Kids Swimming Diplomas in Holland
Children love to play in water. But here in Holland, where canals, lakes, rivers and the sea are all in close proximity to homes, it is imperative that a child knows how to swim. Standardized Dutch swimming certificate programs are readily available throughout the country.
SWIMMING LESSONS FOR KIDS IN HOLLAND
Expat parents can find a suitable local swimming class for their child just by asking around… other parents at school, neighbors with children or fellow members of the international community can usually provide helpful advice. Be aware that the most affordable options, swimming lessons offered at municipal pools, will likely have lengthy waiting lists. While the €4-5 per lesson cost can’t be beat, it is not uncommon to find wait lists of a year or longer (depending on your child’s age).
Municipalities decide on the starting age children need to be to register for lessons at municipal pools. Your local gemeente website will have that information. Many have a starting age of 6 years, so if you prefer your pre-school age child to have swimming lessons, you’ll need to register them for private instruction.
Most group swimming classes for children in the Netherlands are taught in Dutch but there are a few organizations that offer swimming lessons completely in English for expat children.
Swimming lessons during school hours (‘schoolzwemmen’) had been supported by the government for many years. In fact, the Dutch translation for the breaststroke style is ‘schoolslag’ (school stroke)! But in recent years, many towns have had to abandon school swimming in order to cut expenses. The percentage of Dutch schools that gave swimming lessons dropped from 90% in 1991 to just 42% in 2012. Nevertheless, “every child leaving junior school (‘basisschool’) should have a zwemdiploma” according to the official ‘Waterdicht’ issued by the VSG (‘Vereniging Sport en Gemeenten’). This edict is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, but it believes children knowing how to swim is the responsibility of the parents.
A-B-C and 1-2-3 DUTCH SWIM DIPLOMAS
The three national swimming diplomas in the Netherlands are referred to as A, B and C. The programs teach water safety to children with the goal of instilling confidence and allowing participation in recreational swimming and water sports. Most swimming schools offer the basic A-B-C diploma training (called ‘Zwemvaardigheid 1-2-3’) with more advanced swimming lessons optional.
The ‘A’ diploma develops children’s swimming skills through 4 different levels (A1-A4). Once a child has mastered each level, they receive an invitation (usually by e-mail) to take the A diploma swim test. When the child has passed the exam and earned their certificate, he or she can begin to take part in water sports and aquatic activities such as synchronized swimming, surfing, diving and water polo.
Required Swimming Skills
During lessons, children learn skills such as swimming underwater with their eyes open. The diploma exam requires children to swim with their clothing and shoes on and to perform such exercises as a forward-roll into the water followed by getting out by lifting themselves onto a large floating mattress unassisted.
Because most accidental drownings occur when a person unexpected falls into a canal or river, the exam includes realistic scenarios. For children (and adults for that matter), it is vital for them to to be able to handle underwater disorientation while weighted down by clothing. Children are taught not to panic and to react in a calm, controlled manner when placed in a water emergency.
The A-certificate exam requires the child to swim 50 metres using a combination of breaststroke and backstroke, and to swim 3 meters underwater to pass through a large ‘escape’ hole in a canvas panel. The distance increases to 75 meters and 6 meters under water in the B-certificate exam. The C-diploma exam requires 100 meters of surface swimming in swimsuit and clothing with additional obstacles, the forward roll, and finally 9 meters underwater.
Children who have not earned at least an A diploma are required to wear inflatable armbands in all public swimming pools until they have earned their swimming certificate. Most schools and children’s sports clubs in the Netherlands will not let children take part in water activities until they have achieved the A, B and C diplomas.
SWIMMING WATER QUALITY IN NETHERLANDS
Zwemwater.nl lists fresh water swimming spots in the Netherlands which have been been checked for water quality by the respective provincial water boards and the Rijkswaterstaat. If bacteria or other hazards are found, the swimming spot is marked with an ‘X’ on the map.
This article was contributed by Dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold of Ute’s International Lounge which provides inter-cultural support services and language training in the Netherlands.
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