The 4 or more weeks is an estimate that is based on the average time in which it takes most children to learn these survival skills. Every child is unique and our Self-Rescue program is specifically designed based on your child’s strengths and needs. It is important to realize that this is an average which means that some children will finish more quickly while others will need more practice. We are dedicated to safety and, therefore, we want to provide your child with the time and best opportunity to become proficient in their survival skills. We will always honor your child’s needs.

Further the AAP states, “There is tremendous variability among swim lessons, and not every program will be right for each child. Parents and caregivers should investigate options for swim lessons in their community before enrollment to make sure that the program meets their needs and the needs of the child. High-quality swim lessons provide more experiential training, including swimming in clothes, in life jackets, falling in, and practicing self-rescue.

Like any physical skill, children don’t “forget” the skills, but will need to adjust their skills to account for their physical growth. In addition, 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 their learned Self-Rescue skills. Contacting and/or returning to your Instructor promptly is imperative to maintaining effective habits.

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, they are 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.

No. Every child can learn. It is our 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 at your child’s skill level and set them up for success in every lesson.

ISR is a company, a brand of survival swim lessons that has been in the public eye for many years, therefore it is the most well-known name people associate with the methodology. It is, if you will, the Kleenex of survival swim lessons, the name people often use to describe the lessons, even if they are provided by a different company. SafeSwimSolutions uses some of the same theoretical principles used by ISR and other survival swim programs to safely teach aquatic survival skills. These theories are the basis of child development and behavioral psychology education, found in college textbooks and publications. They are not owned by any one company.  We provide medical background checks for all students and extensive training and ongoing education of instructors, to help ensure children will safely obtain the skills needed to survive an aquatic accident. 

The main differences are:

1) The flexibility of scheduling. We offer longer lessons when appropriate and allow for less frequent lessons to accommodate busy schedules and make the program more accessible to modern busy families.

2) We teach all children to float first. They will master this vital survival skill before moving on to more advanced swimming skills. The float is the foundation of everything we teach.

3) We take a gentler approach with anxious students to help ease them into the process to better meet their individual emotional and developmental needs.

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 a temperature in the mid-80’s, the temperature is still lower than your child’s body temperature. Lessons are work and therefore will cause a child to also be losing body heat. Instructors check students regularly for temperature fatigue since this is an indicator of physical fatigue.