The team behind Australia’s leading swim program, GOswim is urging parents not to wait until kids go back to school after summer holidays to enrol their children in swimming lessons.
GOswim has revealed that January 24th – which falls towards the end of summer and the start of term one – is the most popular date for parents to enrol their children in swimming lessons, leaving many kids vulnerable over summer if they don’t have the skills required to save themselves in an aquatic emergency.
With 2.8 million lessons delivered annually across the country, GOswim’s robust data shows an uplift in enrolments at a time when days at the beach, a river or a local swimming pool are about to ramp down as the weather cools and school starts back up.
Kirk Marks, GOswim General Manager says: “Too often we are seeing kids with inadequate swimming skills taking on aquatic situations out of their depth over summer. It’s best to play it safe and enrol your children in swimming and water safety lessons early – before summer starts – to ensure they’re used to the water before summer comes along and so they can learn the skills needed to stay safe in and around the water.
“Your children can also practice what they have learned in their GOswim lessons when they are swimming in the pool, river or at the beach during summer.”
Marks also issues a plea to parents, “No matter their swimming ability, children should always be supervised when in or around the water. Please don’t rely on the lifeguards at the beach or your local swimming pool to supervise and remember; parents supervise, lifeguards save lives”.
Participating in lessons leading into summer allows the reinforcement of water safety skills but also just as important, water safety messaging and understanding. Participants of the GOswim program learn a number of key messages through the months leading into summer as they prepare for the busiest swimming activity period.
Swimmers are prepared through initiatives such as Water Safety Week, SwimSafer Week and the Float to Survive with GOswim campaign, all of which provide a combination of practical and theoretical lessons for learners at all levels.
To learn more about GOswim visit goswimaustralia.com.au
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