Objectives-To determine the effects of training in swimming and water safety on young preschool children's ability to recover safely from a simulated episode of falling into a swimming pool. Design-Randomized trial of 12 or eight weeks' duration water safety and swimming lessons for children 24 to 42 months old.Outcome measures-Swimming ability, deck behavior, water recovery, and swimming to side after jumping into pool were measured before, during, and after the training program. Results-109 children completed the study (61 in the 12 week group, 48 in the eight week group). The average age was 34-2 months, 54% were male. Swimming ability, deck behavior, water recovery, and jump and swim skills improved over baseline levels in both groups. By the end of training, the 12 week group improved more than the eight week group only in swimming ability. Improvements in water recovery and jump and swim skills were associated positively with changes in swimming ability. Conclusions-Swimming ability and safety skills of young preschool children can be improved through training. Such programs may offer some protection for children at risk ofdrowning and there was no indication that this program increased the risk of drowning. However, pool fencing, other barriers around water, and parental supervision still remain the most important prevention strategies to reduce drowning in young children. (Injury Prevention 1995; 1: 228-233)

An abbreviated version of a paper submitted to the Journal in July 1978, and prepared while the first author was in the Department of Child Development and Family Relations, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The study was supported in part by a Title XX Special Projects Grant to the North Carolina Training Center for Infant‐Toddler Care.

Pedestrian injuries remain the most common cause of death from trauma for young school-age children. This study was based on the hypothesis that parents' abilities to accurately assess their children's street-crossing skills vary with the crossing test and age of the children, being less accurate for younger children. Children at three developmental levels (aged 5 through 6, 7 through 8, and 9 through 10 years) and their parents were evaluated on four street-crossing tests and a control vocabulary test. For each test, children's answers were compared to parents' estimates of their children's performance. Parents overestimated the abilities of their 5- through 6-year-olds on all four tests (P < .01). Parents overestimated the abilities of 7- through 8-year-olds on two of the tests (P < .05) and parents accurately assessed the abilities of the 9- through 10-year-olds. On the vocabulary test, parents overestimated their children's performance at all age levels (P < .01). The results support the hypothesis and indicate that parents' expectations for their children's pedestrian skills are least accurate for 5- and 6-year-olds, with the mismatch decreasing as children get older. Inaccurate expectations of children's pedestrian skills may be a fruitful target for injury prevention programs.

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