Beginning Swim Survival Safety™ Lessons
Swim Survival Safety™ is the foundational learning block to all other swimming skills. Children who have mastered the skills taught in Synchrobabies, SynchroTots™ or Basic Water Awareness are then invited to join our Perpetual Lesson Program where Beginning Survival (Swim Survival Safety™) is taught.
In the first phase of the program, children 7m and older are taught the foundational skill of turning over and floating in a sustained float position in order to breathe in case of an accidental fall in to the water. This is a basic self rescue technique.
From this basic skill all other skills can be added due to the fact that the child understands there is always a “safe” place to rest if they get tired or can’t breathe. Most children can learn to turn over and float in this self rescue within the first 16 lessons in a beginning survival course. However, this is just the beginning of their journey to being a safer swimmer. After the initial turn and float, children must learn to float fully clothed and unassisted for 5 minutes; or for older children, swim 40 feet fully clothed on their backs.
We ask that parents enrolling in our perpetual lesson program after SynchroBabies or Basic Water Awareness expect to commit to a minimum of 6-9 months of lessons: though the reality is that most children stay in our program for 3-5 years. Our program teaches lessons through the pre competitive level of swim. Swimming is a life skill that needs to be practiced continually as children grow, particularly as younger swimmers.
Most children stay at SWIMBABES™ 10 months a year on a year to year basis in our Perpetual Lesson Program until they have mastered the minimum safety standards for swimming. According to the American Red Cross every man, woman and child should know how to perform these 5 skills as basic life saving skills.
- Float Fully Clothed for 5 minutes unassisted or swim 40 feet full clothed unassisted on the back.
- Jump in deep water and rise to the surface and float or swim.
- Jump in and swim back to a wall and get out unassisted.
- Exit a pool without assistance.(climb out)
- Swim 25 yards 2-3 strokes. (2 lengths of the SWIMBABES pool without stopping)
Most of our students when started as babies, master the first 4 safety requirements by age 18m-2 years. Most children who stay in the program have mastered the 5th by the time they go to Kindergarten.
All children under the age of 3 are accompanied by their parent in the water on all beginning lessons.