Natasha Foreman is making a huge splash in her Florida community.
To uplift her community and change disparity, the entrepreneur launched Natasha’s Nurturing Nest, an agency that supports families and provides a safe space for children. According to Scripps News, the swim program offered at the agency is near and dear to Foreman, who said she never knew how to swim. “We were afraid of the water. My mom was afraid of the water. No one could swim,” she shared.
Foreman prioritized learning as an adult and sought lessons from a colleague when she was 30 years old. Her determination to get used to being in the water led her to become a swim coach. It wasn’t long before she noticed the scarcity of Black and Brown children taking lessons. “Just being in environments where there are little to no Black and brown children in the pool learning to swim, and me being the only Black or brown coach in the water teaching other children to swim, I wanted to support my culture,” Foreman said.
Aware of the drownings in the U.S., which Stop Drowning Now says averaged nearly 3,500 to 4,000 people per year, Foreman noted how important it is for children to become experts in the water. The organization reported that 64% of African Americans have few to no swimming skills, and African American children aged five to nine drown at rates 5.5 times higher than white children. “Doggy paddling is what parents consider knowing how to swim, but actually, your child doesn’t know how to swim unless they know how to save themselves in the water,” Foreman said.
Natasha’s Nurturing Nest offers home management and nanny services for families in Sarasota, Bradenton, and surrounding areas in Florida. The agency offers year-round swimming, available for families with heated pools. Lessons are also available for families with a residential or community pool.
Swim lessons are $35 per child for each 30-minute session. A small commute fee is applied.
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