lessons and PRicing

Lesson Structure

All lessons are one-on-one with Coach Heather and are designed to meet your child right where they are. Each lesson is 10 minutes long and held Monday through Friday, giving your child FIVE short, focused lessons each week—perfect for young attention spans and steady skill-building.

  • Skill Introduction Lessons typically require a full 6 week session to complete.

  • Skill Advancement Lessons run for 3 weeks.

  • Maintenance Lessons are usually scheduled 1–2 times per week and are available only to students who have completed ISR lessons within the past 3 months

Skill Introduction Lessons

Session Length: 6 weeks**

FOR NEW STUDENTS:

If your child is brand new to ISR, they will learn either Roll Back to Float or the full Swim-Float-Swim sequence, depending on their age and developmental readiness. Regardless of age, all children will learn to roll onto their back to float, rest, and breathe.

Please Note: ISR lessons are available for babies as young as 6 months; however, your baby must be sitting independently to safely begin lessons. By ISR standards, independent sitting means your child can get into a seated position on their own and maintain that position without assistance for at least one minute. This requirement helps ensure your baby has the core strength needed to rotate into a floating position in the water.

FOR RETURNING STUDENTS:

If your child previously completed Roll Back to Float as an infant, then learning the Swim-Float-Swim sequence is the next step in their ISR journey! While every child develops at their own pace, children who are confidently walking are generally ready to begin Swim-Float-Swim.

**Most children take the full 6 weeks to master these skills. Some children may progress more quickly and graduate early, while others may need a little extra time to feel confident and become fully skilled.

Skill Advancement Lessons

Session Length: 3 weeks

Skill Advancement Lessons are designed for children who have already completed ISR lessons and are ready to refresh, strengthen, or build upon their existing skills. These lessons are ideal for students who need a confidence boost after time away from the water, or for families who want their child’s skills to become more consistent, polished, and reliable.

During Skill Advancement Lessons, your child will continue developing safe, independent aquatic skills while gaining confidence, control, and endurance in the water. Whether your child is revisiting Swim-Float-Swim after some time away from swimming, or simply working towards honing thier skills in a variety of situations, lessons are always customized to support steady progress.

Maintenance Lessons

Maintenance Lessons are available for children who have completed ISR lessons within the past 3 months and are designed to help keep skills fresh, confident, and consistent. These lessons help prevent skill regression and reduce the development of “bad habits” over time.

Maintenance lessons focus on reinforcing proper technique, confidence, and calm problem-solving in the water and are typically scheduled once or twice per week. Please talk with your instructor to plan and schedule maintenance lessons that will best support your child’s ongoing success.

ISR self-rescue lessons give your child the ability to float, rest, breathe, and swim to safety independently — skills that can save their life if traditional safety systems and barriers breakdown. Beyond safety, children who complete ISR lessons often show increased confidence, improved problem-solving skills, and are generally more willing to try new activities and sports. 

Lesson Fees

ISR lessons are an investment in your child’s safety in and around the water. Swimming is a necessary life skill that every infant and toddler should learn, especially given the fact that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 4. At Float First, we believe that self-rescue swimming lessons should be a priority for any child who spends time anywhere that has a pool, pond, or other body of water.

Our pricing is designed to be transparent and fair — so you know exactly what to expect when enrolling your child.

National ISR Registration Fee

This fee is required for ALL ISR students, both new and returning. It is a non-refundable fee paid directly to Infant Swimming Resource (ISR), not to the instructor.

  • New Student Registration: $105

  • Returning Student Annual Update: $40

This national registration fee covers the cost of screening by the ISR Registration Evaluation Team (RET) to determine the physical and developmental readiness of each child. Your instructor will email you the link to complete the national registration once lessons have been scheduled.

Lesson fees

Float First ISR lessons are priced at $150 per week

6 week Skill Introduction Sessions . . . $900 total investment

3 week Skill Advancement Sessions . . . $450 total investment

Maintenance Lessons: $25/lesson - usually scheduled 2x/week

Discounts, deposits, and Payments

Sibling discount: For two children swimming in the same full-length session — $25 off/week applied to the oldest child.

Deposit & Payment Terms

  • A $300 non-refundable deposit is required to secure each child’s time slot — this deposit covers your first two weeks of lessons

  • Time slots are not reserved until the deposit is received

  • Weekly payment is due on or before the Monday of Week 3, and again each subsequent Monday for the duration of the session

  • Check, Cash, ApplePay, Venmo, and Zelle are all accepted

Ready to Enroll?

  • Yes—for many families, the difference is night and day. While ISR lessons do require a pretty significant short-term commitment, they deliver tangible, life-saving skills in a compressed timeframe. Instead of lessons spread out once or twice a week over months or even years, ISR teaches children real self-rescue and independent swimming skills in about six weeks.

    Traditional swim lessons for infants and young children often focus on play and water comfort, with limited one-on-one instruction. Many parents come to ISR after spending significant time and money on those programs, only to realize their child still can’t safely respond if they fall into water. ISR is different. Lessons are always one-on-one with a highly trained instructor, ensuring your child is actively learning and practicing skills every single lesson.

    ISR is nationally recognized as the safest swim program for infants and children because it prioritizes survival, independence, and confidence in the water. With occasional maintenance or refresher lessons, children retain these self-rescue skills long-term—providing peace of mind now, and a foundation for a lifetime of fun and competence in the water.

  • ISR lessons reflect a very different level of training, instruction, and outcome. Each lesson is taught one-on-one by a highly trained, ISR-certified instructor whose sole focus is your child’s safety and skill development—there are no group distractions and no shared lesson time. Unlike traditional programs where children may get only a few minutes of direct instruction per class, ISR lessons ensure your child is actively learning during every session.

    While the upfront cost can feel higher, many families find ISR to be a better value in the long run. Instead of paying for months or years of weekly lessons with limited results, ISR delivers meaningful, measurable skills in a short timeframe. With occasional refresher or maintenance lessons, those skills last—making ISR an investment in your child’s safety, confidence, and lifelong ability in the water.

  • Most children do benefit from occasional refresher lessons. During the first five years of life, children grow and change quickly—both physically and cognitively—and their water skills need to grow along with them. As your child’s body size, weight, and coordination change, refresher lessons help them adjust those changes to the skills they already know.

    The frequency of refresher lessons varies based on your child’s age, growth rate, skill level, and confidence in the water. The goal isn’t to relearn skills, but to fine-tune and reinforce them so your child stays efficient, confident, and safe. Refresher lessons are especially helpful after periods without regular water exposure, such as between swim seasons. Your instructor will guide you in determining what level of ongoing support is best for your child.

  • Lesson times vary by session. Please visit the upcoming sessions page to see what options are available. If the dates or times do not work with your schedule, please reach out to me. I will try to accommodate you as best I can, or I can refer you to another certified ISR instructor who may better serve you and your family.

  • If you think you are ready to move forward and sign up for a time slot, just click the ENROLL NOW button at the top of the page. If you have any questions prior to enrolling, please reach out to heather.mccalla@infantswim.com — I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

  • It's important to note that 6 weeks is the average amount of time that it takes most children to learn these skills. Some kids need less time, and occasionally, some kids need more. Often, this is due to a child's personality and overall temperament. If a child requires more time to demonstrate reliable skills (not due to frequent absences), more time will be carved out for them (likely in a subsequent session).