“We think it’s important to stay at that.”The mayor’s budget cuts to parks and libraries have been unpopular. The swim program financed by the Gray Foundation will be a pilot, providing 2,000 second graders with swim lessons near their homes. The swim lessons are part of a broader effort to prevent children from drowning and to address racial disparities in learning to swim. Drowning is the leading cause of death in the United States for children ages 1 to 4, and the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 5 to 14 after vehicle crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2017 health survey found that roughly one in three Black and Asian students and about one in four Latino students in New York cannot swim.

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Persons: ”, Adams, Gray, Blackstone, Mindy, Kathy Hochul Organizations: Gray Foundation, Centers for Disease Control Locations: United States, New York