Winter swimming lessons could be a great investment for warmer weather

Winter is a great time for both kids and adults to learn how to swim. Heated indoor pools are comfortable and unaffected by snow or freezing temperatures. This winter, a Canadian Red Cross swim program could be an ideal investment in swimming technique and water safety. Even in winter, water safety and swimming education are important - especially if you and your family are heading out skating, fishing or kayaking this winter.

Why choose a Red Cross swim program? The Canadian Red Cross has been teaching safe swimming practices for more than 60 years. In fact, around 1 million Canadians enroll in these classes annually - and 20,000 of them receive training and certification as water safety instructors.

The Red Cross swim programs have a number of qualifications:

• Program content is based on careful research. The Canadian Red Cross has examined the circumstances surrounding drowning and the best ways to promote smart water safety choices and proper technique.

• The Canadian Red Cross also provides a superior quality program. Instructors train for more than 75 hours to qualify for their positions, and all have practical teaching experience. Programs teach the five major swimming strokes, from the front crawl to the backstroke. This promotes fitness as well as water safety skills.

• In fact, one of the major benefits of the swim programs is how it encourages healthy living. Sports and athletics like swimming are an excellent way to stay in shape and active, no matter the season.

• The Canadian Red Cross is a member of one of the largest and most respected humanitarian organizations in the world. This means that your certification comes with a name that others can trust.

• And because the Red Cross swim programs are national, participants can transfer or continue training from one community to another. Teens enrolled in the Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Development program will be able to work anywhere in Canada.

Available programs
The Canadian Red Cross offers a variety of programs, each matched to age and experience level. For younger children, there's the Red Cross Swim Preschool. Youth ages 5 and up can enroll in Red Cross Swim Kids. And the Red Cross Swim @ School and Swim @ Camp programs take the water safety and swim technique lessons and bring them to classes or camp groups.

Adults and teens can sign up for the Red Cross Swim Basics course, a two-level program that covers the essentials. The next level up, Strokes, focuses on technique development. The Red Cross Swim Sports program is a fun option as well, sampling a variety of water sports.

The cold weather outdoors doesn't mean that winter isn't the right time to begin your or your family's water safety and swimming education. Sign up today and help spread swimming and water safety education.