The City of Santa Clarita invites residents of all ages to head over to the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center on Friday, June 20, at 8 a.m. and participate in an attempt to set a new record for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson.  At the free event, residents will join thousands of kids and families across the globe in a 30-minute swim lesson that organizers hope will not only break the World Record, but teach life-saving water safety skills and spread the word that learning to swim saves lives.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under the age of five years, but learning to swim isn’t just a kid issue.  In a recent survey conducted by The Red Cross, 80 percent of adults claimed they could swim, yet 44 percent of respondents believed they would fail a basic swim test.

Each summer thousands of children and residents of all ages enjoy a variety of programming at one of the City’s six pools, including swim lessons, water exercise, recreational swim, swim team, and junior lifeguarding, among other programs.  The World Record attempt is just one way the City is working to make sure every person is water safe.

This year marks the second year the City of Santa Clarita has participated in the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson.  In 2013, swimmers of all ages in the City helped set the record with 32,450 participants worldwide.  Swim Lessons are the perfect opportunity for people of all ages to learn basic water safety skills and it is never too late to learn.

For more information about the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, visit worldslargestswimminglesson.org or call (661) 250-3700.