Submitted by Safe Kids Thurston County
On Thursday, June 21st, 2018, tens of thousands of kids and adults at aquatic facilities around the world will unite for the ninth year in a row to make noise that Swimming Lessons Save Lives. A global event, The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL), will take place over the course of 24 hours at an estimated 600 locations in more than 20 countries with the goal of generating 1 billion media impressions by 2019.
Since its inception, more than 235,000 children and adults have participated in WLSL lessons generating more than half a billion media impressions about the vital importance of learning to swim. The 2017 WLSL event included 41,068 participants from 26 countries.
Tragically, in the U.S. drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death for children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4, yet many kids do not receive formal swimming or water safety training.
Safe Kids Thurston County is partnering with The Evergreen State College Pool to serve as an official Host Location Facility for the FREE WLSL 2018 event. Parents are invited to learn more about this phenomenal event by visiting WLSL.org.
Register on-line to reserve a spot through Child Care Action Council’s website, https://bit.ly/2HAVCWY.
