Expectations for lessons

Every lesson, for every child, is individualized one-on-one instruction.  We do not have "group" lessons, because we believe your child should have our individualized attention. We customize their lessons, especially for them, to ensure the safest, most efficient lessons. We want each child to experience success and use positive reinforcement to recognize each accomplishment, no matter how small. The parent, or caregiver, watches the lessons poolside. Students attend short lessons (10 minutes maximum Monday through Thursday, 4 lessons per week)
    
We typically start teaching children when they begin crawling and can sit unassisted, the youngest we can start is 6 months. For this age group, we teach survival floating - that is, rotating from a face-down position in the water to a survival float. 

 For children who are walking independently (generally around 14 + months of age), we teach the swim-float-swim sequence - that is, swimming in a face down position, using their arms and legs (this is similar to a crawl stroke); rolling onto the back to the same survival float; and then flipping back over to continue swimming. Lessons run on AVERAGE 6 weeks. The number of weeks often depends on the child's abilities since our lessons are child-paced. Please remember every child is different. We want your child to be competent in each skill presented. I do teach special needs children as well and their lessons may take longer or some actually are shorter! The program is tailored to each individual child's pace.

If you are a boating family, I would love to test your child in his or her life jacket as well and make sure it fits properly and will help your child be safe.

FAQs
Will my child fear the water because of lessons?
There is an important difference between being fearful and being apprehensive because you are not yet skilled in a new environment. ISR is not like traditional swim lessons; it is a drowning prevention program that teaches survival swimming. Sometimes as a parent, you make choices for your child’s safety, like sitting in a car seat, because you know they are important. The same can be said for ISR. Fun can be defined as when skill meets challenge. Once competent in their skills, many children cannot be dragged away from the pool. They are having entirely too much FUN.
Will my child need additional lessons?
Based on our research, we know that refresher lessons are important because children change so much both cognitively and physically during the first 0-5 years of life. It is important that their water survival skills grow with their bodies. Frequency depends on the child's age, growth rate, skill level and confidence level. The goal of refresher lessons is to help your child adjust his/her new body size and weight to his/her existing skill level. Your instructor will work with your child to help fine-tune his or her aquatic experience to assist with building efficiency, which will result in self-confidence. This is especially important if your child has not been able to practice any appropriate aquatic skill between seasons.
Why are lessons 5 days per week and for only 10 minutes?
The reason for this is multifaceted. First, repetition and consistency are crucial elements of learning for young children. Research shows that short, more frequent lessons result in higher retention. Second, most children have fairly short attention spans and will not be able to focus on the task for longer and we want to take advantage of the best time for learning. A third reason is that, though the pool temperature is maintained at 78-88 degrees, the temperature is still lower than your child's body temperature. Lessons are work and therefore will also be losing body heat. Instructors check students regularly for temperature fatigue since this is an indicator of physical fatigue.
Why do you have the children swim in clothes?
Because 86% of children who fall in the water do so fully clothed, we want our students to have experience with such a situation. If a child has experienced the sensations of being in the water in clothing prior to an emergency situation, he/she is less likely to experience panic and be able to focus on the task at hand. If you have ever jumped in the water with clothes on, then you know that there is a significant difference in weight and feel with clothes as opposed to a bathing suit.
Download ISR's Family Aquatic Safety List to help protect your family from the hazards of an aquatic environment

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