The Swim to Survive program is for Grade 3 students. There are three parts to the program:
1. 3 in-water swimming lessons, teaching the 3 skills (roll, tread, and swim in a continuous sequence)
2. 3 in-classroom water safety lessons linked to the Ontario curriculum
3. Parent information about the Swim to Survive program
The Swim to Survive program has been developed to ensure that Grade 3 children in Ontario learn basic survival skills and could survive an unexpected fall into deep water. Learning to swim is a fundamental skill that would benefit all students; however, many children may not have the opportunity for swimming lessons within or outside their instructional day at school. As a result, the program is designed to accommodate all abilities while reinforcing the essential survival skills.
The Lifesaving Society believes that Swim to Survive is an important step to being safe around water. If every child in Canada could achieve the Swim to Survive Standard, we believe that the number of drownings would be reduced by half. The Ontario government supports this initiative and has provided funding to the Lifesaving Society to deliver the program to Grade 3 students.
