Taking the kids to swim class is now as easy as walking out your back door thanks to Kidtastics, a Phoenix-based mobile swim school that has recently expanded into Tucson.
Since swimming emergencies usually happen at home, Kidtastics owners Laurie Ball and Heidi Neuman started teaching children water safety in their own homes.
If you don't have your own pool, you can book lessons at a friend's house, your community pool or a city pool, just as long as it's outdoors, Ball said.
"We decided we wanted to teach children to be safe in their own pool," Ball says. "We found that when a child is learning to swim indoors a lot of times they don't have the same skills."
She attributes that to a difference in water temperature and not having the sun in their eyes.
"At indoor facilities the pool temperature is 90 degrees, so they are warm and cozy, so if they fall into a pool that's cold, their body goes into a little shock and they don't respond as well," Ball said. "What we teach is water safety and we want to teach kids how to float on their back to wait to be rescued. Indoors they're looking at a ceiling. There's no sun in their eyes. We have kids all the time, parents are like 'my kid can back float' but you put them in their own pool outside and they freak out a little because the sun is in their eyes."
Maria Lawrence, whose 2-and-a-half-year-old son has taken classes for two summers, has experienced this first hand.
"My son would be doing really well in the indoor pool (at other lessons), but then once swim season came along it would take him some time to adjust to the back float in the outdoor pool," Lawrence said. "I think it has to do with the sun could be in their eyes...DeMont (an indoor swim school) has kites on the ceiling for the kids to look at. That is nice, but if my son falls in my pool on accident, he needs to be comfortable turning around to his back and floating with all the elements of being outdoors."
You can opt for private, semi-private or group lessons for children ages 6 months to 12 years old at your house or neighborhood pool with a certified instructor.
This summer, Lawrence is hosting group lessons at her house because she has a few friends that don't have pools, but really want to use the mobile swim school.
"One reason being that they don't have to get in the pool with their kids even if they are under 3 years old," Lawrence added.
Julia Kaiserman, mother of two, said she chose the mobile school because she wanted her kids to know how to swim safely in their own pool.
"It's important for them to know how and where to exit the pool," Kaiserman said. "In fact, Kidtastics has taught my children how to float and get out safely no matter how they enter the pool."
Kaiserman's children attended a traditional swim school before, but she didn't feel like they were getting the one-on-one time they needed because class sizes were bigger.
Both Kaiserman and Lawrence sing praises for their Tucson instructor, "Miss Anne."
"She has a way with my children and is able to meet their swim/safety needs," Kaiserman said. "Their program can be tailored to any level of swimmer. I've learned that Kidtastics has several teachers with special-needs certifications. It's comforting to know they spend the time and effort to be able to help everyone in the community."
Consistency is key, according to Kidtastics, so lessons are sold in packages of eight, which works out to four times a week for two weeks.
"Consistency of every single day is how children learn best and we highly believe that if a child takes two weeks of lessons with us they will learn the same amount they would learn if they came once a week for four months," Ball said. "So that consistency extremely pays off and they also grow to trust their instructor and that relationship really helps their skills improve."
As part of the lessons, instructors work with parents to establish pool rules to teach children to respect the water.
"We try to make kids respect the water," Ball said. "We don't want them to be afraid of the water, but want them to know the rules and respect it."
Lesson costs
Lessons are available between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday in 30 or 45 minute increments.
A package of eight lessons costs about $40 per lesson for private classes. If you opt to book group lessons, you can have three to four children attend and it works out to $19 per child per lesson.
Co-owner and lifeguard Heidi Neuman.
Lifeguard service
Swim instructors are certified lifeguards, so if you're having a pool party, you can book them to keep watch on the pool.
There's a three-hour minimum and it costs $40 per hour.
For more info on swim lessons or lifeguard services, click here
