Meet the Team
Hi! I am Debbie-Leigh, allow me to introduce myself...
South African born, an active lifestyle was encouraged and I learned to swim at an early age .
I love swimming and have a natural affinity with children and when my son was born it seemed natural to want to share the enjoyment of this fun filled activity.
We attended Aquababies swimming classes local to us and the lessons were the highlight of our week, they were enjoyable, informative and offered the perfect environment for bonding. It was these classes and my desire to spend more time with my family that inspired me to become a swimming teacher additionally I wanted to be in a position to share this amazing experience and help parents like me, to teach their babies and toddlers to learn vital skills and burn calories whilst having fun!
I have been teaching adults' to teach their babies and toddlers for over 5 years now and all through my career have proven to be both a popular and effective teacher with positive feedback from parents and guardians.
OUR BABY SWIMMING PROGRAM
In Aquababies we prefer to offer an education for a holistic approach to water activities. Our baby swimming lessons develop strength, stamina and agility. Through correct training babies can learn to respect and love the water, happily swimming above and under the surface.
All babies are born with the natural ability to hold their breath underwater. This is known as the “mammalian diving response”. This natural reflex is not something we rely on. We would prefer to teach the children to hold their breath in a relaxed manner, this forms part of the baby swimming class structure in order to help your child gain confidence in the water.
Our parent and baby swimming classes are designed to educate not only the child but the parent too. We understand the importance of teaching parents why children relate to certain exercises due to their reflexes and we help to manage expectations. The main factor is to have fun whist learning essential life skills.
Recent statistics show that nearly 500 babies drown each year, often in very shallow water. The ultimate goal of Aquababies is to teach swimming so that babies will be water-safe. This means that an Aquababies child will learn to find the safety of the poolside unaided. We recognise that swimming has so many health benefits for both parent & child, physically emotionally and socially. In simple terms it helps them to sleep and eat better!
OUR FOUNDER
julie-ann is proud to be associated with 2 Governing Bodies
- Australian ASCTA, She is a presenter for Swim Australia and was invited to be a Key Note Speaker at their conference in 2020.
- UK STA (Swimming Teachers Association) as a moderating tutor.
She travels the world qualifying coaches and then offers her consultancy services to improve existing swimming companies programs. Doing this very often leads to the owner purchasing an Aquababies Global Franchise due to efficency of the structured, progressive lessons and the quality of the service we offer.
PARENTS TRAVEL MILES IN CHINA TO EXPERIENCE OUR CLASSES
