What is ISR?
Founded in 1966 by Dr. Harvey Barnett, ISR is now the global leader in the industry it pioneered: survival swimming lessons for infants and young children. Our team of over 700 highly trained ISR Instructors provides the safest and most effective survival swimming lessons available. The ISR Self-Rescue® instruction our students receive today is the product of over 45 years of research and achieves unparalleled results.
ISR believes pool fences, supervision, and pool alarms are important parts of a necessary multi-layered approach to drowning prevention. However, traditional lines of defense break down, and the over 4,000 drowning deaths per year bear a grim testament to the fact that traditional approaches are missing a key component: the child. ISR’s core conviction is that the child is the most important part of a drowning prevention strategy and our over 300,000 ISR graduates and 800 documented survival stories are proof that children can save themselves. Children are curious, capable, and have an uncanny ability to overcome obstacles like pool fences; at ISR we take that ability and teach them skills to potentially save themselves if they find themselves in the water alone.
So you’re considering ISR lessons?
CAN YOU COMMIT TO 20 to 35 LESSONS | 5 DAYS A WEEK | 10 MINUTES A DAY?
This schedule is not optional since consistency is key when attaining skills. Attendance is important for your child to attain these skills. Please discuss with the Instructor if you know your child will be missing days before signing up as deposits are non-refundable and missed lessons are not credited. We may have other options for you, let's talk it over!
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN?
This means we might need to adjust lessons or not have lessons that day for your child (this applies even if the doctor says it's okay to resume lessons).
As Instructors we have strict safety protocols provided by ISR that we need to follow to make sure we give the safest lesson to your child. We also love our job and want to keep it, so we hope you understand! These protocols and guidelines can be provided at anytime for you to view.
WE ASK STUDENTS HAVE NOTHING TO EAT OR DRINK TWO HOURS PRIOR TO THE LESSON TIME.
This may effect the time you would like to pick for your child's lesson. Will the times available work with your schedule or can you adjust your schedule to make it work?
This rule is not to be broken as it is set in place for your child's safety. Our main concern here is aspiration along with contaminating the pool. This means all lessons for the day are canceled until the pool is properly shocked. There is also a $100 pool cleaning fee.
Most daycares in our area have had children take lessons with Valley ISR and are familiar with the protocol.
CAN YOU BE OPEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE YOUR INSTRUCTOR?
If you have questions or concerns we always want you to bring those to our attention. We can only address your concerns if we hear them, so please talk with us. We do our best to explain our thoughts to you and we ask that you do the same.
CAN YOU MANAGE THE INVESTMENT IN ISR?
The main fees to consider are the non-refundable medical registration fee to National ISR ($105) and a session fee of $660. When signing up for a time slot we require a $220 non-refundable deposit. This holds your spot and is applied to the final payment, which is due the first day of lessons. .
We have partial scholarship opportunities for qualifying families. Please reach out to us for more information.
ANYONE YOU TRUST CAN BRING YOUR CHILD TO LESSONS.
We understand it can take a village to make ISR lessons happen. Anyone you trust may bring you child to lessons as long as they follow the safety protocols set forth by National ISR and Valley ISR.
IF YOU ANSWERED “YES” TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS, THEN IT’S TIME TO GET STARTED!
NEED MORE INFORMATION? CHECK OUT OUR FAQs BELOW
What will my child learn?
6 months - 20 months
Why this young? Because the sooner the safer!
The Rollback-to-Float program teaches breath control, correct floating posture and the skills to attain a back float and remain floating for a varied period of time. These students are brought back at an older age to learn our Swim-Float-Swim sequence, which they already know a portion of.
21 months and up
The Swim-Float-Swim program begins with teaching breath control and the skills to secure the edge of the pool or steps. Children learn correct swimming posture in a face down position, how to roll on to their backs to float, and turn back over to continue swimming. This is repeated until safety is reached.
DURING YOUR CHILD'S LAST WEEK WE WILL HAVE PARENTS GET IN THE POOL. WE THEN TEACH YOU HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR CHILD'S NEW SKILLS IN THE WATER AND ENJOY YOUR TIME IN THE WATER TOGETHER.
Also, during the final week of lessons, while under the watchful eye of an instructor, each of our students have the opportunity to practice their self-rescue skills in their clothes. We like to do both summer and winter clothes as drowning knows no season.