Our Lessons
Little Otters focuses on safety in the water first. Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in children ages 1-4. It can happen quickly, silently, and when it is least expected. The Little Otters program adds an extra layer of prevention and protection for your little one. And the skills learned in Little Otters become a foundation for strong and confident swim skills later in life.
$125/week
WHO: Infants who are not yet walking, but are able to sit up independently on the floor. Typical age range is 7 to 18 months.
WHAT: Your infant will learn the basic survival skills in water: rolling onto their back underwater and floating on their back, unsupported. Once your infant has mastered their float and rollback, we will present them with a variety of potential fall-in/accidental situations and help them work through each scenario to rollback into their floating posture. We ensure that your infant knows how to control their body and problem solve to get in a position where they can breathe.
We end all programs with a skills test-out in summer clothes, and then in full winter gear to ensure the skills are intact in all possible situations.
WHEN: minimum of 25 daily 10-minute lessons, M-F for 5 consecutive weeks.
Baby Otters
$125/week
WHO: Children who are independently walking. We skill children of any age, but typically the age range is 18 months to 5 years.
WHAT: The Junior Otters first learn how to swim underwater with their head down and eyes open, so that they can navigate to a pool edge, pool steps, a shoreline, or some other feature where they can find air. We teach horizontal swimming posture (and often need to unteach vertical/bike peddling posture!) to ensure efficient swimming. They also learn how to rollback and float, and we introduce them to a swim-float/breathe-swim sequence so that they can safely reach their target without running out of air.
Once skills are mastered, we test-out the skills by having the children practice them while fully clothed. We do one lesson in summer clothes and another lesson in full outdoor winter gear.
WHEN: minimum of 30 daily 10-minute lessons, M-F for 6 consecutive weeks.
Junior Otters
$125/week
WHO: Any graduated Baby or Junior Otter.
WHAT: As with any newly acquired skill, we often need a little refresher to maintain it. This a shortened version (usually 1-2 weeks) of the program and we recommend it once a year, until the child is a fully independent and confident swimmer.
We ensure that all the previously acquired skills are intact and touch up any rusty areas. If a Baby Otter graduate is ready for new Junior Otter skills, we also incorporate those. We will test-out your child on their skills, ensuring that they are still capable of self-rescue in summer and winter clothes.
WHEN: The number of lessons varies depending on the skill level of the child. Anywhere from 5-15 daily 10-minute lessons, M-F for up to 3 consecutive weeks.
I Otter Refresh!
Schedule
We open our schedule in 6 week sessions throughout the year. All Baby Otter and Junior Otter lessons begin on the same start day, and continue for 5-6 weeks. Refresher lessons are scheduled on an individual basis and last 1-3 weeks. We announce our session start dates on our social media accounts. Don’t do social media? Send us a message!
Location
We will announce our pool location soon!