By Shelby Brooks
A Pakenham dance studio is bringing water safety messages to life for young kids through fun, catchy songs and dance moves.
Dance Stream Victoria (DSV) has partnered with Kids Alive – Do the Five to bring a unique water safety dance show to under five-year-olds in the local community.
DSV owner and director Rebecca Bickerton said it was an easy decision for the dance school to jump onboard the initiative to promote water safety.
“Dance and swimming being the two biggest activities for children – it makes sense,” Rebecca said.
“We’re not swimming, but we can teach it so the kids are getting the message at swim lessons and dance class.”
Dance program provider Ready Set Dance created numerous fun dances to catchy songs to teach important lessons like shutting pool gates, no running around water and putting sunscreen on at the beach, pool or farm.
Rebecca said the partnership between Ready Set Dance and Kids Alive was stemmed from alarming statistics from Australia’s summer season.
“There’s been 17 drownings this year from children zero to four years,” she said.
“This could save a life. It sends such an important and positive message to the children and their parents.”
Ready Set Dance teachers received online training through Kids Alive and the content of the water safety shows aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standards.
Kids Alive managing director Emma Lawrence said the partnership with Ready Set Dance had the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of under fives across Australia.
“We’re excited that Dance Stream Victoria will be part of the nationwide program of Ready Set Dance Water Safety Dance Shows,” she said.
“Our partnership with Ready Set Dance means that water safety messages will not only be reaching the almost 20,000 pre-schoolers who attend Ready Set Dance studios across Australia, but the studios will now be broadening that reach within their local communities through their shows.”
Dance Stream Victoria welcomes childcare centres and kindergartens in the local area to make contact with them, if they would like the studio to bring its water safety dance show to their centre.
