Keeping ISR skills between seasons

The last lesson isn't the end of the story. Once a child has learned to roll, float and swim, the next question parents ask is how long it lasts. It's a fair question, and the honest answer has two parts: what ISR claims, and what you do at home between seasons.

What ISR says about retention

ISR claims a retention rate of 94 to 100 percent up to one year following lessons. That's ISR's own figure for its national program, so treat it as a claim rather than a promise. The practical move is to ask Coach Glare how your child is doing, because she's the one watching.

The same FAQ adds a caution that's easy to skip. Children explore. They can pick up bad habits from watching other children, or from interference like floating in a bathtub or playing on the steps. Those are ISR's examples, and they're worth taking seriously.

What can get in the way

• Floating in the bathtub
• Playing on the pool steps
• Picking up habits from watching other children

ISR's FAQ doesn't give a long explanation for each of those, and we won't invent one. What it does say is that as your child goes through lessons, you'll begin to understand, through communication with your instructor, which activities may interfere with the learned skills.

That's practical advice hiding in plain sight. Before the course wraps up, ask Coach Glare what you should do at the pool this summer and what you should skip. Her answer will be about your child, not a general rule.

None of these are scolding points. Kids play in tubs and on steps. The point is to find out early what might be working against the lessons, so you can adjust before a habit sets in.

Coming back: refreshers

ISR also says that contacting or returning to your instructor in a timely manner is imperative to maintaining effective habits. Refresher lessons are recommended as the child grows, and a growing child is a good reason not to assume last year's lessons are enough.

The refresher enrollment fee is $35, compared with $105 for a new student. The fee is paid to ISR, not to Coach Glare, and it's non-refundable. Registration works the same way as it does for a first course: click Signup Online, read the instructions, lesson types and fees, and a registration link arrives by email. If registration is closed or no slots are open, join the waitlist and you'll hear by email or text when one opens.

A refresher also gives Glare a chance to see how a bigger child handles the same skills. Because ISR recommends refreshers as a child grows, a child who first learned at two may be back at three or four, and the lesson is shaped around who she is now.

Families do come back. Kelli B., an ISR client, wrote on Glare's site, “We will be back each year for a refresher!” A Google reviewer who goes by G DB wrote, “We continue to come every season!” And George C. wrote that they “have signed up to continue further instruction past our initial commitment.”

A simple plan for the year

• At the end of the course, ask Glare which activities to avoid at home.
• Keep water play supervised by an adult, every time.
• Tell Glare if your child's behavior in the water changes, and ask whether it's time for a refresher.
• Plan a refresher as your child grows, and get on the waitlist early if registration is closed.

None of this is complicated, and none of it replaces the fence, the pool alarm or the adult watching. It just keeps the skill your child worked for from drifting.

Why families stay with one instructor

Continuity is part of what ISR describes. The instructor knows what your child learned, how they respond and what tends to throw them off. Shonda S. wrote on Glare's site that she is always very pleased when they go to swim lessons, and that her son loves Glare back. Cassie Sedgley wrote in a Google review that she and her husband couldn't be more grateful they put their boys into ISR with Miss Glare.

Ready for a refresher, or thinking about a first course? Call Coach Glare at (321) 662-3718, email g.sanchez@infantswim.com, or sign up online. If there's no open slot this season, ask about the waitlist.