Virginia Hunt Newman 

 WABC Founder & Chairman  

A pioneer of infant swimming,
Virginia authored Teaching an
Infant to Swim and Teaching Young Children
to Swim and Dive.

She became world famous for teaching babies to
swim beginning in the 1960's and having resided
and taught near Los Angeles for most of her life now
86 years old, lives in a care facility near her son in
the Chicago area. Article & Photos
She has been honored by the International Swimming
Hall of Fame and the National Swim School Association
for her contributions to the development of aquatic
programs for babies and young children. ISHOF Profile

Today Virginia's dream and work of connecting people
around the world on aquatic programs for babies and
children is carried on by Steve Graves WABC President.
                                                               ... More

Our international focus is on swim teaching.

 

  Originally founded as World Aquatic Babies Congress in 1993 became Aquatic Babies & Children  in 2006. WABC is an educational service and sharing network devoted to informing and inspiring people working with babies and children in the water.  Today, aquatic education for babies and children is gaining rapid acceptance and interest around the world.  More than 30 countries including the United States, Australia, England, Japan, France, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Norway, have aquatic education programs specially designed for young children and infants.

Educational conferences beginning in 1990 in Tokyo have led to biennial events ever since. Conference founders were Yumiko Hayashi of Japan, author of "Baby Swimming Q & A"; Diny Van Dyk of Australia, author of "Water Safety for Infants"; and Virginia Hunt Newman of the United States, author of Teaching an Infant to Swim and Teaching Young Children to Swim and Dive.  In 1993 Newman conducted the first 'World Aquatic Babies Congress' in Los Angeles and began to form an organization (by the same name) to bring together professionals from around the world who were interested in aquatic education of babies.

Serving professionals and parents, WABC ...

• provides a forum for the exchange of ideas among professionals

• creates an environment where medical professionals and others can conduct research related to aquatic instruction and present their findings to professionals and parents world wide

• educates on water safety skills and drowning prevention strategies

• educates the public and swim professionals about the developmental benefits of aquatic education for young children and their families since swimming is an enjoyable activity and builds a parent-child bond.

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