Today’s blog is to announce a podcast that I just recorded and published called “Water Safety for Kids,” with one purpose: To reach as many parents as possible and potentially save the life of a child. The purpose of the podcast is not only to prevent unnecessary drowning and teach water safety, but to prevent and recognize how devastating nonfatal drownings can be as well.

I have dedicated this podcast to Samual Morris. Samual Morris did survive a nonfatal drowning, but today he suffers from a hypoxic brain injury causing a lifelong disability. His mother Jo-ann writes, “there is no cure for my child.”

Nonfatal drowning can occur in seconds causing brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities, including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning.

The podcast, Water Safety for Kids, challenges parents, in fact, begs parents to NEVER underestimate how easy it is for a child to find himself in a life or death situation in the water. Please join me in our fight against drowning and share this water safety podcast with as many parents as possible. Together we CAN make a difference and save the life of a child.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim was the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com 

We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

TOO MANY PARENTS THINK THAT WHEN THEIR CHILD CAN SWIM UNDERWATER THAT THEY DON’T NEED ANY MORE LESSONS!

Does your swim school experience this problem?   Of course it’s not only a problem for swim school business, it’s a very serious problem for the child’s safety.  I would like to share with you today a couple ideas I have when it comes to SWIM LESSON OBJECTIVES.

Number one, I have created a motivational awards bracelet system that includes a safety component: Water Safety System.

Number two, I have developed a set of Benchmarks/Swimming Proficiency Test Questions to help swim parents understand not only the importance of learning to swim, but what  children are capable of and should learn at a variety of given ages.  Here they are:

Would your child survive?

Only automobile accidents take more lives than drowning for children ages 1-14.   How well does your child swim?    Would your child survive an accidental fall into the water?

Can your child pass the following swim tests?

1 – 2 years olds: Can your child comfortably hold his breath and swim a short distance for up to 5 seconds?  Pass / Fail

2 – 3 years olds: Can your child get back to the side of the pool from a standing entry?  Pass / Fail

3 – 4 years olds: Can your child swim with the face in the water and get a breath when needed for at least 15 feet?  Pass / Fail

4 – 5 years olds: Can your child swim 30 feet of backstroke and freestyle with side breathing?  Pass / Fail

Follow Swim Lessons University on Facebook and/or swimprofessor on twitter!

The Swim Lessons University Super Conference is a one-day, information packed event with an EARLY BIRD RATE of just $75.00 (the rate will increase 30 days prior to the event).   Don’t miss out on Jim’s enthusiastic delivery of four state-of-the art presentations featuring video and power point content that you can actually take home and put to use in your swim school!

Plus–the SLU Conference is conveniently held the day before two other great conferences you may want to attend:

• ASCA World Clinic: You could attend the ASCA Conference in Indianapolis during the SLU Conference.  The SwimAmerica portion is held on Saturday.  Call Julie Nitti at ASCA to register at 1-800-356-2722  for more information.  ASCA Clinic Registration is $380 prior to July 31st, $400 on site.
• US Swim School Conference: You could attend the U.S. Swim School Association’s conference on the Wednesday following the SLU Conference in Las Vegas thru USSSA.   Registration is $450 thru September 11th, and then increases to $600 on September 12th.  Call Holly Holmes at 480-837-5525.

LOCATIONS & DATES

Friday, September 3, 2010

Indianapolis, IN

Embassy Suites Indianapolis – Downtown

110 West Washington Street

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204
Tel: 1-317-236-1800

*ask for Swim Lessons University group rate of $149 which includes Hot Breakfast Buffet & Free Happy Hour Drinks!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas Hilton

3000 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 89109

*ask for Swim Lessons University group rate of $109.00. Mention the group code “SGSWIMO”

“The Swim Professor” speaks:

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Teaching Babies Better

10:00 AM – 10:20 AM YOUR QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM Tricks to Making Learning More Fun for Preschoolers

11:45 AM – 12:05 PM YOUR QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

12:05 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM More Effective Ways to Teach Skills, Strokes, & Progressions

2:30 PM – 2:50 PM YOUR QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Secrets to Growing Your Swim School

4:15 PM – 4:35 PM YOUR QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Register Online  & GET the Early Bird Rate of just $75.00!

PLUS register this week and receive five (5) FREE Online certification programs (a $50 value)!

Register at Swim Lessons University or call 1-866-498-7946

2010 DROWNING PREVENTION AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— April 21, 2010 The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) recognized national and community drowning prevention leaders on April 26, 2010 at the NDPA’s 9th Annual National Drowning Prevention Symposium at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh, PA.

Cecilia Duer will receive the 2010 National Lighthouse Award, the NDPA’s highest honor.  Duer, executive director of the National Water Safety Congress since 2002, was selected for her leadership in water safety and drowning prevention. She also serves as the executive director of the Spirit of America Foundation and directs its youth education programs, and is involved in other national organizations dedicated to aquatic safety including the National Boating Safety Advisory; NASBLA Education Committee; Ohio DNR Division of Watercraft; and the NWSC Rescue Recover, Re-Warm and PWC courses.

NDPA Executive Director Kristin Goffman says, “Cecilia is a true leader in this effort, managing numerous national projects.  Her work in critical areas of water safety education has advanced drowning prevention efforts across the nation. She is a leading force in water safety, and she was selected by the NDPA board because she embodies the spirit of this award.”

Previous Lighthouse Award winners were Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Nancy Baker, whose tireless efforts helped to achieve passage of national legislation, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act, named in memory of Baker’s daughter, who drowned through entrapment on a spa drain.

Four NDPA Community Lifesaver Awards will be presented. This award honors exceptional work in the advancement of drowning prevention at the community or regional level through education, research, public awareness, legislative changes, or engineering advancements.  Winners were peer-nominated and selected by the NDPA board based on set criteria.

Jim Reiser with Swim Lessons University was selected for his leadership in promoting drowning prevention in his local community of Columbia, South Carolina through a multi-faceted approach including swim instruction, water safety awareness, and media outreach.  Reiser designed an innovative water safety & swim proficiency awards program using a color-coded arm band system, incorporating various colors with different levels of swimming ability. He has partnered with USA Swimming’s Make a Splash Campaign, authored books for parents on water safety, and serves as the water safety chairperson for Safe Kids Midlands in Columbia.

Julian “Duke” Brown with Horry County School District was selected for his dedication to the prevention of drowning in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  For the past ten years, Brown has coordinated a Junior Lifeguard Program for 5^th grade students that meets state curriculum standards and encompasses water safety information and practices. The program Brown developed promotes appreciation and understanding of local aquatic environments and helps students develop specific abilities to save lives in and out of the water, and to assist swimmers in distress. Over 500 students have completed this after-school program.

Gary Gray, a Vashon Aquatic Club swim parent and board member, was inspired by his then five-year-old son’s desire to become a diver after watching the 2004 Olympic Diving competition. Gray immediately got involved in local swim programs and Vashon Island’s only competitive swim team–the Seals.  In 2009, Washington State’s Vashon Aquatic Club offered the free program to over 300 first-through-third grade students. Goffman says, “His nominators said that Gary is a tireless champion of getting kids in the water, and realizes the need for safety around the water since his community lives on an island.  He spreads his passion for water safety by ensuring that all children have access to swim lessons.”

The San Diego County Aquatic Council, led by Manuel Gonzalez, aquatic director for the city of Chula Vista and Belinda Bencomo, supervising recreation specialist for the city of San Diego CA, has made furthering aquatic opportunities for San Diegans, water safety and drowning prevention priorities.  The Aquatic Council has a diverse membership ranging from all 17 municipalities in San Diego County to numerous public and private agencies, swimming and pool industry representatives, and interested individuals. The Aquatic Council works to provide lifeguards with the necessary tools to ensure that guarded waters are safe, and to educate the public to help reduce drowning in unguarded waters. The group has been on the forefront of local and national legislative action and is currently working with local health departments to help ensure that pool operators in San Diego comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act.  Goffman reports, “This council demonstrates that a community-based water safety coalition can make significant advances in drowning prevention within its local community.”

For further information, visit www.ndpa.org or call (951) 659-8600.

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About the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA)

The NDPA was formed in 2004 to maximize efforts to prevent drowning through the development and implementation of strategies to facilitate and improve education, public awareness, effective barrier codes and greater utilization of layers of protection. This tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) national organization is comprised of individuals, organizations, government agency representatives, policymakers and corporations who have the common goal of saving lives. Affiliated members and programs share “the best of the best” with other members so that successful efforts can be replicated nationwide, with a goal of reducing drowning in swimming pools, open bodies of water and household products such as tubs and buckets.

Get your students and parents hooked with the Swim Lessons University Bracelet System!   Instantly recognize and reward your students by punching out the star besidethe skill you just taught your pupil with our handy ¼” star puncher!

Parents and children will absolutely love the way you will reward them for their progress!  Not only will parents appreciate how you are teaching their child, but also there is even more to be excited about!  Here are just a few of the unique features:

• It’s fast & immediate! The reward for progress is immediate, which leads to motivated students.
• It’s motivational! Students are sure to give their best in order to earn more stars and eventually a new bracelet.
• It’s convenient! You don’t have to get out of the pool to print card, stamp certificates, etc.  Simply punch out the star beside the abbreviated skill.
• It’s a time-saver! No more long, tedious testing days.  You update progress bracelets as progress occurs!
• It’s a lifesaver! The water safety component helps educate parents about how to protect their children.

Most importantly, the Swim Lessons University Awards Bracelets allows you to focus on doing what you love most—teaching children to swim and making them safer in and around the water.

For details on how it works, the safety component, what skills are abbreviated on each bracelet, and on HOW TO ORDER the Swim Lessons University Awards Bracelets for your students or swim school, visit Swim Lessons University today!

I will be heading up to my home state of Pennsylvania next weekend to attend the 9th Annual Drowning Prevention Symposium on April 26th and April 27th.  Many of my friends know that I am a Johnstown, PA native and did my undergraduate work at California University of PA, not to mention that I spent half my youth at swim meets in Pittsburgh!  At any rate,  I’m looking forward to visiting my family and friends on Friday and Saturday before heading to the NDPA event on Sunday.

If you are attending I look forward to you visiting with me.  I will have all my Swim Lessons University DVD’s, as well as my new Swim Lessons Awards Progression & Water Safety Bracelet system available at my exhibit. Mention this blog and I will give you an automatic 10% discount on any of the Swim Lessons University educational tools!

Hope to see you at the Sheraton at Station Square!

Listen, 1x per week of swimming lessons is clearly 100% better than ZEROx per week, and 1x per week is a great way to maintain swimming skills over the winter and certainly make some improvement.

However, IF you increase the frequency of swim lessons/practice from 1x per week to 2x per week you will CLEARLY see a significant difference in the speed/rate of improvement.  STUDY AFTER STUDY clearly suggest when you increase frequency, you increase the learning rate.

As a parent of two young children (and one on the way:)–I UNDERSTAND HOW NICELY ONCE PER WEEK fits  in our busy schedules and I am okay with that in the fall and winter.  But when spring time comes, it’s time to increase the frequency. LEARNING TO SWIM is so important for the safety of our children.

Soccer, Karate, Basketball, Gymnastics, Dance, etc. are all skills that are TERRIFIC for young children to be exposed to and learn.  But if your child is going to master a musical instrument, excel at a sport, or if you are just trying to stay fit– do you really think once per week is enough?  How much weight will you lose if you diet and exercise once per week?

Summer is coming and coming fast!  In fact, if your child starts swimming lessons on March 15th and goes 2x per week until June 1st–you will get 22 lessons in before summer.  On average, it takes a 20-30 lessons for a 3 – 5 year old to learn to swim across the pool without a flotation device or assistance from a teacher.

So WHY NOT 1X PER WEEK?  I suppose you know now:)  If you live in the midlands of South Carolina–enroll your child in a swimming class today at The Swim Lessons Company.

My Definition of Swimming and Swimming Skill Benchmarks

What does it mean to learn to swim?  In an effort to help my “swim lessons parents” understand what a child can potentially learn at a variety of ages, I developed a list of “Swimming Skill Benchmarks”  for infants, toddlers, and young children.  Because the question, “How long will it take my child to learn to swim” is asked so often, I thought it would be helpful to define swimming in terms of a child’s reasonable capabilities at a variety of ages.   This, of course, is assuming the child is being instructed by a swimming professional (not your local pool lifeguard).

While I don’t believe it is necessary or even a good idea for children should  to be enrolled in swimming lessons 12 months out of the year, I do believe that learning to swim should be TOP PRIORITY and even take priority over other activities (if necessary).   To clarify further, my own children participate in a variety of activities for both fitness and skill acquisition, i.e., soccer, basketball, karate, and gymnastics to name a few.   Nevertheless–it is my professional opinion as both a physical educator and water safety professional every child should be able to swim freestyle and backstroke across a pool (5 year old benchmark below) by 6 years of age.  AND I don’t think that spending month after month in other activities INSTEAD of learning to swim, for example, is a good idea.  Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children age five and under for a reason, and while  learning to swim should never replace Constant Adult Supervision–it does save many more lives than t-ball, soccer, dance, etc.

It is very important to me that the following set of benchmarks be used to help parents understand what their child is capable of doing in terms of swimming skills, but this list should NEVER be used as a critique of any kind.  Children should be allowed to progress at their own pace in a child-friendly, child-centered environment.  FOR YOUR CHILD’S SAKE–KEEP THESE SIMPLE GUIDELINES IN MIND:

1. Encourage and complement your child on what he/she is doing well.
2. Leave the constructive criticisms to the teacher.
3. Love and support your child unconditionally.

You want your child to develop a life long love affair with the water.  Allow him/her to progess at their own pace.   With that in mind, here are my SWIMMING SKILL BENCHMARKS:

3 months: Baby is capable of happily having water gently poured over the head using our conditioning method (as shown in my Bathtub Baby 101 DVD available on our website for just $19.00).

6 months: Baby is capable of performing a “brief underwater pass” with our Parent & Me class experiences.

12 months:  Baby is capable of a “brief underwater swim” with our Parent & Me class experiences.

18 months: Toddler is capable of maneuvering himself thru the water for 3-5 seconds using the legs for propulsion (independently from mom/dad to the teacher) with our Parent & Me class experiences.

24 – 36 months:

• Toddler is capable of getting back to the side of the pool from a sitting entry with our Parent & Me class experiences.

• 30 months: Toddler is capable of swimming with face in the water for 7-10 feet with our Parent & Me class experiences.

• 36 months: Toddler is capable of getting back to the side of the pool from a standing entry with our Parent & Me class experiences.

3 ½ years: Child is capable of swimming with the face in the water and breathing as needed using a “pop-up breath” or “roll-over breath” with our Swim 101 class experiences.

4 years: Child is capable of swimming freestyle with the face-in-the-water for 20 feet with our Swim Strokes 201 class experiences.

5 years: Child is capable of swimming Freestyle with side breathing and Backstroke for 30 feet with our Swim Strokes 201 class experiences.

6 years: Child is capable of swimming a 100-yard individual medley (25 yards of each stroke:  butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle) competently with Advanced Swim Strokes 301 class and our entry-level swim team class experiences.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University Online Swim Instructor Certification  and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).