The province of Ontario, Canada is providing funding to support the expansion of the Lifesaving Society Canada’s successful Swim to Survive program.

The province is investing $2 million to help more than 80,000 seven- and eight-year-old children across the province receive free basic water safety and survival skills training.

The Lifesaving Society estimates about half of Canadian children never take traditional swimming lessons, even though swimming is the second most popular activity (after bicycling) in Canada among school-age children between 5 and 12 years of age.

Drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children under 10 years of age.

The Swim to Survive program teaches children how to survive an unexpected fall into deep water. It also teaches children how to roll into deep water, tread water for one minute and swim 50 metres.

The program is especially valuable for new Canadians, as a Lifesaving Society study shows that new Canadians are four times more likely to be unable to swim than those born in Canada.

The expansion of this program will help protect more of our children by giving them the critical skills they need to survive a life-threatening situation.

Read more on:
http://www.news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2011/06/protecting-our-children-through-water-safety.html
http://www.lifesavingsociety.com