What to expect in your ISR sessions

You will attend lessons every weekday, Monday - Friday, for a maximum of 10 minutes per day. Students typically graduate in an average of (30-40 lessons), depending on weather, holidays, and most importantly, the unique needs and abilities of each individual student.

While this may seem like quite a commitment, these repetitive lessons are what sets us apart regarding final results. ISR’s methods and repetition create muscle memory which leads to confident and competent lifelong swimmers. Many parents think of this as their child's daily workout for the duration of lessons and it really does wonders for the child's overall level of confidence, health and development.  

Lessons are always one-on-one, between the instructor and child. ISR does not offer group lessons since each lesson is customized to the individual child.  Rather than teaching to a group with a range of abilities, we meet each child exactly where he is. The parent(s) or caregiver sits poolside.

Statistics show that over 85% of all children who drown are fully clothed at the time of the incident. Therefore, during the final week of lessons, while under the watchful eye of an instructor, each of our students has lessons that allow them to practice self-rescue skills in both summer and winter clothing. This way, if they ever do fall in fully clothed, it will not be the first time and they will have actually practiced how to handle the situation. Each child will thoroughly master the ISR skills before completion of the program. 

Lessons by age and skill level

  • 6 months- approx. 19 months

    In these lessons, children will learn to hold their breath underwater, roll onto their back and float, unassisted, until help arrives.

    See ISR's Roll-Back-to-Float Sequence

    and here for another demonstration.

  • Approx. 19 months-6 years

    Children will learn the following sequence: how to hold their breath underwater; swim with their head down and eyes open to problem solve and look for an exit; roll onto their back to float, rest, and breath; and roll back over to resume swimming.  They learn to repeat this swim-float-swim sequence until they reach the side of the pool and can crawl out or can be rescued by an adult.

    Click here to see the Swim-Float-Swim sequence.

  • Advanced Lessons

    For our older, more proficient students, we are proud to offer advanced swim lessons including learning to remove shoes or other cumbersome clothing in a water emergency, introduction to strokes, how to dive for toys and even how to snorkel!