A number of Calgary parents are registering their young children in a controversial drowning-prevention program that the Canadian Lifesaving Society says may give some families a false sense of security.
The program, which originated in the U.S., instructs children as young as six months to save themselves should they fall into water. According to a CBC report, the course, which is currently only offered in Calgary, is taught by a private instructor who teaches infants/toddlers to find the surface of the water and stay there by floating.
“I teach kids to swim for a little bit, then roll onto their backs, lay there and float to catch their breath. And, when they’re ready, they can go swimming again,” Holly Murray, one of the program’s private instructors, told the CBC. “If you can educate a child to respond to water properly, you’ve just saved that child’s life.”
However, Barbara Costache, spokeswoman for the Canadian Lifesaving Society, has a different view. She told the CBC, awareness needs to be built with respect to the lack of evidence that these programs prevent drowning.
“You cannot train them to save themselves,” she added. “The only way to save an infant is to have constant supervision and to have an adult within arm’s reach at all times.
“Children who are around four or five can learn swimming survival skills.”
