Despite a government effort to increase water safety awareness for children through local public pools, there remains concern for the 'COVID cohort' - possibly more than two years' worth of children who could not access pools due to their swimming formative years aligning with the pandemic, when pools were closed.

Members of a working bee at Avenel Pool on Saturday said the pandemic had a 'very negative' effect on children's swimming and water safety abilities with some local children being too fearful of the water.

Lisa Ham and Glenys Pentland both work at the pool and said they were concerned with some local kids' abilities.

Ms Ham, who is also a swimming instructor, said recently a student taller than her expressed a fear of entering the pool.

"He kept saying 'we're not going down that end are we?'," Ms Ham said.

"He was petrified of how deep the water was going to be, and I said to him 'mate, I can stand up in this pool all the way'."

She also said that despite the schools having lessons in the pool, there were not enough for children to become proficient and safe, and that families could not necessarily afford swimming lessons after that.

"They're not terribly cheap, so lots of the kids are getting this one week once a year (through school).

"That's not enough."

Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes announced on Monday 17 November that bookings had opened for the popular VICSWIM Summer Kidz swim classes, run by Aquatics and Recreation Victoria.

Five 30-minute lessons are provided over the course of a week in January for a subsidised total cost of just $43, to help more families afford lessons for their kids.

The program has saved Victorian families millions of dollars, and since 1976 VICSWIM’s learn-to-swim program has helped generations of youngsters aged four to 12 learn vital skills, including water safety and foundation swimming.

Thousands of children take part each year at locations across the state including beach and inland water venues.

However, Ms Pentland said children were now overly cautious about water.

"You put the fear of God into kids about deep water and drowning, and then they are scared of it," she said.

"And I'm a huge advocate for leisure swimming.

"There's your lessons, right? That's one question answered: that there are lessons for children.

"But I want families also coming and just having fun in the water that aren't lessons, to see it as a fun thing and a social thing.

"If your kids only go to lessons, even if they're toddlers and babies and whatever growing up, they only go to the pool for lessons and it's 'you get dressed quickly, get in the pool, have your half hour or your 45 minutes, get out, go home'.

"It's got to be fun in the water as well as lessons."

The Avenel Pool also raises money for charities, having held the Starlight Super Swim last summer, which saw $3734 given to the Starlight Foundation.

"We also have a dog's day swim on the last day of operation at the end of summer," Ms Pentland said.

"We hold it in the last two hours before we close for the winter break."

The Summer Kidz swim classes will be held at Avenel, Euroa, Violet Town, and Nagambie Swimming Pools.

Outside of the shire, Benalla Aquatic Centre and the public pools at Colbinabbin, Heathcote, Kilmore, and Seymour will all conduct the program.

To book, visit vicswim.com.au