Infant swimming the key to cutting drowning rates

In the wake of the latest statistics that revealed an overall increase in national drowning deaths this year, Australia’s largest national swim school provider is emphasising the need for swimming to be taught early as a life skill for all Australians.

JUMP! Swim Schools Managing Director Ian Campbell explains "children under five are a high priority for drowning prevention initiatives and the statistics reinforce the importance of all children to develop water confidence and swimming skills by the time they are primary school age.

“We have seen a 31% increase in babies learning to swim since this time seven years ago, so we’re definitely seeing a lot more parents realising how important it is to get their kids into lessons before they start school.”

The new 2017 Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report showed a 32% increase in drownings among children aged four years and under with a total of 29 fatalities, with 45% of these drownings occurred in backyard swimming pools. 

Campbell commended Royal Life Saving Society - Australia’s commitment to reducing the number of drowning deaths in Australia and supports Royal Life Saving Chief Executive Justin Scarr’s urging of parents to ensure that their children participate in programs to build vital water safety skills to prevent drowning and promote lifelong safe aquatic activity.

Campbell believes “it’s a matter of re-educating parents to realise that swimming lessons isn’t just for sport and fitness - it is a safety measure which can save lives.

“Learning to swim isn’t just for older kids. 46% of our students are under 4 years old 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. In fact, one of our most popular levels is our three to nine month old baby class.” JUMP! Swim Schools - with 50 centres open across the country, a further 50 to open within the next 12 months, along with a new presence in New Zealand, Singapore and Brazil - is specialist in early years swim teaching for children and babies from three months of age.

JUMP! has identified the demand for learn to swim in regional and remote centres, many of which had no public swimming pools or swim schools, as part of its aim to ensure more Australian children were competent and exposed to the fundamental life skill of swimming and water safety, he said.

Campbell adds “the iconic Australian lifestyle centres around water-based activities whether it’s surfing or sailing on the coast, rowing or skiing on our rivers, fishing or canoeing in our lakes, or enjoying family time in the backyard pool or hotel resort.

“At the very foundation of these activities is water confidence. This confidence and ensuing journey through water should begin as early as three months of age and continue all year round.”

Campbell said parents who were seeking swimming lessons for babies were driving the growth of the JUMP! group that only opened its first franchise in mid-2014 on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

He concluded “at JUMP! we have put specialised education back into learn-to-swim by crafting a tailored, competency-based program that is backed by the latest child care and teaching research.

“We are committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn swimming as a life skill and are doing this by opening sites in rural areas and regional communities lacking a public swimming pool as well as high growth regions without adequate pool facilities. “

JUMP! Swim Schools are renowned for its breakthrough outcomes-based curriculum that teaches babies from three months of age to master the basic elements of swimming by 12 months of age. 

Images: Ian Campbell (top) and JUMP! Swim Schools lessons. 

12th September 2017 - SMALL INCREASE IN AUSTRALIA’S ANNUAL DROWNING NUMBERS

21st April 2017 - ROYAL LIFE SAVING LAUNCHES NATIONAL AQUATIC INDUSTRY SAFETY AWARDS

1st March 2017 - SWIM SCHOOL PROVIDER URGES PARENTS TO AVOID INFANT ‘SINK OR SWIM’ SURVIVAL LESSONS 

27th January 2017 - JUMP! SWIM SCHOOLS WELCOMES 15,000 YOUNG SWIMMERS 

2nd December 2016 - AUSTRALIAN SWIM SCHOOL FRANCHISE OPENS FIRST INTERNATIONAL SITE 

24th October 2016 - JUMP! SWIM SCHOOLS NAMED EMERGING FRANCHISOR OF THE YEAR

15th September 2016 - NEW REPORT SHOWS NO IMPROVEMENT IN ANNUAL DROWNING FIGURES

30th August 2016 - JUMP! SWIM SCHOOLS TO OPEN MORE THAN 50 NEW FRANCHISES ACROSS VICTORIA 

3rd January 2015 - UPDATED FRANCHISE INDUSTRY CODE OF CONDUCT NOW IN FORCE 

4th November 2013 - PARENTS VALUE SWIMMING AND WATER SAFETY LESSONS ABOVE OTHER OUT-OF-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

30th October 2013 - FITNESS BUSINESSES ACCLAIMED AT FRANCHISE AWARDS 

19th November 2008 - YMCA SLAMS ISR APPROACH TO SWIM TRAINING