State Directors & RAC Chairs Smart Start Request

The ACA is pleased to share core paddling principles that will keep you, your friends, and your family safe on the water and creating lasting memories for years to come. Learning the principles and information presented here will help increase fun and decrease accidents on the water. ACA’s Smart Start for Safe Paddling is a holistic program which features comprehensive books, student activity workbooks, free online coursework, facilitator’s guide with presentation slides, and a wide collection of complementary resources. As part of National Safe Boating Week, ACA hosted a virtual panel discussion about the Smart Start program. In this presentation we discussed:

The Smart Start for Safe Paddling suite of resources:

Curriculum Textbook
Student Workbook
Facilitator’s Guide
Free Online Paddling Safety Course, and more!
Illustrations of the resource content, including the National Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) Strategic Plan and ANSI/NASBLA standards alignment
Opportunities for collaboration: how organizations and agencies can co-brand these resources for free
- No need to reinvent the wheel – use these resources however they best suit your needs
- Include your organization’s name, logo, website URL, and any other specific information
- Contact sei@americancanoe.org for more information

Here are some helpful links – feel free to share!

Meeting Recording
Presentation Slides
Smart Start for Safe Paddling webpage & FAQs
Free Online Paddling Safety Course – Available in both English and Spanish
ACA Store to purchase any of these items – Books are available in quantities of 1, 10, and 25 – and discounts apply to higher quantities
Amazon Storefront – Offers both print books and digital copies via Amazon Kindle

On behalf of the ACA, thank you for your commitment to building a safe and accessible paddling community. We cannot make the world a safer place to paddle without the support and input from dedicated paddlers, educators, and volunteers like you – and your contributions are valuable! To increase fun and decrease accidents on the water, we created this resource for everyone – you do not need to be an ACA member, certified instructor, or have taken an ACA course to use this resource collection. We believe that information accessibility will open the doors for increased engagement and build a bridge to on-water instruction.

The ACA is pleased to offer current, elected State Directors and RAC Regional Chairs a complimentary Smart Start for Safe Paddling book collection.

Important notes:

We are only able to send one set of the books per person
This offer is for elected State Directors and RAC Regional Chairs only
You must attend a live Smart Start for Safe Paddling Zoom Presentation or watch the recording linked above
Please do not share this page / form with others. Thank you!

RAC - Smart Start Resources Request Form

This form is to be used by ACA State Directors and RAC Regional Chairs to request a copy of the ACA's Smart Start for Safe Paddling safety and education books.

First Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

Email(Required)

Your State Director / Regional Chair Title(Required)

Street Address(Required)

City(Required)

State(Required)

Zip Code(Required)

I attended the 5/21/25 zoom presentation or watched the recording.(Required)

Yes

I have visited the Smart Start for Safe Paddling webpage on the ACA website.(Required)

Yes

I am requesting a Smart Start for Safe Paddling (Check all that apply):(Required)

Textbook

Student Workbook

Facilitator's Guide