Frequently Asked Questions

YES! At ISR, we believe that part of survival for a child who can walk is swimming. ISR teaches children to swim a short distance, rotate onto their back to a floating position, and then turn over to continue the sequence of swimming and floating until they can reach safety at the steps, side of the pool, or shoreline.

NO!  We teach safety and survival methods of swimming. If an accident was to occur and a child finds themselves in the pool unattended or an open body of water. It is a high probability they will not have swim attire on at the time of a fall in; therefore we teach your child to navigate themselves to safety in any situation. Hence the reason for lessons in clothing and teaching them how to swim without goggles.  

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 research shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their own children in the water.

 National ISR REQUEST 3 TOWEL at Lessons! However, I am ok with two towels to be used during lessons. The first towel will protect your child from the damp pool deck, which harbors bacteria, and the second towel on the deck for them to lie down on as a buffer. The third towel will be used to cover and dry your child. However, if you have two thick towels the second can be used for dual purposes.

Puddle-jumpers, Floaties, and Flotation devices give children a false sense of security and hold them in postures that are not compatible with swimming skills. If a child learns that he can jump in the water and go into a vertical posture and he will be able to breathe, he is getting the wrong idea about that environment. Flotation devices are for children who cannot swim. Children, who cannot swim, should not be allowed to learn that it is safe to play in the water while relying on a crutch. Life jackets must be worn in a boat or around water when there is the potential for a submersion as a result of an accident i.e. a boat collision or capsize; they are not a substitute for the ability to swim or for adult supervision.

Puddle Jumper Pledge and Campaign: Parental Pledge not to put your child in a puddle jumper or a floaties. 

 Although 10 minutes may seem like a very short swimming lesson, each ISR Self-Rescue® Survival Swimming lesson is a private one on one lesson and your child is getting the undivided attention of their Certified ISR Instructor. Each lesson, though short, is very intense. Young children are sensorimotor learners and mastery of a sensorimotor skill is most effectively achieved by short, frequent exposure. The 10-minute lesson also honors the child's attention span and avoids the risk of temperature and physical fatigue.  Traditional swimming lessons are typically offered in 45 minutes to one-hour group lesson options making it appear you are getting more for your money. Unfortunately, this is not the case.  In a group class, with five other students and one instructor, how much one on one instruction is your child receiving from the instructor? Typically, the entire lesson is 30 mins-45 mins and they students will sit on the sideline waiting for their turn. If lessons are twice a week, your child is probably getting 20 mins a week maximum with one on one time. However, with ISR you child will in fact receive 50 mins a week of full instruction.