~ May marks the 20th Annual National Water Safety Month, and Leslie's, the leading direct-to-consumer pool and spa brand in the U.S., is teaming up with four-time Olympic swimming medalist Cullen Jones to raise awareness of the importance of swimming lessons, maintaining healthy and safe pool water, and securing pool areas.

According to a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll commissioned by Leslie's, only 63% of U.S. adults say they are very comfortable being around water, and as much as 36% of those surveyed say they do not know how to swim. The numbers are even more alarming for children; nearly half the parents of children under 18 years of age say their child does not know how to swim, and 61% say their child has not taken swimming lessons. Almost 30% of parents say they are concerned about their child drowning.

These concerns are well-founded; according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), every year in the U.S. there are an estimated 4,000 fatal drownings and 8,000 nonfatal drownings. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. among children ages one to four years with the majority of drownings occurring in swimming pools versus natural bodies of water. The CDC also reports that drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death in children and adolescents ages 5 to 19 years old, behind motor vehicle crashes.

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Cullen Jones nearly drowned at age five but his mother reacted by enrolling him in swimming lessons instead of keeping him out of the water; he thrived there and now advocates for swimming lessons as a way to prevent drownings from happening in future generations.

Leslie's is dedicated to helping its customers stay safe during swim season and all year long by spreading awareness about three primary tenets: maintaining healthy and safe water; ensuring a secure pool area; and encouraging swimming lessons and water safety education. To maintain clean and healthy water, regular testing is crucial to uphold proper water balance; Leslie's makes it easy with its free AccuBlue in-store water test and treatment plan which covers 10 parameters and generates a customized treatment plan for customers' pools so they can get their water back in balance quickly.

To encourage swimming lessons and education, Leslie's is proud to support the YMCA's World's Largest Swim Lesson on June 22nd at South Valley YMCA as well as donating 100% of customer donations from May 5th through October 31st split equally between YMCA & Boys & Girls Clubs of America who share Leslie's passion for water safety - having already contributed more than $500,000 combined over time - so that more people can learn how to swim safely this summer season!

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