Aurora students will make splash with Swim to Survive program
Third graders will receive training during school hours
Yorkregion.com
October 17, 2018
John Cudmore
More than 600 Aurora elementary students are getting in the swim.
Activate Aurora and the mayor’s task force on physical activity jointly announced Oct. 15 the Ontario Lifesaving Society’s Swim To Survive program is being launched for Grade 3 students in public and Catholic schools in Aurora.
Both organizations prepared the grant application and worked with the Aurora community services department, which donated over 80 hours of unused pool time to Swim to Survive.
The program is to start in January, with sessions included as part of the regular school day.
“The goal is to create a safer environment in the water for children,” said Barbara Byers, Lifesaving Society public education director for Ontario. “We want to focus on survival swimming, and that is minimal to essential skills.
“If children can learn when they are young, it makes for an incredible and fun experience, and it is a life skill.
“The real home run is to get this on school time.”
The Lifesaving Society program is offered at schools in Richmond Hill, Stouffville and Markham.
Since the inception of the program in 2006, more than one million students have experienced the program, she said.
A Lifesaving Society grant of $9,549 will cover the costs of qualified instructors and help with transportation of 607 children to and from each participating school.
York Region schools conducted a pilot program in 2006 that was considered a successful venture and a launch to the program across Ontario, where 50 school boards and 2,000 schools are participants.
“The safety of our kids in the water and the skill-building nature of the program is critical for not only safety, but enjoyment.” said Activate Aurora chair Ron Weese.
The Lifesaving Society’s Swim to Survive program defines the minimum skills required to survive an accidental fall into deep water, and provides the appropriate training.
The three elements are:
- Surviving an unexpected fall into water
- Treading water for one minute
