Students at Elgin Street Public School will be given the opportunity to take swimming lessons as part of a new program with the GoodLife Kids Foundation, according to Barbara Johnston-Iafelice, the school’s principal.
“We are delighted to support our students as they learn these lifesaving skills,” Johnston-Iafelice said.
The new program, Student Water Instruction Matters, or SWIM, was created to provide children with safety skills, and recreational activity, which they may not have received otherwise.
Johnston-Iafelice said the weekly lessons will be held for all 188 students, grades 1-6, at the Jack Purcell Community Centre, during school hours. The lessons are an extension of the school’s physical education program.
According to a news release from the school, over 60 per cent of Canadian children don’t take swimming lessons, even though drowning is the second leading cause of death for Canadian children.
The GoodLife Kids website, in a brief about the new program, said 75 per cent of the population in the area surrounding Elgin Street Public School are immigrants, with the neighbourhood being among the most diverse in Canadian cities.
Students will take lessons once a week. The goal, said Johnston-Iafelice, is to teach them safety, fitness, and survival skills in a fun environment.