This spring, storytime is becoming a lifesaving lesson, with more than 600 libraries, schools, childcare centres, playgroups and community organisations across Australia joining Kids Alive for Spring Safe Storytime.
The national campaign is bringing water safety messages to children and families before summer through free storytime events combining books, songs, activities and simple conversations about staying safe around water.
Last year, 15 children under five drowned in Australia, with more than half of these deaths occurring in backyard swimming pools. With children encountering water everywhere – at home, at grandparents’ houses, on holidays, at the beach and around dams and waterways – water safety education needs to extend well beyond swimming lessons.
Spring Safe Storytime is a partnership between Kids Alive Do the Five, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA). By taking water safety into places families already know and trust, the campaign aims to make these important conversations part of everyday learning.
And we know stories can make a difference. Research into the Kids Alive water safety book series found 65% of readers were prompted to take action on water safety, including supervising children more closely, checking their environment for hazards and reinforcing safe water behaviours. An overwhelming 96% rated the books as useful tools for teaching water safety.
Kids Alive Founder Laurie Lawrence said starting these conversations before summer and repeating simple water safety messages throughout the year was critical to preventing drowning.
Spring Safe Storytime events will be held across Australia throughout spring.