While the Labor Day weekend provides one last opportunity for fun on and in the water, the American Red Cross wants to remind you that you still must exercise caution.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the U.S. The CDC says an average of 10 people — half of them age 14 and under — die from drowning every day.

A Red Cross survey found that more than half of Americans either can’t swim or lack some basic swimming skills. That’s why Red Cross Preparedness Disaster Program Manager Linda Medford urges everyone, especially parents, to take simple precautions to ensure that this summer ends on a fun note, not a tragic one.

“We want to make sure that everyone knows how to swim,” Medford said. “And don’t go swimming alone — have a ‘Water Watcher.’ It’s important that there’s someone there looking out for them, regardless of their age.”

The Red Cross has been offering swimming and water safety lessons for children and adults for more than a century. Since the start of the Red Cross Aquatics Centennial Campaign in 2014, the Red Cross has provided more than 116,300 sets of swim lessons and trained more than 17,000 parents and caregivers with water safety knowledge and first aid skills, including how to perform CPR and use an AED. Medford adds that more than 300,000 people enroll in Red Cross lifeguard classes nationwide every year.

“We work with swim instructors in various cities and various organizations, such as the YMCA or youth centers and youth clubs, to teach students how to swim and to know all of the safety features of being around the water,” Medford said. “Preventing unsupervised access to the water, providing constant, active adult supervision and knowing how to swim are the critical layers of protection needed to prevent drowning.”

She notes that there are five basic “water competency” skills that everyone should master, in sequence: The ability to step or jump in water over your head, to return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute, to turn around in a full circle and find an exit, to swim 25 yards to an exit, and the ability to exit a pool without use of a ladder.

“Those are the five basic water safety skills that you need to know that you can do,” Medford said. “If you can’t, then you need someone there who is watching the water. We want to make sure we take turns so that we can all enjoy the time we have with our family and friends in the water.”

In addition to swim, lifeguard and first aid classes, the Red Cross has developed an app to assist parents and caregivers of children learning how to swim. It helps track each swimmer’s skills and provides useful information and videos on a variety of water safety topics. The Red Cross Swim App is available for Android and Apple devices. Download links are available at redcross.org/mobileapps.

“By taking very simple precautions, we can ensure that everyone enjoys their time in and on the water,” Medford said.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information about volunteering or contributing to the Red Cross’s mission, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS, visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCross.