FAQ'S — so cal isr

FAQ’S

Lesson Location & Schedule

Highland Park, California. Surrounding cities are Eagle Rock, Glendale and Pasadena.
Lessons are attended 10 minutes a day, 5 consecutive days a week for approximately 6 weeks. The consistency of daily lessons is critical for learning efficiency. These are NOT traditional swim lessons! We are teaching highly specialized skills and it is very important to attend class every day. If you cannot commit to this schedule, you may not register until you are sure you can.
Available lesson times vary from session to session but lesson times are consistently offered in the morning (~8:50am start) through midday.
The earliest slots of the day are specifically to help working parents and families with school-age children be able to participate in lessons before daycare/school/work.
While we understand it is frustrating to not have an unlimited amount of early morning slots or PM slots available year-round, please note we are working parents of young children ourselves. Being in the pool early morning AND after work is not feasible if we want to see our own children.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience knowing as many slots are being offered as possible!
Lessons are 5 consecutive days a week so you will always need to attend lessons on weekdays. Currently and for the foreseeable future, we will be operating on a Mon-Fri schedule.
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.
Yes, however, because I teach out of my own pool my schedule is limited. If you're interested in this option please email me directly. The cost for this is also significantly higher than what you would pay to drive to me.

Lesson Structure

No, lessons are always one-on-one.
Parents are not required to get in the water during lessons BUT your instructor may suggest a time when it may make sense for you to join a few lessons with your child, towards the end of the session, to learn how to play with them in the water while honoring their hard earned skills!
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 prior to an emergency situation, 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.
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 loosing body heat. Instructors check students regularly for temperature fatigue since this is an indicator of physical fatigue.
We do not want the baby to initially associate the water with the love, attention and affection of the parent while in the water. Also, it takes incredible concentration and objectivity to teach the baby how to respond to an aquatic emergency and our research shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their own children in the water.

Program Pricing

2023 tuition pricing is $1,500 for a 6-week session for one student.
There is a one-time registration fee of $105 which goes directly to ISR (NOT your instructor) to cover a comprehensive medical background check that you complete online when you register for classes. ISR’s staff of nurses reviews all the information in full to ensure your child can safely participate in lessons. One example that might prevent your child from being trained by ISR is a history of seizures. Registration links will be sent out approx 4 weeks prior to the start of lessons at which time you will pay the fee.
Sibling Discounts: Sibling discounts are available for 2 or more siblings enrolled in lessons at the same time. Tuition for the 2nd sibling is discounted by 10%, a 3rd sibling enrolled simultaneously is discounted by 15%. The one-time national registration fee mentioned above is $105.00 per child and is not subject to sibling discounts.
Great question! ISR has been researched and developed for 55+ years. It’s nationally recognized as the safest swim program for infants and children. Your children will learn life saving skills that traditional lessons do not provide. If you are looking for a swim class that focuses on socialization and play rather than safety and survival, you might consider traditional swim lessons.
1. ISR teaches your children to SWIM. There are no other programs in Pennsylvania that will teach your child to swim with his face in the water or offer any sort of guarantee about what he will learn. Many parents come to us after spending hundreds of dollars on traditional “swim” programs frustrated because their child doesn’t have any discernible skills after weeks, months, or even years of lessons.
2. You do not need to enroll your children into swim lessons summer after summer, year after year. Once they learn these skills, they have them forever. With maintenance and refresher lessons, they will retain their skills indefinitely. You end up spending more money over time on traditional lessons that are taught by former high school swimmers or college students trying to make some spending money over the summer. Speaking of teaching credentials…
3. Every ISR instructor undergoes 8 weeks of intense training. Hands on, in the pool with an ISR Master Instructor and students, learning the ISR method. For 8 weeks, we are in the pool 5x per week for several hours a day, for a minimum of 60 hours with ACTUAL students. In addition, we receive extensive hours of academic training in anatomy, physiology, child psychology, behavior and development, sensorimotor learning, and how each relates to the aquatic environment. Every instructor also maintains CPR and First Aid certifications, as well as annual recertification and testing to maintain our ISR certification and skills.
Lastly, if you add up what you’d spend in a traditional swim program for a few weeks during the summer – where he leaves the class with little to no skills – and then multiply that by every summer until he is 6 years old, this program costs significantly less and the value is infinitely greater.
PAYMENT PLANS
Working out a payment plan is a great option for families who may be a bit overwhelmed at the cost, particularly with siblings enrolled, but are not candidates for a financial scholarship. Please inquire with your instructor about options to spread payments out a bit before and during a session.
SCHOLARSHIPS
There are scholarships available through different organizations we work with. If you think you are a candidate for scholarship assistance please shoot us a note to open up a dialogue.
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.
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 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 in a timely manner is imperative to maintaining effective habits.
Lessons missed by the family for illness, vacation, late start date, etc. will not be made up or credited because lessons are priced by the skill set (Swim Float Swim or Rollback to Float) rather than priced by the lesson or the week.
It's important to note that 6-7 weeks to learn is an average..some kids need less time and some need more! If a child needs more time to finish with reliable skills, more time will be carved out for them (likely in a subsequent session). If a child finishes in less time and the parent & instructor agree that the child can shift to a Maintenance schedule before the end of 6 weeks, it's just less time the family needs to devote to getting them there daily for their initial learning.
That said, lessons WILL be made up or credited if the instructor needs to cancel lessons for any reason- illness, pool issues, etc.

Age & Experience

The ISR program is for infants and children aged 6 months-6 years, but really there is no upper age limit! Older children are just more likely to learn in a shorter period of time than the typical 6 week session. On the younger end, he or she must be 6 mos AND must be able to sit in an upright position independently.
These are some of the most common questions and concerns from parents who watch ISR videos and wonder....HOW in the world is that possible?! And is it safe?
ISR with a real, Certified ISR Instructor is indeed safe. Our training to become certified is a rigorous process, as it should be given the vulnerable population we serve. Your child's medical and development history is a mandatory part of the ISR national registration process (this info is kept confidential) and their health and well-being are closely monitored by their instructor daily.
As for teaching young/non-verbal children to hold their breath, this is our first and highest priority in lessons. We shape breath control in all students using highly effective positive reinforcement techniques and continue to reinforce proper breath control throughout all lessons.
Lastly, dry drowning is an outdated term that terrifies many parents but is not a recognized medical term. It has been sensationalized by the media and sensationalized in tv/film. Drowning does not happen days after being in water and it is also not something to be concerned about in ISR lessons given the level of training of the instructor as well as numerous safety protocols employed to ensure safe lessons for all students. There are 3 types of drowning: fatal, non-fatal, and non-fatal with injury. If any person has a drowning event they should be seen by a medical professional immediately for monitoring and necessary care to avoid further complications and/or injury.
Here are some reputable sources where you can read more about the subject:
American College of Emergency Physicians, Critical Decisions in Emergency Medicine, Volume 32, Number 9 https://bit.ly/3geqls6
@ameracadpeds, Prevention of Drowning, May 2019, 143 (5) e20190850; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-0850
@uofmichigan, Dispelling ‘Dry Drowning’ and Other Swimming Safety Myths https://bit.ly/3Co81Fz
@unitypointhealth Dispelling Myths about Dry Drowning https://bit.ly/3Akvffd
@clevelandclinic ‘Dry Drowning’: Separating Fact From Fiction https://cle.clinic/3hH0oSG
Kid Nurse ‘Your Kids Aren’t Dry Drowning (Because It’s Not Real)’ https://bit.ly/3IH8VBu
Absolutely! We teach children to have a healthy respect for the water, and we 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.
Some children cry the first few lessons due to anxiety. He is in a new building with a pool he's never been to being handed into the water to a stranger - it's normal for him 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 can't wait to come to lessons by the end of the first week!
Remember, fear is a learned behavior. We didn't come out of the womb afraid of spiders or water or large dogs. When someone has a negative experience that involves the fearful object or experience, fear is developed. Your child will only truly be fearful of the water if he or she has witnessed or experienced a traumatic aquatic event.
ISR might not be the right fit for your family. Parents who have lost a child to drowning will tell you they'd give everything to hear their child cry again. If it makes you uncomfortable to hear your child cry, think about what it would feel like to never have the opportunity to hear them at all. And more importantly, remember some of the reasons children cry...not wanting to go in their car seat, not wanting to go to the doctor or dentist, etc.
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 this 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.
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.

Registration/Enrollment

Here is the registration process:
1. Read through all the information on this website. When you are ready to proceed, e-mail Melissa Teigue at m.teigue@infantswim.com. An auto responder email will come right back to you with next steps. Throughout most of the year the message will offer a link to any current availability in the schedule or will instruct you to add your child's name to the waitlist to hear about upcoming enrollment opportunities as soon as they are available.
2. Keep your eyes peeled for email and social media announcements about upcoming enrollment opportunities. When schedules open they tend to fill VERY quickly! Once you go through the process of selecting a slot you will need to secure it within 24 hours with a $750/student non-refundable, non-transferable deposit via Zelle.
3. About 4 weeks prior to lessons, you will receive a link to register your child with ISR (This is a one-time $105 fee for new students, $35 annual fee for returning students) as well as a link to your Parent Resource Handbook + various start docs from your instructor. Please read through and complete the required documentation prior to the start of lessons. Your tuition balance will be due on your first day of lessons.
4. You will receive an email from your instructor approx. 1 week before lessons begin which includes directions to the pool location, BUDS sheets information, ISR Policies, & a Welcome letter that contains many helpful hints and reminders to get your child's ISR lessons started.
When you enrolled initially, you paid a non-refundable & non-transferable tuition deposit to lock in your child's slot. This verbiage is mentioned multiple times during the digital enrollment process to ensure everyone is aware of the policy prior to committing to a session of lessons.
While we totally understand "life things" come up that may throw a wrench in your plans to participate, the business incurs hard costs to be able to guarantee your child their slot in the specific session you originally selected, hence the non-refundable/non-transferable deposit.
As a small business we thank you in advance for understanding why this policy is in place and why it needs to be strictly enforced, regardless of the circumstances behind the request. If you wish to make a change you can consider one of the following options:
** If your lesson slot time (not the session dates) are the issue, you can inquire with your instructor if there are any other slots in your current session still available or if any have come available last minute. That said, if we are able to help accommodate a shift in lesson time within your current session we will, and you will not need to forfeit your deposit.
**If the session dates are the issue, or if the time is the issue and you cannot shift within the session you are enrolled in, you can forfeit your deposit & re-book a new slot for your child in a different session during the next enrollment opportunity. You will need to submit a new deposit to lock in your new selection.

Subsequent Lessons After Initial Learning

Once your child completes the session, he/she is fully skilled to survive an aquatic emergency and in most cases has a successful rollback-to-float or swim-float-swim sequence. Despite being skilled, there is no substitute for adult supervision and parents should still employ layers of protection- pool fences, pool alarms, door alarms, etc.
Maintenance lessons are suggested for most students at a cadence of 1-2 one time, pay-as-you-go lessons per month when available. Refresher Lessons are highly recommended every 3-6 months to adjust your child's skills to their growing body. We strive to make Refresher and Maintenance lessons readily available in every session throughout the year to give your little one ongoing opportunities to practice their skills.
Once your child is around age 6 we can help make a recommendation for a swim instructor who can take their skills further....learning stroke, swim mechanics etc. should we determine they are ready and their self-rescue skills are not at risk of being lost by doing so!
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. It is important that their water survival skills 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 skill between seasons.

General

ISR parents are intelligent and enroll their children because they understand their children's abilities and want to give them every opportunity to learn. They also feel it is important to teach their children how to help themselves should they find themselves alone in the water. Research shows that there are better times to learn certain things and swimming is best learned early in life. (Newsweek and Drowning Statistics)
Every child is unique. However, many parents report that once their young children have mastered learning to swim, the resulting confidence in their abilities engenders a positive self-concept that is often demonstrated in other aspects of their personalities. There are also obvious health and other psychological gains.