Kids Don't Float

About Kids Don't Float:

Kids Don’t Float (KDF) is a statewide injury prevention program that was developed to address Alaska's high child and youth drowning rate. In a collaborative effort between several state and federal agencies, organizations, and local grass-roots sponsors, Kids Don't Float now includes both the KDF Life Jacket Loaner Board Program and the KDF Education Program.

To learn more about the Kids Don’t Float Life Jacket Loaner Board Program, including where you can donate life jackets, how to become a loaner board sponsor, or how to order life jackets for a loaner board you currently sponsor, click here.

To learn more about the Kids Don’t Float Education Program, including how to request a boating safety class or pool session, what the curriculum covers, and how you can get involved, click here.

History of the Kids Don’t Float Program:

Kids Don't Float began in Homer, Alaska, in early 1996. The Homer Fire Department, with a grant from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, collaborated with Homer Safe Kids, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Homer School District to establish 15 life jacket loaner stations in communities around Kachemak Bay. The stations, or "loaner boards," display life jackets that can be borrowed at no cost and returned after use. The public response was so positive that, in November of the same year, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Section of Community Health and EMS, the U.S. Coast Guard District 17 Recreational Boating Safety Program, and Alaska Safe Kids partnered on an expansion. In 2000, the newly established State Office of Boating Safety joined the partnership.