The devastating loss caused by the death of a child was felt 35 times in Australia last year as a result of drowning.
Learn to Swim Week aims to improve this statistic by giving children under five the opportunity to learn to swim whilst educating parents on the importance of learning water awareness and safety at a young age.
Local swim school owner Angela Rothwell hoped the week will prompt parents to take action and avoid becoming part of Australia’s shocking statistics.
“The last thing we want is for a parent to grieve over the death of their child knowing that there was more that could have been done,” Ms Rothwell said.
“Learn to Swim Week is a great way for our industry to emphasise how important water awareness and safety is for our kids.
Drowning fatalities of children aged 0-4 rose by six in 2015, making this age bracket a high concern for the Royal Life Saving Society as outlined in their 2016-2020 Australian Water Safety Strategy.
Father of four Alexander Swanger said that when he had his first child enrolled in swim lessons as soon as possible.
“It gives you that peace of mind knowing that even if you do take your eyes off of them for a couple of seconds, if an accident was to occur they have the knowledge and the skills to get themselves above the water and save themselves,” Mr Swanger said.
The transnational initiative co-founded by PoolWerx and KidsAlive runs at the end of September during the school holidays.
For more information about Learn To Swim Week, or to find an affiliated swim school near you, go to http://www.learntoswimweek.com.au/.
