the number one defense is adult supervision. No level of water skills can replace this.
• Pool fences – They recommend a permanent 4-sided fence with a self-locking gate.
• Alarms – Make sure every door and window in the home has an alarm.
• Survival swim lessons – ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) is one of the most highly recommended programs to teach children not just to be comfortable in the water but to survive!
• CPR – It is essential that adults and even older children learn CPR and update their skills regularly.

Peaden said if it were up to her, all schools would teach CPR.

Peaden has twin daughters who are now adults. She enrolled them in swimming classes as young children and knew one day she wanted to become an instructor. The training was rigorous though, requiring eight weeks of training. Peaden actually moved to the area where the classes were taught so she could immerse herself in the training.

Choosing the ISR method was a no-brainer for Peaden. She had heard of many cases of children drowning after having successfully completing swimming lessons. “What good were they if they did not help the children live?” she asked herself.

One of the most difficult cases Peaden heard about involved little Jake Roarke Morrison. Jake drowned six weeks before his third birthday. He and his parents were on vacation when Jake slipped out of the house and fell off the dock into the Intercoastal. By the time he was found, it was too late to save him.

Jake’s parents Keri and Roarke have made it their life mission to make ISR lessons available to every family who needs them. They offer a scholarship and can be reached at 561-316-4924 or at livelikejake@gmail.com or www.livelikejake.com.

ISR training teaching children how to survive until help arrives, said Peaden. The problem with most swimming lessons is that they teach the children to try to swim to safety themselves, but that is not always possible. We teach them to flip over onto their backs and float. They must relax. I have even had one child fall asleep while floating on her back. She slept for about 10 minutes before I woke her up.

Peaden took her training seven years ago and each year must complete additional training in order to keep up her license. The program calls for five lessons per week, 10 minutes per day. This is because studies conclude this is the best for young children’s attention spans, she said. The lessons cost $125 per week for children age 6 months to 6 years, $100 per week for age 7 and up and $50 per week for adults. There is also a registration fee for the 6 months to 6 years age group. There are a number of scholarships available to help with the cost, so Peaden asks that no one hesitate to call because they can’t afford it.

“The number one thing to remember if your child is missing is to check the nearest body of water,” said Peaden. “The sooner you reach your child, the better.”

She said she also read a recommendation to have a pool watcher when you have parties. You make a lanyard that says Pool watcher. Volunteers take turns wearing it for 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes, they do not take their eyes off the water. They do not carry their cell phones. They do not talk to others. She said the reason they take 10-minute shifts is to keep it from being so long that the person doing the job gets bored or distracted.

Peaden has twin daughters who are now adults. She enrolled them in swimming classes as young children and knew one day she wanted to become an instructor herself. The training was rigorous though, requiring eight weeks of training. Peaden actually moved to the area where the classes were taught so she could immerse herself in the training.

Choosing the ISR method was a no-brainer for Peaden. She had heard of many cases of children drowning after having successfully completing swimming lessons. “What good were the lessons if they did not help the children live?” she asked herself.

One of the most difficult cases Peaden heard about involved little Jake Roarke Morrison. Jake drowned six weeks before his third birthday. He and his parents were on vacation when Jake slipped out of the house and fell off the dock into the Intercoastal. By the time he was found, it was too late to save him.

Jake’s parents Keri and Roarke have made it their life's mission to make ISR lessons available to every family who needs them. They offer a scholarship and can be reached at 561-316-4924 or at livelikejake@gmail.com or www.livelikejake.com.

ISR training teaching children how to survive until help arrives, said Peaden. "The problem with most swimming lessons is that they teach the children to try to swim to safety themselves, but that is not always possible. We teach them to flip over onto their backs and float. They must relax. I have even had one child fall asleep while floating on her back. She slept for about 10 minutes before I woke her up."

Peaden took her training seven years ago and each year must complete additional training in order to keep up her license. The program calls for five lessons per week, 10 minutes per day. This is because studies conclude this is the best for young children’s attention spans, she said. The lessons cost $125 per week for children age 6 months to 6 years, $100 per week for age 7 and up and $50 per week for adults. There is also a registration fee for the 6 months to 6 years age group. There are a number of scholarships available to help with the cost, so Peaden asks that no one hesitate to call because they think they can’t afford it.