Experience you can have confidence in

More about Darlene

Welcome to ISR with Darlene! I am proud to have had the opportunity to teach these life-changing skills to so many young children and their parents over the past 20 years.

From the moment I first saw a baby floating on TV over 25 years ago, I knew that ISR was something special. Unlike so many other tragedies, pediatric drowning is preventable! In trained hands, the science of biology and a sound understanding of psychology and learning theory - together with a young child's unstoppable capacity to achieve what seems impossible opens the door to someday eliminate this heartbreak suffered by so many families.

Years later, when my son was born, I set out to find this "baby whisperer" and was delighted to find the ISR program right in our own Florida backyard! As soon as they were able, all three of my children enrolled in ISR to learn aquatic self rescue skills and to enjoy the water...safely. I felt so passionately about what they were learning and the positive effect that this bit of peace of mind had on my family, that when an opportunity to train as an Instructor arose, I jumped on it and the rest, as they say, is history. My nursing career, my perspective as a parent and my belief in what is possible will never be the same. Since then, I have had the pleasure of working with this amazing team as an Instructor, as part of the ISR RET as well and can truly say working with the most special people in your life is a joy and an honor. I cannot imagine my life without ISR. Watching a baby float is still something special!

I look forward to meeting you soon.

¡Bienvenidos a ISR con Darlene!
Me enorgullece haber tenido la oportunidad de enseñar estas habilidades que cambian vidas a tantos niños pequeños y a sus padres durante los últimos 20 años.

Desde el momento en que vi por primera vez a un bebé flotando en la televisión, hace más de 25 años, supe que ISR era algo especial. A diferencia de tantas otras tragedias, ¡el ahogamiento infantil es prevenible! En manos capacitadas, la ciencia de la biología y una sólida comprensión de la psicología y la teoría del aprendizaje —junto con la capacidad imparable de un niño pequeño para lograr lo que parece imposible— abren la puerta para que algún día se elimine este dolor que sufren tantas familias.

Años después, cuando nació mi hijo, me propuse encontrar a este “susurrador de bebés” y me alegró descubrir que el programa ISR estaba justo en nuestro propio patio trasero en Florida. Tan pronto como pudieron, mis tres hijos se inscribieron en ISR para aprender habilidades de auto-rescate acuático y disfrutar del agua… de manera segura. Sentí tanta pasión por lo que estaban aprendiendo y por el efecto positivo que esta tranquilidad trajo a mi familia, que cuando surgió la oportunidad de capacitarme como Instructora, no lo dudé y, como dicen, el resto es historia. Mi carrera en enfermería, mi perspectiva como madre y mi fe en lo que es posible nunca volvieron a ser las mismas. Desde entonces, he tenido el placer de trabajar con este increíble equipo como Instructora y también como parte del RET de ISR, y puedo decir con toda sinceridad que trabajar con las personas más especiales en sus vidas es una alegría y un honor. No puedo imaginar mi vida sin ISR. ¡Ver flotar a un bebé sigue siendo algo muy especial!

Espero conocerlos pronto.

FAQs

Why are ISR lessons so expensive?

ISR Instructors are highly trained in child learning, psychology and behavior, are required to recertify skills annually and are backed by a world-class support system. Each Certified ISR Instructor is an independent business owner and sets their rates according to many factors such as location, demand and cost of pool rental. While there are no guarantees, most students become fully skilled - independent and able to self-rescue in the water in a matter of weeks, versus potentially years in "traditional" swim programs. Ask the overwhelming majority of our ISR families and they will tell you that every penny is well worth the peace of mind it brings to them and the confidence and competence they see in their young children . Safe + effective = more value for your dollar! ISR partners with many charitable foundations to provide needs based assistance for families who qualify.

Is it the baby fat that makes them float?

Actually, the primary factor in a baby’s ability to float is the ability to take air into the lungs. To maintain this access to air, the child must adjust his/her posture. The difference in positioning for an adult can be inches. For a baby, this adjustment is reduced to centimeters. If a child’s body posture is just a few centimeters off, it can make the difference between the face being submerged or the child having access to air.

Why don’t parents participate in the water during the lessons?

We do not want the baby to initially associate the water with the love, attention, and affection of the parent while in the water. Also, it takes incredible concentration and objectivity to teach the baby how to respond to an aquatic emergency and our experience shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their own children in the water. We gladly invite parents to join us in the pool once their child has independent skills to practice at home.

If more frequent but shorter lessons are better, then why don’t you teach 7 days/week?

Everyone needs a little break from learning to process the information and in this case to give muscles a chance to recover. In addition, you need to be able to spend time with your family, as does your instructor. Weekends are family time. Periodically, if weather or other issues have cause lessons to be canceled for numerous days, your instructor may choose to offer make-up lessons on a weekend. This is strictly up to the instructor and based on the availability of parents.

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