What parents ask before the first lesson.

ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) is aquatic survival instruction for infants and children, developed since 1966. Its focus is teaching your child to become a productive swimmer, or floater, in any depth of water: an "aquatic problem solver" rather than a child who has simply had fun in a pool.

ISR runs numerous safety protocols, and your child's health is monitored every day. A medical and developmental history is a mandatory part of the ISR national registration, held strictly confidential. Instructors attend a yearly re-certification symposium with quality control and continuing education, and parents get access to the Parent Resource Guide by Dr. Harvey Barnett and JoAnn Barnett.

ISR Instructors work from each child's individual strengths and experiences, using what they know of the behavioral sciences, child development and sensorimotor learning to guide the child through the sequence of learning to swim and float.

Parents enroll because they want their children to be able to help themselves if they ever end up alone in the water, and swimming is best learned early in life. ISR says its lessons greatly increase a child's chance of surviving an aquatic accident.

ISR claims a retention rate of 94-100% up to one year after lessons. Children can still pick up habits that interfere, like floating in a bathtub or playing on the steps, so staying in touch with your instructor and coming back in good time matters.

Dr. David Carr, a pediatrician in Orlando, Florida, conducted an extensive study on ISR. After completing it, Dr. Carr and his wife enrolled their own daughter in ISR lessons.

A baby does not need to perceive danger or be afraid to respond. If a baby has learned to roll over and float when they need air, they need skill, practice and confidence to deal with it calmly, not fear.

Children often fuss in the first few lessons because the place and the people are new. As they become more confident in the water, the fussing decreases, the same way any new skill feels hard until you get the hang of it.

ISR does not want a baby to first associate the water with a parent's love and attention. Teaching a child to respond to an aquatic emergency also takes concentration and objectivity that parents often find too hard to keep with their own child.

Being apprehensive in a new environment is different from fear. ISR is a drowning prevention program rather than a traditional swim class, a bit like a car seat: something you do for safety. Once children are competent, many cannot be dragged away from the pool.

Children under the age of 6 months are not neurologically mature enough to benefit from ISR instruction.

Flotation devices give children a false sense of security and hold them upright, a posture that does not fit swimming skills. Life jackets must still be worn in a boat or around water where accidental submersion is possible: they are not a substitute for the ability to swim or for adult supervision.