A little clarity before you begin.

Infant Swimming Resource®, or ISR, teaches individualized survival swimming skills. In one-on-one lessons, children practice floating and breathing, and, as their development allows, combining swimming with floating. ISR’s technique is the product of more than 50 years of research and development.

ISR focuses on developmentally appropriate Self-Rescue skills through individualized, one-on-one lessons. Its format is short and frequent: up to 10 minutes a day, five days a week. Other swim programs vary in their goals and lesson formats, so it helps to compare each program’s focus, instruction and schedule.

Infants can begin at a minimum of six months old when they can get into a seated position and sit independently for one minute. Lessons are adapted to developmental stage and readiness. If you’re unsure where your child fits, contact Caitlin to discuss getting started.

Every child brings different water experiences to lessons. Caitlin considers previous swim lessons, comfort in the water and regular use of flotation devices when tailoring instruction. Lessons are individualized around your child’s current skills, responses, development and prior aquatic experiences.

The 10-minute maximum follows a lesson structure developed through decades of ISR research and experience. Children work hard in lessons, and young children generally have short attention spans. Focused lessons make the most of the time when your child is ready to engage, learn and retain new skills. Longer does not automatically mean better.

Frequent practice is part of ISR’s established lesson structure. Repetition and consistency are important as young children learn new skills. Short, frequent lessons help reinforce the previous day’s learning and support retention as skills develop.

No. Five days a week can take some coordination, and a parent does not need to bring your child to every lesson. Grandparents, babysitters, aunts, uncles, nannies or other trusted caregivers can bring your child, too. Consistent attendance is important to the lesson structure; your support system can help make the schedule work for your family.

The program generally takes 6–7 weeks. Your child’s progress is individual, so the overall timeline can vary. It is not a guaranteed completion date.

Yes. ISR lessons provide individualized instruction for one child at a time. The teaching is adapted to the child’s developmental stage, readiness, physical and emotional development, and prior experience in the water.

Yes. During the final week of lessons, a parent joins Caitlin and your child in the pool. You’ll get hands-on experience supporting your child and helping them maintain the skills they’ve worked to build.

For children who are not fully potty trained, two snug-fitting swim diapers are required for every lesson. Disposable swim diapers may not be used as either required layer because they do not provide sufficient containment for bowel movements that could otherwise enter the pool. Children who are fully potty trained may wear a regular swimsuit. Caitlin will provide families with the specific swim-diaper requirements before lessons begin.

An unexpected entry into water often happens in everyday clothes, which add weight and resistance and feel different from a swimsuit. Once your child has developed the appropriate skills, we include practice in clothing toward the end of their lesson progression. This gives them experience using those skills in conditions closer to an unexpected water entry.

Like any sport or learned skill, continued practice matters. Periodic maintenance lessons are highly encouraged to reinforce the skills your child worked hard to build. As children grow and change, returning for practice helps keep those skills familiar and reduces the chance of them becoming rusty or forgotten.

Infants learn to roll onto their backs, float, rest and breathe, and maintain that position until help arrives. Instruction focuses on skills appropriate to their development and readiness.

Children learn to swim with their heads down, roll onto their backs to float, rest and breathe, then return to swimming. They repeat the sequence as needed to work toward an edge or safer location when possible, or maintain a float until help arrives when necessary.

As development and readiness allow, lessons build toward the swim-float-swim sequence. Age alone does not set every part of the lesson; instruction also reflects the child’s physical and emotional development and previous aquatic experiences.

No. ISR teaches practical Self-Rescue skills, but it does not eliminate drowning risk or replace close adult supervision. Parent education on water safety is part of the program.

Plan around the program’s short, frequent format: up to 10 minutes a day, five days each week, typically over 6–7 weeks. Parents also receive educational resources. Specific session details and preparation instructions will be shared as they are finalized.

Yes. Parents stay poolside during lessons, and your presence, praise and encouragement matter. I understand how hard it can be to watch your child experience strong emotions, especially in the beginning, and you’ll be there to support them throughout the process. Watching their confidence and skills grow week after week can be incredibly rewarding.

Children have their own ways of responding to something new: some cry during early lessons, while others don’t cry at all. A new pool, instructor or routine can bring uncertainty or frustration that a young child doesn’t yet have words for, and I know those emotions can be hard for parents to watch. Many children grow more comfortable as trust, familiarity and skills develop. Your calm encouragement helps set the tone, so I ask families to speak positively about lessons at the pool and at home while making room for their child’s feelings.

There is an important difference between being fearful and being apprehensive because you are not yet skilled in a new environment. ISR is not like traditional swim lessons; it is a drowning prevention program that teaches survival swimming. Sometimes as a parent, you make choices for your child’s safety, like sitting in a car seat, because you know they are important. The same can be said for ISR.

Families receive the ISR Parent Resource Book and Family Aquatic Safety List. These resources support parent education and help families consider water safety beyond the lesson itself.

General lesson location information will be listed with approved sessions on the Schedule page once it is finalized. ISR Macomb will not publish a private pool street address on the website.

First, you’ll request your preferred session and lesson time directly through Caitlin using the Book Now page. After Caitlin reviews and confirms your booking request, you’ll register your child through ISR Corporate. All swimmers must be registered and approved through ISR Corporate before lessons begin. ISR Corporate charges a $105 new student registration fee, which covers a pediatric nurse review of your child’s medical and developmental history. This safety protocol is separate from and is not included in ISR Macomb lesson fees.

Caitlin is completing ISR Instructor certification, and lessons are expected to begin in January 2027. Registration and scheduling are not open yet. You can ask Caitlin to contact you as the details are finalized.

Approved sessions will show their dates, lesson-time windows and current availability on the Schedule page. When lesson-time scheduling opens, the Book Now page will guide you through the booking process.