What will my child learn during lessons?
This depends on your child’s age and physical abilities. Younger children will learn to roll back and float until help arrives. Older, more physically skilled children will learn how to swim-float-swim to safety. ISR is unlike “traditional” swim lessons in that our focus is your child’s ability to save their own life.
Will my child fear the water because of lessons?
There is a distinct 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.
What other benefits does ISR provide students?
Every child is unique. However, many parents report that once their young children have mastered learning to swim, the resulting confidence in their abilities brings about a positive self-concept that is often demonstrated in other aspects of their personalities.
Why do the babies cry?
Babies don’t yet have the verbal skills to express themselves, and crying is a completely normal reaction for a young child who is in a new and challenging situation. Some never cry and most children stop crying when they become skilled in the water. It is VERY important that the parent sets the example by keeping a positive tone when at lessons and when discussing lessons with or around the child.
Why 5 days per week and for only 10 minutes?
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 your child will also be losing body heat. Instructors check students regularly for temperature fatigue since this is an indicator of physical fatigue.
As a parent, what information is available for me?
Your child is not the only one learning during ISR lessons. Parent education plays a large role in every ISR lesson — before, during and after. Each parent receives an ISR Parent Resource Book that details water safety for their home and family.
Tell me more about the “BUDS”
Prior to each lesson, parents receive BUDS (bowel, urine, diet, sleep) forms. This sheet tracks the unique physiology of each child, including bowel movements, frequency of urination, diet and mealtimes, and the duration of every sleep episode in a 24- hour period. Before each lesson, the ISR Instructor will review the BUDS sheet, ask the parent further questions if necessary, and then individualizes the lesson for the infant or child. The BUDS sheet provides a safe, efficient and individualized lesson for each child.