Safe Kids Worldwide and the American Red Cross Join Forces to Expand Water Safety Education with “WHALE Tales” Program

Washington, D.C. — Safe Kids Worldwide is proud to announce a new collaboration with the American Red Cross to expand the reach of the Red Cross Longfellow’s WHALE Tales Water Safety for Children education program. This collaboration brings together two nationally recognized organizations with a shared commitment to drowning prevention — particularly among the youngest and most vulnerable children.

“WHALE Tales” is a fun, engaging, and age-appropriate program that teaches children essential water safety skills through storytelling and interactive lessons. Designed for use in schools, camps, and community organizations, the program teaches children how to recognize dangerous situations, follow safety rules, and make smart decisions when in or around water — whether at the pool, beach, or at home.

“Nearly 3,000 children ages 0-19 years fatally drowned in the United States from 2021-2023, and drowning is the leading cause of death among 1–4-year-olds,” said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide. “We know learning basic swimming and water safety skills can save lives and we’re excited to join the American Red Cross and introduce the joys of water recreation and water safety education to more families, schools, and communities across the country.”

“Having a collaborator like Safe Kids Worldwide is an exciting development to further spread the word about water safety,” said Connie Harvey. “The more voices we have to teach kids about how to be water smart and help them be safer in, on and around the water, the more drownings we can help prevent. WHALE Tales, available in English and Spanish, is a fun way to help raise awareness about how to enjoy the water safely for the whole family.”

The Red Cross WHALE Tales program has already reached tens of thousands of children with life-saving tips and education. Through this new relationship, Safe Kids Worldwide and the American Red Cross will actively work to expand distribution and educator preparation to equip even more communities with the tools they need to reduce risk, prevent drowning, and save lives.

To learn more, educators, youth program leaders, and community partners are encouraged to visit www.safekids.org or www.redcross.org/WHALETales.

About Safe Kids Worldwide

Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to reduce unintentional injuries to children ages 0-19 and build sustained systems that support injury prevention. Safe Kids works with strategic partners and an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, sleep-related deaths, falls, burns, poisonings, and more.

About The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international