World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ set for Thursday, June 21, 2018

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Feb. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Registration for the 2018 World's Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) is open at WLSL.org. This year's event will take place Thursday, June 21^st. Organizers are urging aquatic facilities of all types to show their love for water safety and drowning prevention by registering as an official 2018 Host Location and sharing that love on social media.

The purpose of the lesson? Provide kids and parents exposure to life-saving water safety skills and build awareness about the vital importance of teaching children to swim to help prevent drowning. Program organizers are working to connect the dots between the real risk of childhood drowning and the need for basic water competency skills and crucial parental supervision to keep kids safe in and around the water. Research shows:

• The problem is life threatening for children: Per the CDC, drowning remains the leading cause of injury related death for. children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause for children under 14. Internationally, the World Health Organization estimates drowning is one of the top five causes of death for people aged 1-14 in 48 of the 85 countries it monitors.

• Many lack basic swimming skills: In 2014, a survey completed by the American Red Cross found more than half of all Americans (54 percent) either can't swim or don't have all of the basic swimming skills.

• Parents don't recognize supervision is key: According to a 2016 Safe Kids Worldwide report, despite the fact that lack of supervision played a role in the majority of drowning deaths, less than half of parents (49 percent) indicate they remain within arms' reach of their child in the water.

More than 41,000 swimmers in 27 countries on six continents participated in 2017. Each location and tens of thousands of participants help spread the Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ message each year.

About The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™
WLSL was created as a platform to build awareness about the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim to prevent drowning. Each year, WLSL events provide more than 20,000 man hours of water safety training in a single day. Since its inception, more than 230,000 children and adults have participated in WLSL lessons. Organizers hope to make more than one billion people aware of the importance of enrolling children in swim lessons by 2019. WLSL.org

Contact: Aleatha Ezra
Email: aezra@waterparks.org
913-599-0300 x 11

SOURCE World's Largest Swimming Lesson