Water Safety Week Victoria is a timely reminder for mums and dads of why baby swim lessons are just so important

Water Safety Week is a timely reminder that teaching kids to swim will help save lives.Jump! Swim Schools has more than 13,200 children and babies enrolled as actively learning to swim and we are backing this week-long swim safety event promoting water safety messages.

Early years swim instruction plays a big part in creating a safe summer lifestyle.

Over 50 per cent of students are aged under two years and that is testament to our understanding of how capable babies are and our abilities to teach babies as young as three months of age.

Hot off the press!

Victorian children will have to be able to swim at least 50m before they leave primary school under a radical new plan. The Victorian government is to bring in the benchmark to reduce fatal drownings. Currently 3 out of 5 children can’t swim when they leave primary school.

“That’s why students will learn about water safety, how to float and swim as part of their physical education classes under the new Victorian curriculum from term one next year,” said Education and Emergency Services Minister James Merlino.

A second water awareness campaign will be launched early next year and will focus on toddlers who are still at the highest risk of drowning.

The more children we have learning the life skill of swimming, the more chance we will see drowning statistics decline.