What is ISR and how is it different from other swimming programs?
ISR is a product of over 50 years of ongoing development in the area of aquatic survival for infants and young children. ISR's primary focus is to teach your child to become a productive swimmer, or floater in any depth of water. The goal of ISR is that your child becomes an aquatic problem solver. ISR will greatly increase your child's chance of surviving an aquatic accident, even when fully clothed!
Are ISR Self Rescue swimming lessons safe for infants and young children?
YES! 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 an intensive and rigorous training that far exceeds any other training program of its kind. Each ISR Instructor is also required to attend a yearly re-certification symposium that includes quality control as well as continuing education. 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", written by Dr. Harvey Barnett and JoAnn Barnett, which will inform you of every aspect of swimming for infants and children. With research, you will find that ISR is the safest survival swimming program but also the most effective for teaching infants and young children.
I hear you say your priority is survival skills. Will my child learn to actually swim?
Yes! At ISR, we believe that part of survival for a child who can walk is swimming. Children learn the swim-float-swim sequence so that they could get themselves to safety. The difference in our program is that they will learn swimming AND survival skills and how to be an aquatic problem solver.
What is the AAP's position on swimming lessons for young children?
IN May of 2010, the AAP changed it's policy regarding the age at which children may start swimming lessons, based on research stating that swim lessons may actually provide reduction in drowning risk of children between ages 1-to-4-years old. That study "Association Between Swimming lessons and Childhood Drowning" published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, March, 2009, by Brenner et. al. was the first study to probe the relationship between drowning reduction and swimming skills. That study concluded that, "Participation in formal swimming lessons was associated with and 88% reduction in the risk of drowning in the 1-4 year-old children...."
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.
What is the difference between ISR Self Rescue and Mommy and Me?
ISR's lesson structure focuses on gently guiding your infant to be a skilled floater in the water. Each lesson is 1-on 1 and works on very small increments of breath control and the float posture. Because we work in such small increments, young infants are able to connect the dots and be able to maintain a stable life saving back float with a trained instructor. You will not hear song-singing in ISR lessons, but each infant is positively reinforced throughout his/her lessons, with each lesson being at your infants pace.
Why are lessons 5 days per week and for only 10 minutes?
The reason is multifaceted. First, repetition and consistency are crucial elements of learning for infants and 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 that the 10-minute time span 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 your child will also be losing body heat. Instructors check students regularly for temperature fatigue since this is an indicator of physical fatigue.
Can you really teach babies that are non-verbal how to swim?
Yes! Consider that children learn to sit, crawl and walk before they learn to speak. Because we teach through sensori-motor learning, verbal skills are not required for a child to acquire ISR Self-Rescue® skills. We are able to communicate with our students through touch and positive reinforcement while striving to set our students up for success every step of the way.
How do the kids react during the first few lessons?
Children often fuss during the first few lessons because they are in a new environment and around new people. As your child becomes more confident in his/her ability in the water, the fussing will decrease.
Will my child fear the water because of lessons?
No! 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 swimming lessons; it is a drowning prevention program that teaches survival swimming. Sometimes, as a parent, you make choices for your child's safely, like sitting in car seat, because you know they are important. The same can be said for ISR.
Once competent in their skills, many children cannot be dragged away from the pool. They are having entirely too much FUN!
