Quarter of lower-income families can't afford swim lessons for kids

Half of parents who earn less than the average income struggle to pay for their child’s swimming lessons. A quarter don’t send their kids to swimming lessons because they simply can not afford it, EenVandaag found in a survey of 1,718 parents in its opinion panel with at least one child between the ages of 4 and 16.

Most parents currently pay 12 euros per swimming lesson, and most children need about 60 lessons to get their A diploma.

Of all surveyed parents, 19 percent said they struggle to pay for the swimming lessons. Among lower-income families, that was 52 percent. 35 percent of parents with lower income cannot actually afford swimming lessons, and 22 percent have stopped lessons for that reason.

“In our area, there is no provider who charges less than 15 euros per lesson. I am currently paying from my savings, but if a lot of lessons are needed, it will become too expensive, and she will have to stop,” one parent who earns between minimum wage and average said.

EenVandaag found no difference between high-income and lower-income families when it came to how important they consider swimming lessons. Costs are the main reason why 23 percent of lower-income families said their children don’t take swimming lessons. Among people who earn an average income or more, only 1 percent’s children don’t go to swimming lessons.

The fact that they can't get their children water-safe is a major concern for many lower-income families - 36 percent are worried about their kids’ swimming skills. “My child doesn’t get [lessons], so she never actually swims. I am afraid that she will when I am not there and that it will go wrong,” one parent said.