Lessons by age
Which ISR Self-Rescue lesson fits your child's age?
Coach Glare Sanchez, ISR Certified, teaches survival swimming in Helotes, TX, and what a child learns depends on how old they are. A baby learns to roll and float. A toddler learns to swim, roll, float and swim on. Not sure where yours belongs? Call Glare on (321) 662-3718 and tell her their age.
- 10 minutes
- in the water, each lesson day
- Monday to Friday
- five days a week, back to back
- 4 to 6 weeks
- for one course
- One-on-one
- one child and one instructor
What does a child learn at 8 months, at 3 years, at 5?
One line, three stages. Each lesson adds to the one before it, and each page below says what a ten-minute session looks like at that age.
Starts here · 6 to 12 months
Rollback to Float
A baby learns to roll onto their back to float, rest and breathe, and to hold that position until help arrives. It is the one skill that keeps a face out of the water, so it comes first.
Rollback to Float, in detail
Then · 1 to 6 years
Swim-Float-Swim
A toddler swims with their head down, rolls onto the back to float and breathe, rolls over again and swims on until they reach the side, where they crawl out or wait to be rescued.
Swim-Float-Swim, in detail
As they grow · Every season after
Refresher lessons
Refresher lessons are recommended as the child grows, so the float and the swim sequence keep pace with a bigger body. ISR charges a $35 enrollment fee for refresher classes.
Refresher lessons, in detail
Who it is not for
What if my baby is under 6 months?
ISR does not teach infants under 6 months old. Its reason, from the ISR FAQ: children under the age of 6 months are not neurologically mature enough to benefit from ISR instruction. Glare takes babies from 6 months, so the first lesson is Rollback to Float.
Parents stay out of the water during lessons. ISR says it does not want a baby to first associate the water with a parent's love and attention, and that parents often find it too hard to stay objective while teaching their own child. ISR also says pool fences, supervision and pool alarms matter as part of a layered approach, with the child as the most important part.
How much does it cost to enroll?
ISR charges a non-refundable enrollment fee: $105 for new students and $35 for refresher classes. It is paid to ISR, not to Glare, by PayPal, credit card or e-check.
The enrollment fee is the only fee published online. If registration is closed or no slots are open, you can join the waitlist and you will hear by email or text when one does. For anything else, call Glare on (321) 662-3718.
How signing up works, fee and waitlist includedFind your child's starting point with Glare.
Sign up online and an email follows with the registration link, or call and ask about your child's age first.