FAQ

NO!  Infant Swim Rescue is based on 55+ years of research.  ISR Instructors go through a rigorous 8-week in water and academic training on the principles of behavioral psychology, physiology, and sensorimotor learning as it applies to children in the water.  Your child will learn skills in a way that honors his/her learning style.  The ISR program is slow and controlled, and tailored to how children learn best.  A child is NEVER thrown in the water - he will be gently introduced to the water and given small achievable challenges which are purposely set up to be accomplished successfully. Each day of lessons builds upon the previous, and in the end, your child will know how to save him/herself independently if the need arises. 

Generally speaking, children ages 6 months to 1 year learn the ISR Self-Rescue® skill of rolling onto their backs to float, rest and breathe (you can view an example video here). They learn to maintain this position until help arrives. Children who are walking are taught to swim with  their face in  the water, and roll onto their back to float (view video).  After resting and breathing, they will roll over and  continue to swim to the nearest point of safety. A child can perform this swim-float-swim sequence to reach safety in a survival situation. 

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 before an emergency, 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.

Swimming in clothes is part of ISR’s check out procedures, which a student completes near the end of his/her session when his/her skills are fully shaped.

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, not letting them play in the street, or getting immunizations, 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.

ISR claims a retention rate of 94-100% up to one year following lessons. Having said this, children will explore and may pick up bad habits watching other children or with interference like floating in a bathtub or hot tub or playing on the steps. As your child goes through lessons, you will begin to understand, through communication with your Instructor, what activities may interfere with his/her learned Self-Rescue skills. Contacting and/or returning to your instructor promptly is imperative to maintaining effective habits.

No. Every child can learn. It is the Instructor’s job to find the best way to communicate the information so that it makes sense to the child. We set your child up to be successful every time. We start where they are. 

Breath-holding skills are taught in the first lesson. We shape breath control using highly effective positive reinforcement techniques. We continue to reinforce these breath-holding techniques throughout every lesson. 

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. It is not unlike the first time you tried a new exercise class or were asked to perform a task at work that you'd never done before: the first time you try a new task it is always challenging until you get the hang of it. It is the same for your young child. Your child is learning to perform a skill that he/she's never done before.

Once your child completes the session, he is fully skilled. You should work with your instructor to schedule refresher classes every 6-8 months to adjust to body changes or discuss once a week/month maintenance availability to keep their confidence fresh.

Most children cry the first few lessons. They are in a new location with a pool they've never been to, being handed into the water to a stranger - it's normal for them to be wary of the situation! It's important for us to teach your child to trust his/her instructor and eventually to trust the water. Many kids progress quickly to the point of looking forward to coming to lessons! 

ISR is appropriate for infants and children 6 months to 6 years old. "The sooner, the safer" in order to set up correct postures, establish proper breath control, initial learning and muscle memory interactions in the water. 

ISR instructors teach infants to swim by honoring each child's individual strengths and experiences. They understand the fundamentals of the behavioral sciences, child development and of sensorimotor learning as it relates to the acquisition of aquatic survival skills; they use this education to guide each child through the sequence of learning to swim and float. 

Absolutely! We teach children to have a healthy respect for the water, and work in very small increments each day. We present children with small achievable tasks and always set them up to succeed. They learn to trust their skills, and in turn, they gain an incredible amount of confidence in the water.

Yes. Consider that children learn to sit, crawl and walk before they learn to speak. Because we teach through sensorimotor learning, verbal skills are not required for a child to acquire Self- Rescue skills. We can communicate with our students through touch and positive reinforcement while striving to set our students up for success every step of the way. 

From Sept-May we rent space at indoor pools in the Grand Haven area. Our primary location is the Tri-Cities Family YMCA at 1 Y Drive, in Grand Haven, MI. ISR students will have access to pool facility locker rooms which are right next to the pool, providing a space to get ready before & after lessons. YMCA membership is not required.

The Summer session is typically held outdoors at host pools in the Zeeland/Holland area or other locations up and down the Lakeshore from Grand Haven.

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 also an indicator of physical fatigue.

The 6-week average is based on the average time it takes most children to learn these survival skills. Every child is unique, and ISR’s Self-Rescue program is designed based on your child’s specific strengths and needs. It is important to realize that this is an average, meaning some children will finish more quickly while others will need more practice. ISR is dedicated to safety; therefore, we want to provide your child with the appropriate time and best opportunity to become proficient in his/her survival skills. We will always honor your child’s needs.

On location private lessons are assessed on a case by case basis. For private lesson inquiries, email us and we can let you know if it's something we are able to work into the existing or upcoming schedule.  We typically can only fit in one private stop in the summer session. Private lessons start at $300/week/student and depending on location may incur an additional travel fee.

If you want lessons to be at your home for convenience purposes but without the private lesson premium, consider applying to be a summer host pool. Host families allow us to use their pool for a daily ~2.5 hour block of time, M-F in the 6 week summer session.

The perks of hosting are guaranteed spot in session, preferred choice of timeslot for the host family's children and the host family can enjoy a non-existent commute. Hosting is also a great way to "do your part" ensuring not only your own children get skilled, but to help us reach more children in your very own community.

Primary requirements are a convenient location in the West Michigan Lakeshore area, a heated pool to 86-88 degrees (by a heater, not just the sun!) a set of shallow end steps or sun shelf, and neighbors who won't mind a bit of "kid" noise. Email us for a full list of requirements for hosting!

Parents are not required to get in the water. Before your child is skilled, you may get in the pool in order to learn how to maintain your child's skills and avoid interference with what they have learned.

We do not want children to initially associate the water with the love, attention and affection of the parent while in the water. Also, teaching children how to respond to an aquatic emergency takes incredible concentration and objectivity. Our research shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their children in the water.

Parents are brought into the water towards the end of a child’s session to learn how to enjoy the water with their little one’s new skills!

The family investment for ISR lessons is spilt up into TWO FEES:

There is a REGISTRATION FEE and a WEEKLY TUITION FEE

1) National ISR REGISTRATION Fee:  $105 (Paid Via Credit Card Online)
The Registration Fee covers a comprehensive medical background check that is completed online when registering. ISR’s staff of nurses reviews all information to ensure your child can safely participate in lessons.

2) WEEKLY TUITION Fee:  Varies by location! Please contact us directly for more details about weekly fees.

Please note: With weekly payment, you are reserving a TIME SLOT for the session -  missed lessons/cancellations are not made up or prorated for any reason. 

If they don’t “use it”, they don’t “lose it”, but they may lose their confidence. Students will not forget their skills, but self rescue skills can be “undone” or interfered with if not practiced properly. Once enrolled in lessons, parents and caregivers will receive more information about how to ensure self rescue skills remain sharp.

We encourage families to consider lessons in the "off season" to arm their child with aquatic skills BEFORE pools begin to open for the summer. It is for this reason that Fall & Winter are the sessions that have the most slots for new students, but a common hesitation from parents is that the child will forget if they don't learn right before swim season.

Luckily ISR Self-Rescue Skills are a sensorimotor skill- just like crawling, walking, or riding a bike. Sensorimotor skills are not simply forgotten, although they can certainly get rusty without use.

This is why we will encourage you to return for Refresher and Maintenance lessons periodically after your child’s initial learning- Maintenance in particular is very low commitment. These follow up learning opportunities will ensure your little one gets to adjust their skills to their rapid growth and will keep things sharp.

Based on our research, we know that refresher lessons are important because children change so much both cognitively and physically during the first 4-5 years of life. Their water survival skills must 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 skills between seasons.