Kids Alive urge families to get children into swimming lessons

October 2, 2023

Aquatics / Education / Safety /

Under 5s water safety educators Kids Alive - Do the Five, has completed a drowning prevention campaign aimed at encouraging families to start learning to swim in time for the summer months - Australia's peak drowning season.

Held during the school holidays from 25th to 29th September, ‘Swim into Summer with Kids Alive’ was a national campaign involving swim schools across the country hosting free lessons and water safety education events.

Recognising that not all families can access in-person lessons, Kids Alive also offered five free online lessons as part of the program. The five online lessons consisted of video tutorials covering fundamental aspects of learning to swim, including water familiarisation, breath control, submersion, floating, and propulsion.

Led by seasoned learn-to-swim instructor Emma Lawrence, National Operations Manager at Kids Alive, these digital sessions aim to reach families everywhere, especially in regional areas where access to swim teachers may be difficult.

Lawrence explains that spring “is the moment for families to refocus on water safety and what they can do to keep their children safer in the water. Whether your child is already enrolled in traditional swim classes or is just starting their water journey, our online lessons serve as a powerful supplement.

“They not only reinforce what is taught by professional swim instructors but also empower families to take an active role in their child's skill development. It's a win-win situation that fast-tracks learning."

“Every child who learns to swim is a life potentially saved. By offering these free lessons both at swim schools and online we're not just teaching kids to swim; we're giving families hope and peace of mind."

Advising that the latest recent drowning statistics are encouraging, demonstrating a decrease in the number of Australian children aged zero to four who tragically lost their lives to drowning, Kids Alive founder Laurie Lawrence noted “recent statistics show a positive trend, with fewer Australian children aged zero to four losing their lives to drowning.

"This year, drowning deaths in the 0-4 year age group represented only 6% of drowning cases, marking a 6% decrease from last year and a 33% decrease from the 10-year average."

Belgravia Leisure Group Manager - Aquatics, Wayne Goldsmith sees that programs like Swim Into Summer are vital and to support it the majority of GOswim programs ran across Belgravia Leisure venues offered one free lesson to children under five.

Goldsmith added "we must remain vigilant and committed to promoting water safety and ensuring as many children as possible start official swimming lessons.

“Clear and effective drowning prevention measures exist, and we must maintain our dedication to impacting the drowning statistics in the most vulnerable under 5s."

Swim into Summer with Kids Alive was supported nationally by the major swimming associations including SWIM Australia, AUSTSWIM, the Australia Swim Schools Association and Belgravia Leisure.

Images: Emma Lawrence sahring her learn to swim skills (top) and Emma Lawrence and Laurie Lawrence promoting Swim into Summer with Kids Alive (below).

22nd September 2023 - Australian Swim Schools Association urges caution during extreme heat

15th September 2023 - Latest National Drowning report reveals rise of deaths among older men

5th September 2023 - Royal Life Saving highlights swim teacher and lifeguard shortages present opportunities for job seekers this summer

3rd August 2023 - Blacktown City Council raises water safety awareness on World Drowning Prevention Day

27th July 2023 - Royal Life Saving Society Australia named as founding member of Global Alliance for Drowning Prevention

25th July 2023 - Landmarks Go Blue to mark World Drowning Prevention Day

25th July 2023 - AUSTSWIM marks World Drowning Prevention Day with call for more Australians to become swim teachers

20th July 2023 - SWIM Australia and AUSTSWIM join forces to reduce drowning rate

5th June 2023 - Kids Alive spread water safety messages through new song collection

3rd June 2023 - World Aquatics welcomes WHA resolution on drowning prevention

16th April 2023 - Surf Life Saving NSW urges water safety vigilance following drownings on Easter Sunday

12th April 2023 - Upcoming South East Queensland Water Safety Forum looks to reduce region’s drowning rate

21st March 2023 - Lynxight Drowning Prevention Technology enters the Australian market

4th March 2023 - Summer drownings figures reveal 90 deaths across Australia

11th February 2023 - Drownings highlight need for education on rip currents

30th January 2023 - Belgravia Group’s Aquatics Manager Wayne Goldsmith inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame

10th January 2023 - Life Saving Victoria reiterates the importance of supervision as child drowning risk identified

9th November 2022 - More than 500 children lose their lives to drowning over past two decades

2nd August 2022 - Laurie Lawrence instructs Western Australia’s swimming instructors

28th May 2021 - ‘Famous Friends’ back Laurie Lawrence’s children’s water safety program

8th February 2021 - Laurie Lawrence repeats Kids Alive online swim sessions

4th March 2019 - Laurie Lawrence’s online resource aims to improve swim teaching around the world

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.