Florida is expanding the age eligibility for free swimming lessons through a new law that takes effect on July 1.
Senate Bill 428, which was passed in the last regular session of the Florida Legislature, allows children between the ages of 1 and 7 to qualify for the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program, which previously applied to children 4 and under.
Legislators created the program in 2024 to provide free swimming lessons to children of low-income families.
State legislators say drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in children and is a consistent problem in the state every year. The Department of Health reported 29 unintentional drowning deaths across nine counties in Central Florida in 2024 for children ages 0 to 17. Research shows that learning to swim is one of the most effective strategies for preventing these tragedies.
The Children’s Safety Village of Central Florida is part of the Department of Health’s network of swimming lesson providers that accept vouchers.
Brent Moore, executive director of the school, said the organization provides high-quality swimming and floating instruction through one-on-one training called Infant Swimming Resource. The lessons are a 10-minute-per-day commitment and four days a week for at least six weeks.
Moore said learning to swim is just one of several safety barriers they preach. The programs also teach families water safety precautions like installing door alarms and pool fences that can prove to be lifesaving prevention tools.
“We're trying to do what we can in order to make people understand that you need to get your children skilled,” Moore said. “You get them skilled, and if you have a pool, you have those barriers up, so that you don't have that tragedy that we hear so often about.”
During 2024-2025, the state received more than 16,000 voucher applications and granted almost 5,000 vouchers. Moore hopes more funding is designated to the voucher program in the future to help meet the demand and allow children of all ages to learn how to swim.
“If they're talking to their local congressman, or their local senator, or local representative, let them know that you care about swimming and water safety, and see if there's a chance that they may be able to increase the number of vouchers provided, and then also increase the fee that the vendors are receiving, because a lot of vendors would probably join in if there was a little bit more from the reimbursement of those vouchers,” Moore said.
