Infant Swimming Resource expands to new East Honolulu location

HONOLULU—Living near the ocean where water activities are such a strong element of our culture makes swimming skills all the more crucial. ISR’s accelerated program provides children with the competence and confidence required for the range of water activities available to them in Hawaii.

Infant Swimming Resource (ISR), a new approach to teaching babies and young children water safety and swimming, has announced its expansion to the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind, located at 3440 Leahi Avenue.

Founded in 1966, ISR integrates swimming skills that are age appropriate for young children, teaching them to save their own lives, while building the confidence that can lead to a lifetime of fun in and around the water. 

Instructors Jenni Matheson and Jens Trumpa will provide self-rescue swim lessons to this Kapahulu facility, as it represents their first non-residential location in the East Oahu vicinity with evening classes. ISR already has several locations throughout Oahu, including Honolulu, Aiea, North Shore, Waipahu, and Kailua, and has served more than 400 children since its arrival on Oahu in 2008.

Asked to elaborate on how ISR differs from traditional swimming lessons, Trumpa emphasized their focus on safety and fostering a respect for the water. The teaching techniques are grounded in child psychology and behavioral science; certified ISR instructors are tested in these areas, along with anatomy and physiology. 

Instructor training is far from being purely theoretical, however, requiring over 40 hours of hands on, in water practical application of the technique.  Trumpa likened the approach to training dolphins, borrowing such techniques as non-verbal positive reinforcement to hardwire basic survival skills into the children’s brains.

While the lessons are challenging, and not always “fun” in the traditional sense, they are set up so that the children succeed and gain confidence.  ISR prioritizes problem-solving skills that will serve the child for life, both in and out of the water. Since every child is different, Trumpa embraces the rewarding challenge of finding the right combination of teaching tools to connect with his students. Since the lessons are daily and one-on-one, he gets to know the children well and describes that moment they learn to swim as “the coolest thing in the world.” 

The ISR lesson experience is a comprehensive and daily six-week program where each lesson is customized for the child as they are safely guided through the learning process. Infants ages six-to-12 months will learn to hold their breath under water, roll onto their backs and float unassisted. 

Children one-to-six years old learn how to hold their breath underwater, swim with their head down and eyes open, roll onto their back to float, rest and breathe, and roll back over to resume swimming until they reach the side of the pool and can crawl out. Once skilled, children practice these techniques fully clothed, in preparation for the emergency every parent hopes their child never encounters.

Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under four. While this statistic is alarming, drowning is preventable. ISR recommends building layers of protection between your child and the water. These layers are essential because the reality is that most children do not drown because of a lack of supervision, it is a lapse in supervision, and it only takes a momentary distraction for a curious toddler to get out of your sight.

“Sometimes, everything we do is not enough to keep a child from drowning. Even with alarms, door locks, pool fences, and supervision, children can escape from protective care and find themselves in trouble,” says Harvey Barnett, Ph.D., founder of Infant Swimming Resource. “At ISR, we arm children with the skills to survive if they were to accidentally end up in the water alone.”

Blake, from Hawaii Kai, completed ISR at 14 months and took a refresher course at 23 months. “After a few short weeks, Blake learned important survival skills in the water. He continues to love the water and is very proud of his swimming ability,” his mother, Meg Garlin, says.

ISR is strongly dedicated to community outreach. “The ISR Instructors in Hawaii are dedicated supporters of The Baby Hui, a peer to peer parent support group in Hawaii,” says Mary D’Avirro, Participant Coordinator at The Baby Hui. “We have invited them to speak at several of our events to discuss the importance of water safety for families on Oahu. We appreciate ISR and its commitment to teaching families about drowning prevention in our local community.”

ISR also offers water-safety themed activities for children at various races and charity events in town, most recently at walks for autism and arthritis. They have also donated classes to children in need and offer financial assistance to committed parents who cannot afford the program.

For more information, including good safety tips, visit www.isrswimschool.com or contact Jenni Matheson and Jens Trumpa at (808) 737-0703.