Question 1

What is ISR?

Accepted Answer

Infant Swimming Resource's Self-Resuce program, teaches children from 6 months to 6 years of age how to survive if they were to reach the water alone.
 
Unlike traditional swimming lessons, ISR's survival swimming technique is a product of over 45 years of research and development, and is the safest approach to survival swimming in the world. Focused on your child's stage of development and readiness, each one-on-one ISR lesson is customized to your child's abilities in the water.
 
ISR has a worldwide network of certified Instructors and has delivered more than 7 million safe lessons. As a result, ISR is proven to save lives - with over 800 document cases where children have used ISR's techniques to save their own lives.

Question 2

What makes ISR different?

Accepted Answer

Infant Swimming Resource offers the safest survival swimming instruction method available. Lessons are taught in a customized, one-on-one lesson environment, and foster the
development of swimming and safety in infants and young children with ISR’s proprietary Self-Rescue program. With over 45 years of research and development, highly trained certified Instructors committed to safety, and a proven history of success, parents can rest assured that their children are receiving the best possible instruction in the world today.
 
An important distinction between ISR and other programs is our emphasis on safety before, during and after lessons.
Prior to beginning lessons: Your child’s unique medical history is reviewed by a team of medical professionals to identify any potential health issues that may affect your child’s lessons and safety.
During lessons: ISR’s protocols have allowed for more than 7 million lessons to be safely delivered by individually certified instructors.
Parent education: Your child is not the only one learning during lessons. ISR’s program includes comprehensive parent education on aquatic safety and drowning prevention.

Question 3

What are the ages that children can participate in ISR lessons?

Accepted Answer

Children may begin lessons at 6 months of age until 6 years of age.
Lessons for a 6-12 month old focus on teaching the child to roll onto their back to float, rest and breathe, and to be able to maintain this life- saving position until help arrives.
Lessons for children 1-6 years old focus on teaching the swim-float-swim survival sequence. Children learn to swim with their head down; roll onto their back to float, rest, and breathe; and roll back over to resume swimming until they reach the side of the pool, where they can either crawl out or until they can be rescued.

Question 4

How do ISR lessons work

Accepted Answer

Infant Swimming Resource’s proprietary Self-Rescue survival swimming program is a 6-week course, scheduled 5 days per week, Monday through Friday, for 10 minutes each day*.
 
With a focus on safe, customized, one-on-one lessons by certified Instructors, ISR’s survival swimming lessons emphasize health, ongoing program evaluations and parent education to deliver the most effective and safest results in the industry.
 
*The schedule may need to be adjusted based on your child's abilities and progress.

Question 5

Will my child cry during lessons?

Accepted Answer

For most children, crying is developmentally appropriate and their only way of communicating. Typically, once your child gains the confidence in their new skills, the crying diminishes. Instructors are used to this behavior so don't be concerned about tears interfering with lessons!
Learning new skills, with a new person, in a new environment— who wouldn’t be upset at first? The cry we hear oftentimes in the water is the same cry you get when you take away a toy, don’t let them eat dirt, or even put them in their car seat. It’s a protest and their way of saying they aren’t happy to be here. Remember, this is their way of communicating with us since most children are not yet verbal.
We like to tell parents/guardians that if you can make if through the first couple of weeks, it gets easier. Remember, every day at lessons is another day of building in-water confidence and another day closer to your child being fully skilled. You’ve got this!

Question 6

Will by child be traumatized?

Accepted Answer

In no way is an ISR lesson traumatic. ISR has collected data on its more than 200,000 students, and constantly monitors the health of each child prior to and during lessons to maintain the highest of safety protocols and standards. We have had doctors, psychologists, nurses and other trained medical professionals trust ISR Instructors to teach their children survival skills.

Question 7

How much do lessons cost?

Accepted Answer

ISR lessons are 10 minutes per day / 5 days per week / for 6 weeks. The investment is $110 per week and $660 total. 10 minute maintenance lessons are $25 per lesson.

Our customized swim lessons are 20 minute long and the investment is $45 per lesson.

Question 8

Tell me more about "BUDS""

Accepted Answer

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 meal-times, 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.

Question 9

How did ISR originate?

Accepted Answer

Founded in 1966, Infant Swimming Resource (ISR), with it's Self-Rescue program, is nationally recognized as the safest provider of survival swimming lessons for infants and young children. With over 45 years of research and development, highly trained certified Instructors committed to safety, and a proven history of success, parents can rest assured that their children are receiving the best possible instruction in the world today.
 
ISR’s mission, “Not One More Child Drowns,” is the foundation of everything we do and is the driving force behind ISR’s employees, our independent ISR Instructors, and our major corporate partnerships. We believe the successful prevention of the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 4 in the U.S. will require a large group of caring and capable professionals whose sole focus is to save lives. To date, we have delivered more than 7,750,000 ISR Self-Rescue lessons and saved more than 800 lives.
 
ISR believes pool fences, supervision, and pool alarms are important parts of a necessary multi-layered approach to drowning prevention. However, traditional lines of defense break down, and the over 4,000 drowning deaths per year bear a grim testament to the fact that traditional approaches are missing a key component: the child. Children are curious, capable, and have an uncanny ability to overcome obstacles like pool fences; at ISR we take that ability and teach them skills to potentially save themselves if they find themselves in the water alone.

Question 10

If my child takes a break over the winter, will they forget everything?

Accepted Answer

We understand that families occasionally need to take a break from lessons for a variety of reasons, and when that happens, some regression is to be expected. Participating in year-round swimming lessons is the most effective way for your child to become a safe and confident swimmer and helps them retain more knowledge for longer periods of time. Swimming occasionally throughout the year can create a gap in swimming skills, and your child may have to relearn those skills upon returning to swim lessons instead of immediately jumping into new skills.
To help facilitate year-round swimming lessons, we have recently added 2 Mini Sessions (3 week sessions for 10 and 20 minute lessons) in between holidays in December and January.  See our web site main page for dates.

Question 11

Is my child expected to go underwater?

Accepted Answer

The simple answer is, YES!  Safe swimming begins with learning breath control right from the start, and children learn to hold their breath through experience. Going underwater is something most children enjoy after just a few lessons. So, keep cheering them on, even if they’re nervous.

Question 12

How many days per week should my child take lessons to develop strong skills?

Accepted Answer

We recommend 10 or 20-minute swim lessons, 2-3 days per week. This results in the best retention of skills because our process links one skill to the next and builds upon your child’s successes.

Question 13

How long are swim lessons?

Accepted Answer

At First Strokes our lessons last 10 or 20 minutes, depending on the type of lessons. We’ve found this to be the ideal length of time that young children can focus while still having fun.

Question 14

What age can my child start swimming lessons?

Accepted Answer

We begin teaching children to swim as young as six months old, but if your child is older than that, go ahead and start now—there’s always time to learn! The proven First Strokes process is designed to teach children and adults of all ages and abilities how to become safe and confident swimmers for life.

Question 15

How quickly will my child learn to swim?

Accepted Answer

First Strokes is committed to helping each child progress as quickly as possible while maintaining the standards of our proven process. Each student’s progress is unique and impacted by age, frequency of lessons, level of comprehension, development of motor and cognitive skills, and their ability to process multiple tasks.

Question 16

Can I take photos of my child during their swim lesson?

Accepted Answer

Of course! Your kiddos are growing by leaps and bounds, and we want you to capture these sweet swimming memories. All we ask is that you take photos from the safety and comfort of our parent viewing area

FAQs

Frequently asked questions