Common questions about ISR lessons.

Lesson blocks are short, recurring, and capacity-limited. The application helps us understand timing, location, instructor fit, and safety considerations before payment.

Weather, illness, and schedule changes are handled directly with families so expectations stay clear and realistic.

The first week is about routine, comfort with the instructor, and early skill foundations. Parent updates explain what is expected and what comes next.

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 or 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 had never done before: the first time you try a new task 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 or she has never done before.

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

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 they could get themselves to safety. The difference in our program is that they learn swimming and survival skills, along with how to be an aquatic problem solver.

The 6-week average is an estimate 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 around your child's individual strengths and needs. Some children finish more quickly while others need more practice. ISR is dedicated to safety, so we give your child the time and opportunity to become proficient in his or her survival skills. We will always honor your child's needs.

Based on ISR research, refresher lessons are important because children change so much cognitively and physically during the first 0-5 years of life. Their water survival skills need to 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 or her new body size and weight to existing skills. Your instructor will help fine-tune your child's aquatic experience, build efficiency, and support confidence, especially if your child has not practiced appropriate aquatic skills between seasons.

No. Every child can learn. It is my job to find the best way to communicate the information so that it makes sense to the child. I set your child up to be successful every time you bring them to me. I start where they are and through consistent lessons, we see progress.

No. Lessons can build practiced skills, but children still need close supervision, barriers, alarms, emergency planning, and refreshed skills as they grow.

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, 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.