Too many children are drowning. These changes can help.

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death among young kids. This is a travesty — and a fixable problem.

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death among young kids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported. In 2022, the latest data available, 461 children ages 1 to 4 drowned, an increase of 28 percent from 2019.

The disturbing report also documented significant racial disparities. This is consistent with a 2023 analysis from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which found that 21 percent of all drowning deaths were among African American children. Among 5- to 14-year-olds, African Americans made up 45 percent of deaths.

These numbers tell a grim story of tragedy and inequity. Here are three policy changes that can help save lives:

1. Increase supervised community swimming spaces.

The CPSC report shows that 80 percent of child drownings occurred in residential settings. That means most kids died in their own home or that of a neighbor, family member or friend. Of these drownings, 91 percent were kids younger than 5.

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There are several reasons residential settings can be especially hazardous. In many instances, the kids were playing without adequate supervision, or they were supervised by older children or adults who don’t know how to swim.

Increased access to community swimming spaces, such as lifeguarded pools and beaches, can improve safety. It can also help reduce inequities. The CDC study included survey data that showed 67 percent of Black adults spent no time at a swimming pool in the past six months, compared with 44 percent of White adults. Communities should invest in recreation centers with year-round pools as well as efforts to make more natural bodies of water swimmable.

2. Ensure there are enough lifeguards.

Last year, a third of the country’s 309,000 public swimming pools were closed or opened only sporadically because of a growing lifeguard shortage, the American Lifeguard Association reported. This is a travesty — and a fixable problem.

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Solutions include making lifeguard training free, incorporating that education into high school and university curriculums, and increasing pay and offering more flexible hours to attract more employees.

There should also be more opportunities for people to make lifeguarding their profession. Traditionally, many lifeguards are teenagers who see the work as a one-time rite of passage. To ensure an........

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