We teach children from 6 months old to adults

We teach survival swimming, traditional swimming lessons, stroke refinement, as well as other lesson types including lifeguarding, mermaid classes, etc. We can basically teach whatever you need.

Survival Swimming Lessons

• Children that are 6 months and rolling both ways will be taught how to rollback, float, rest and breathe (while fully clothed). This allows them to save themselves if they should accidentally fall into the water.

• Children that have been walking for 3 months will learn to swim-float-swim, as well as how to rollback, float, rest and breathe (while fully clothed). This allows them to swim to a safe exit point and/or float and wait for someone to find them if they should accidentally fall into the water.

Traditional Swimming Lessons

• Once a child has graduated from survival swimming lessons, we move into more traditional swimming lessons. This includes adding arms to their flutter kick, and teaching backstroke. We continue to teach as long at they are developmentally ready to learn.

Special Need Swim Lessons

• Our instructors have experience teaching children on the autism spectrum and are open to teaching children with special abilities. We understand that every child is different and requires a unique approach, so please reach out to Tami Kellar to discuss your child’s needs.

Stroke Refinement

• We teach all 4 competitive strokes, when the children are developmental ready.

Lifeguard Class (pre-lifeguard preparation)

• We teach pre-lifeguarding strokes and skills so youth can prepare for the lifeguard class.

• We can conduct the prerequisites and/or train for the prerequisites for the lifeguarding class, so the youth is confident when they enter the class.

• We can conduct lifeguarding classes for organizations with a pool 25 yards in length and at least 9 feet deep.

Mermaid Classes

• We teach mermaid classes for individuals and groups (mermaid tails not provided). If you need to purchase a mono fin and tail, Tami can direct you to a website for purchases.

Survival Swim lessons are 10-minutes in length and run Monday-Thursday or Monday- Friday, depending on the instructor and the session. Each session lasts 22-24 lessons.

Traditional lessons can be scheduled for different lengths of time (generally 10-20 minutes) and on different days as per the instructor’s availability and schedule permits

Other Classes are scheduled based on the instructor and participant availability.

Yes, not only do the lessons move at a fast pace, but children also have a limited attention span to learn new skills and focus. Additionally, little children get cold quickly, a 10-minute lesson accomplishes the most skill development in a short period of time. If the child needs more time, additional 10 minute lessons will be added as this is most beneficial to the child.

The rate of lessons depends on the instructor, location, pool fee and other factors. To get the specific cost for your location, please contact Tami Kellar, at 541.990.8833.

Please call to get the specific price of lessons. Fees paid during registration are non- refundable.

When you register for lessons, you will be required to pay a $50.00 registration fee and the amount of 5 days of lessons. The remaining money is due on the Thursday prior to the start of the swim session.

The registration fee covers the cost of the scheduler, the health history check, and includes a small gift with purchase. In 2024 the gift was a book that was written by Jump Owner, Tami Kellar. In other years, it may be something else. Please note the registration fee is non-refundable.

When you buy a survival swim session, you are paying for your child to get a specific set of skills. Therefore, when you commit and buy a session, you are guaranteed that the instructor will keep teaching your child until they get the skills.

If we miss a lesson due to weather (thunder, lightning, excessive cold) or pool malfunction, we will make up the lesson. If you miss a lesson due to vacation, sports or cold, we will only make up the lesson if your child is not on track to pass the survival swim skills on time. Please note, make up lessons are based on instructor availability and during summer months, availability is limited.

Due to the skill building that takes place during lessons, we HIGHLY suggest that youmschedule your survival swim session during a time that you are available. It is not a good idea to schedule survival swimming lessons during a vacation.

Children that are learning to swim and float unassisted will drink water and gulp large amounts of air. When they do this, their tummy will become distended, and this will be uncomfortable for them while they swim. The instructor has been taught to burp them, to relieve this pressure and when they do this, whatever is in their tummy will come up. For this reason, we ask that you follow the eating requirements outlined in the handbook.

We require that children use the Happy Nappy diaper. These diapers are neoprene and keep any contents in the diaper. The Happy Nappy can be ordered online.

Dry drowning is an outdated term that is no longer used. When your child drinks the water, the water goes into their tummy and enters their digestive system. A drowning occurs when water enters the child’s lungs (which requires them to be unconscious, underwater for a prolonged period of time) and enters their respiratory system. If you have additional questions, please talk to your instructor.

It is possible that your will cry. When a child is with a stranger, they often cry and when your child is asked to do new things, they often cry as well. So, when you hand your child off to a “stranger” in the water, it would not be surprising that your child would cry. It is okay, we are comfortable with your child crying.

Many children cry at the start of lessons and some children do cry throughout the entire session. Every child is different. If you see your child crying, move to a place where they do not see you as this allows them to focus on the instructor and gives the instructor an opportunity to talk with the child. Sometimes this is all that it takes to calm the child down. Our instructors will do everything in their power to make lessons a pleasant experience. However, if your child does not like it, they will move at a fast pace and work to get the skills quickly so you child can get out of the water.

We have found that as a child reaches the end of the lessons and have skills, they typically begin to enjoy the experience.

While Coast Guard Approved, the puddle jumper may be the worst swim aid created. Puddle jumpers have flotation around the chest and the arms of a child, which holds the child with their face out of the water and in a vertical position.

NOTE: Parents, we understand the draw of the puddle jumper, so we do not judge you for putting your child in one of these devices.
Here is the list of reasons we suggest that you do not use a puddle jumper and why puddle jumpers are NOT ALLOWED during our swim sessions.

• The vertical position the puddle jumper hods your child in, is the drowning position.

• When a child is in a puddle jumper, they are taught that a vertical kick will get them to the side, safety, or where they want to go. If a child falls in, muscle memory kicks in and the child kicks vertically. This vertical kick (based on muscle memory) is the position for drowning.

• Children often do not recognize that puddle jumper or life jacket is what is keeping them on the surface of the water and often this gives them a false sense of security.

• Puddle jumpers hold the child in such a way that the movement the child makes has no impact on their body in the water. A child needs to learn that their movement in the water has cause and effect.

Survival swim lessons teach children to:

• Swim-float-swim to a safe place (a hand target, steps, a ladder, a bar).

• They teach children to respect the water, but understanding how their body feels in the water on the first lesson.

• Survival swim lessons teach the rollback and float (while in full clothes) because most drownings occur when a child is not supposed to be swimming.

• Survival swim lessons do not teach water acclimation or have a lot of play time.

• Once a child is skilled in swimming, survival swim lessons teach that the water can be fun.

Traditional swim lessons teach children:

• The water is fun!

• Many traditional lessons start with mommy and me classes where water acclimation and fun are major components.

• Traditional swim lessons teach the swimming strokes and safety comes at later levels.

• Traditional swim lessons do not teach clothes checkout. Most children experience drowning during non-swimming times (times when they are fully clothed).

• A large component of traditional swim lessons is fun and games.

Please put your child in a Coast Guard approved life vest. If you have questions, your instructor can make a recommendation.

We HIGHLY recommend that after the survival swim session you continue maintenance lessons or group lessons. (As described below)

We also HIGHLY recommend that after a week of boating (and being in a life jacket) you come back to do a maintenance lesson.

You have invested time and money into making sure your child is safe around the water. Why lose your progress? As children grow, their float and swim feel different, and this can be scary. As your child is absent from the water, the water can become scary. This is natural, think of jumping on a bicycle when you haven’t done it for a year. When we practice, we are proficient, when we don’t, we lose skills. This is especially true when a child’s body grows. If you want your child to ALWAYS BE READY for a possible aquatic accident, then please consider maintenance and group lessons throughout the year.

What are maintenance, refresher and group lessons?

Upon the completion of a survival swim lessons session, your instructor feels confident that your child can swim-float-swim to a safe exit point and can rollback, float, rest and breathe if they accidently fell into a body of water. They have been practicing these skills daily for 4-6 weeks. However, as they transition to more fun swimming and less practice, it is likely their skills will not be as sharp as they were during the course of lessons. For this reason, instructors HIGHLY RECOMMEND that children continue in maintenance lessons or group lessons throughout the year. If they can’t, we recommend refresher lessons prior to the summer season.

Maintenance Lessons- These lessons are conducted weekly or bi-weekly to help the child practice the skills that they have learned. They are done over years, as the child grows, they help the child gradually adjust to changes in their float as they grow. The child to instructor ratio for maintenance lessons is 1:1.

Refresher Lessons- These lessons are conducted in a two-week session and refresh the learning from the previous session. As the child has grown, their body feels different in the water, and this sometimes causes some anxiety. Refresher lessons help the child to refresh the skills they learned in the previous swim session. The child to instructor ratio for maintenance lessons is 1:1.

Group Lessons- These lessons match children with similar skills in a weekly swim class. The ratio is 2-3:1 (two to three children per one instructor). The lessons are 20-30 minutes and consist of practice, fun, games and socialization with other children their age. Group lessons can take the place of maintenance lessons.

ISR is a brand of survival swimming lessons, much like Kleenex is a brand of tissue. ISR, Infant Aquatics, Pedia Swim and others, are brands of survival swimming lessons. While they differ in some respects, the goal of all survival swimming lessons is to give children the skills they need to save themselves if they should fall into the water.

Infant Aquatics was founded and uniquely created by Judy Heumann. Judy is a former ISR instructor, but she found things that she thought could be improved and as a result created her own curriculum. She has been teaching survival swimming lessons for 35 years and has trained numerous instructors across the world.

Once your child has completed the skills needed to save themselves, we will continue to teach. If arms are the next step in the sequence, we will teach arms. We will only teach arms if the child has a strong kick, a great rollback, and the ability to swim-float-swim across the pool unassisted and without cues and is developmentally ready.

When a swim instructor goes straight from the kick to the arms, often times a child will lose their kick. When this happens, the child is either not developmentally ready to learn arms and/or hasn’t had enough time to practice their existing skills. We, at JUMP Infant Aquatics try to do a 3:1 ratio with 3 kicking drills to every 1 arm drill to ensure the child never looses their kick.

We teach children to rollback for three very important reasons.

1. Rolling back is a survival and safety skill that allows the child to save themselves if they should fall in.

2. This can never be practiced enough.

3. Rolling back is part of the teaching sequence to learning freestyle (front crawl and side breathing). It is much better for a child to learn to turn their head to breathe, than to lift their head and therefore, we focus on the rollback.

4. When a child lifts their head to breathe, their hips drop in the water and their body goes vertical. The vertical body position in the water, is also know as the drowning position.

In short, for safety, and for continued swimming development, we teach the rollback and believe this is the best method for developing strong swimmers.

Note- As swimmers become stronger, it is very normal for them to lift their head while swimming. As a parent, we ask that you encourage them to practice their rollback and
require it when practicing swimming.

All aquatic experts agree that layers of protection are the most important things that can be implemented whenever you are around the water.

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According to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, you can prevent drowning by following these 5 layers of protection.

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Barriers & Alarms

• Lock and alarm the doors to your house.

• Lock or remove dog doors.

• Put up a 4-sided fence up with self-closing and self-latching gate.

• Use your pool safety cover if you have one.

Supervision

• Always watch your children.

• During a pool party assign a water watcher with a unique badge, chair, t-shirt, etc. Make them identifiable and then switch them out periodically. Water watchers are not drinking and not in conversation, they are watching the water.

• If you can, hire a lifeguard at pool parties.

• At a pool with lifeguards, don’t assume a lifeguard will watch your children. It is always your responsibility to watch your children.

• When you go to a pool with lifeguards, ensure they are doing their job and not engaging in conversation with other guards. All lifeguards and pools are NOT created equally.

• If your child is a non-swimmer, use touch supervision. This means you get in the water and are always within an arm’s length of your child.

• Always have a routine for going swimming. Sometimes that is a hug, high 5, or some other routine. Children thrive in routine, so this will help them to tell you that they want to get into the water.

Water Competency

• Enroll your child in survival swimming lessons so they can save themselves if they accidentally fall in.

Life Jackets

• Lifejackets should be used in open water and add another layer of protection.

• Note- not puddle jumpers, life vests. Again, not all coast guard approved life jackets are created equally.

Emergency Preparation

• Teach your children how to call 911

• Learn CPR and First Aid

• Teach your children to Reach or Throw, Don’t Go.

The American Red Cross has an excellent program called Longfellow’s Whales Tales. It is cute videos with catchy lessons in water safety. If you want something you can do at home, for the school-aged child or for a school curriculum, I suggest this.

Examples of the lessons learned:

• Do Your Part, Be Water Smart

• Swim as a Pair with a Lifeguard There

• Look around, is the scene safe and sound?

• Don’t Just Pack It, Wear Your Jacket

• Play IT Smart At Your Home, Pool or Park

• Reach or Throw, Don’t Go

• Think So You Don’t Sink

• And many other great lessons….

Tami Kellar, the Owner of JUMP Infant Aquatics, LLC and her daughter Makenzie Kellar wrote a book called “The Things You Can Do When You Learn How to Swim.” The book is available on Amazon or by purchase from a JUMP Infant Aquatic instructor near you.

Tami is passionate about water and loves everything about water sports. Tami and Kenzie wrote the book to celebrate the accomplishment of children when they pass their survival swim lessons and to help them understand all the things they can now participate in because they learned to swim.

Please feel free to call Tami Kellar at 541.990.8833