Water Babies welcomes silent girls and boys

As The Silent Child, the film starring six-year-old deaf actress Maisie Sly was honoured by winning an Oscar last week, Devon-based Water Babies has collected their own award with deaf children at heart.

Since 2016, Water Babies has been delivering deaf-friendly lessons to 50,000 babies and toddlers on a weekly basis across their international network. They have now been recognised for their commitment to inclusivity by being officially endorsed by the leading charity National Deaf Children’s Society for their Me2Pledge to deaf-friendly swimming lessons.

Honiton-based Water Babies is the one of the world’s first international early years companies to commit to making their lessons entirely inclusive for babies, toddlers, parents and carers with hearing impairments. Water Babies lessons include baby sign language and swim cards to enable deaf swimmers to benefit equally from the Swim England-endorsed lessons.

All Water Babies teachers are trained to make use of the techniques to ensure full inclusivity at lessons.
Hannah Smith, Head of Aquatics said: “Unfortunately, too many deaf children are currently being denied the opportunity to learn to swim as swimming providers don’t understand their needs.

“By working with the National Deaf Children’s Society, we have made the Me2Pledge so all of our lessons deaf-friendly and benefit hundreds of familes.

“There is no such thing as a typical family and it is really important to everyone at Water Babies that all families feel they are able to attend our classes and enjoy the physical, emotional and mental benefits of swimming.”

For more information, please contact media@waterbabies.co.uk or 07384 767221 or visit www.waterbabies.co.uk