Frequently Asked Questions

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Children as young as 6 months old are eligible to take ISR lessons. They need to be able to sit up unassisted, to be developmentally ready for lessons. We work with students up to around 6 years old. This isn't a hard and fast rule. If you have a child that is older than 6 years old, that you want to get into this program- let's chat! 

These are private lessons; one-on-one with the certified instructor. Classes are custom tailored to your individual child. 

Children as young as 6 months old will learn to hold their breath under water, come up to find air, and float on their back until rescued. Once a child is walking steadily, they are developmentally ready for swim-float-swim lessons. Here they'll learn to swim under water, rotate to a float to breathe and rest, and flip back over to a swim. They'll continue this sequence until they reach the edge of the pool or stairs. 

In ISR lessons we build confidence and competence. As your child progresses through their lessons, you'll find that as their competence increases, so does their confidence. It is not uncommon for children to not want to put their faces in water to start. Especially children that have been using floation devices in the water, with their head always out of the water. We assess where your child is at in the first week, and will help them build up this skill.

It is not uncommon that children are fussy in their first week of lessons. Everything is new to them. The instructor is new, the pool is new, and the skills are new. As the lessons progress, and your child gets more comfortable, they are less likely to be fussy. Similar to when we take a new job, or try a new skill; it can be very challenging at first. However, as we get going, we settle in and what was once challenging is no longer.

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. 

We do not want the baby to initially associate the water with the love, attention, and affection of the parent while in the water. Also, it takes incredible concentration and objectivity to teach the baby how to respond to an aquatic emergency and our experience shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their own children in the water. That said, parents play an important role during the lesson of being your child's biggest cheerleader from the pool deck! We gladly invite parents to join us in the pool once their child has independent skills to practice at home. 

The AAP encourages parents to consider that starting water-survival skills training at an early age must be individualized, based on the child's frequency of exposure to water, emotional maturity, physical limitations and health concerns related to swimming pools. You can view their policies and suggestions through the AAP website here: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at- play/Pages/Swim-Lessons.aspx 

I can’t speak for all swim lessons, but I can tell you ISR is dedicated to safety and maintaining numerous safety protocols to promote safe lessons. Your child's health and well-being are our highest priority and are closely monitored on a daily basis. In addition, your child's medical and developmental history is a mandatory part of the ISR national registration process, all of which is held strictly confidential. All ISR instructors undergo intensive and rigorous training that far exceeds any other training program of this kind. Each ISR instructor is also required to recertify yearly with emphasis on quality control, safety and lesson efficiency. Your education in the area of aquatic safety for your entire family is an integral part of your child's lessons. You will receive access to the "Parent Resource Guide" to inform you about every aspect of swimming and aquatic safety for infants and children. 

With research, you will find that ISR is not only the safest survival swimming program but also the most effective for teaching infants and young children. 

Every child is unique. However, many parents report that once their young children have mastered learning to swim, the resulting confidence in their abilities engenders a positive self-concept that is often demonstrated in other aspects of their personalities. There are also obvious health and other psychological gains. 

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. 

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. 

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.