---
title: "Big Blue Swim School President and Founder Chris DeJong Joins WGN News to Discuss Swimming Safety"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/5590c101-7052-483f-9c43-b368753aba54
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/big-blue-swim-school-president-and-founder-chris-dejong-joins-wgn-news-to-discuss-swimming-safety-2716048
category: "Swim"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
segment: "Swim"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2021-06-23T16:11:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:16:17.324Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/4884b8cc377dd5b9c094790cc63f41f95648.jpg
---

# Big Blue Swim School President and Founder Chris DeJong Joins WGN News to Discuss Swimming Safety

**TL;DR:** Big Blue Swim School President and Founder Chris DeJong discusses swimming safety on WGN News, emphasizing the importance of formal swim lessons in reducing the risk of drowning. According to DeJong, consistent swim lessons are key to teaching water safety.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-06-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/big-blue-swim-school-president-and-founder-chris-dejong-joins-wgn-news-to-discuss-swimming-safety-2716048).*

## Story

Unfortunately, statistics show 10 people die every day from accidental drownings, and it is the number one injury-related death for children between one and four years old. However, with proper safety measures, kids can stay much safer around water.

According to the CDC, formal swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning up to 88%. According to Chris DeJong, founder of Big Blue Swim School, this is a vital summer to enroll children in formal swim lessons because the pandemic not only caused an education gap in schools but also in life skills.

“We’ve found staying consistent with swim lessons is really the most important factor in seeing success and teaching water safety, “ DeJong stated.

Additionally, he noted that when parents are with young children around water, it is important to designate a ‘water watcher’. Drowning is often silent and difficult to spot, and it can be even more difficult to see when there are many people in the water. It is not recommended to only rely on lifeguards or other professionals.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Education & Childcare (sector)
- Big Blue Swim School (company)
- Chris DeJong (person)
- CDC (regulator)
- drowning prevention (topic)
- swimming safety (topic)
- formal swim lessons (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/big-blue-swim-school-president-and-founder-chris-dejong-joins-wgn-news-to-discuss-swimming-safety-2716048). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/5590c101-7052-483f-9c43-b368753aba54).