NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (KCAU) -- According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of five, and one swimming instructor in Siouxland is making efforts to change that.
Instructor Kristen Rager, the only certified instructor in the area with Infant Swimming Resources (ISR), offers survival swimming lessons for infants and young children aged six months to six years.
But what exactly is ISR?
Children who can walk or run -- typically those aged 18 months to six years -- are taught essential water safety skills. According to their website, they learn to hold their breath underwater, swim in a horizontal position with their eyes open, roll onto their backs to float, rest, and breathe, and then flip back over to continue swimming until they reach the poolside or steps where they can crawl out. Once they complete the ISR program, these children can use a swim-float-swim technique to navigate the full length of the pool safely.
Each session consists of an approximately six-week course, occurring five days a week, Monday through Friday, with daily lessons lasting 10 minutes each. These lessons are conducted one-on-one with a certified instructor and are customized specifically for your child's needs.
The instructor told KCAU that she became an instructor after saving her child from drowning.
"Shortly after that, I found out about ISR," said ISR swim instructor Kristen Rager. "My daughter was in previous, other traditional-type swim lessons, and when I found out about ISR, it was not currently offered where I was living. So, I became certified to help the community that I was living in."
One of Rager's clients with a family of five introduced her children to ISR, and just after one year, she has seen significant improvements in her kids.
"You know they loved playing in the water, but were definitely not confident swimmers," said client Shelby Boschult. "And then completing the six weeks of ISR, just seeing the difference in that and their problem-solving skills in the water, their ability to jump off the diving board now, you know, just how much more fun they can have being in the water, and having that confidence is a total game changer."
If any parent or legal guardian would like to get their kids to learn how to swim and float, they can sign up here.