WATER SAFETY & SWIM LESSONS

Swim Lessons Reduce Drowning Risk by up to 88%

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1-4. Here’s what every parent should know and how Emler’s SwimSure™ curriculum has been building water safety skills for over 50 years.

QUICK ANSWER: WHEN SHOULD MY CHILD START SWIM LESSONS?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends swim lessons can begin as early as age 1. Our Bathtime Babies program starts at 2 months old with parent participation, introducing water safety fundamentals from the earliest stage of development.

50+

Teaching Swim Safety

100M+

Lessons Taught

11

SwimSure™ Levels

4:1

Student-Instructor Ratio

60+

Locations Nationwide

2 mo

Youngest Class Age

BY THE NUMBERS

The Facts About Childhood Drowning

Data from the CDC and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

#1

Cause of unintentional death, children ages 1-4

CDC
88%

Reduced drowning risk with formal swim lessons

NICHD
4,500+

U.S. drowning deaths per year and rising

CDC 2024
70%

Of toddler drownings happen during non-swim times

CDC

Our Teachers: Prepared, and Passionate

Swim to Shore teachers aren’t just certified once, training is built into every week on the pool deck. Teachers who lead Parent-Participation lessons also receive additional, specialized training to coach both swimmers and parents.

BEFORE DAY ONE

Multi-stage training. In-water instruction, online learning modules, and interactive workshops, all completed before ever leading a class.

EVERY WEEK

Safety Minutes & H2O sessions. Real-world lessons shared across teams, plus continued coaching and safety scenario reviews.

EVERY MONTH

Safety drills & EAP refreshers. Hands-on Emergency Action Plan practice keeps every team ready for any situation.

EVERY DAY

Water Watcher supervision. Dedicated modules promote active, vigilant supervision whenever children are in the water.

It goes beyond our teachers: multiple staff members are on deck and in the pool at all times, a Manager on Duty oversees every shift, and clear whistle protocols keep pool communication controlled and responsive. Safety preparedness is built into our facility guidelines and instructor evaluations, because at Swim to Shore, safety isn’t just a lesson plan. It’s a promise.

Safety in the Situations That Actually Matter

Most drowning incidents happen when no one expects it. When a child falls in fully clothed, during non-swim time. Swim to Shore Swim School prepares children for those moments.

CLOTHESLINE WEEK

How to exit a pool independently — even when fully clothed and wearing shoes.

BUDDY SAFETY

“Yell, Go Tell” — what to do when a friend or sibling falls into water unexpectedly

LIFE JACKET WEEK

How and when to use a life jacket — and why it doesn’t replace swim skill.

WATER SAFETY WEEK

Annual reinforcement through hands-on real-world scenarios that make safety habits stick

Frequently Asked Questions

Instructor Training & Teachers

Our Broader Commitment to Water Safety

It Doesn’t Stop at the Pool

Our water safety commitment goes beyond the classroom. We proudly support:

Every Child a Swimmer logo featuring a stylized swimmer, colorful waves, and a globe symbol, representing the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s water safety initiative.

Every Child a Swimmer – A national effort to increase swim access and awareness in underserved communities.

Logo for the Miss Tristan Foundation featuring a yellow bow and a blue silhouette of a child’s profile.

The Miss Tristan Foundation – Created in honor of a young life lost too soon, this foundation supports water safety education through curriculum advocacy and parental education.

Hope Floats logo featuring a splash of water behind the text, with a life preserver used as the ‘o’ in ‘Floats’ and the tagline ‘Swim it Forward’ below.

Hope Floats Foundation – 
Provides scholarships for families in need, giving more children the chance to learn essential water safety skills and build confidence in the water. 

Logo for Kinetic Kids featuring bold green and blue text with stylized figures of children participating in adaptive and inclusive sports.

Kinetic Kids – Empowers children with special needs to thrive through sports, recreation, and community programs.

Colin’s Hope Got2Swim logo featuring stylized figures above waves and a swimmer icon within a blue circle.

Collin’s Hope Foundation – 
Works to end childhood drowning through education, awareness, and community outreach.

Central Texas Water Coalition logo featuring bold green and blue text with a water-themed design.

Texas Water Safety Coalition – A statewide network dedicated to reducing drowning and promoting water safety through education, collaboration, and public awareness.

At Swim to Shore Swim School, part of the Emler Swim School family, water safety is at the heart of everything we do. Families trust us because our approach goes beyond teaching swim skills. We focus on building confidence, creating safe habits, and helping every child learn how to respond around water. From the moment your child enters the pool, our team works to create an environment where safety, encouragement, and learning come together.

Our teaching is grounded in the proven SwimSure curriculum, which emphasizes essential safety skills at every stage. Young swimmers learn how to enter and exit the pool safely, float, roll to their backs, and return to the wall. As they grow, we layer in breath control, independent swimming, and the ability to reach safety points in different pool conditions. These skills are practiced consistently so children build muscle memory and know what to do even when they feel nervous or surprised in the water.

Our instructors complete specialized water safety training and follow a structured method that keeps lessons predictable and calm for swimmers of every age. The warm water, small class sizes, and consistent routines help children feel secure and ready to learn, even if they are brand new to the water. Parents can watch each class from our viewing areas and follow along with their child’s progress, making water safety a team effort.

We also work closely with families to strengthen good habits outside the pool. That includes reminders about active supervision, safe backyard pool practices, and seasonal safety messaging to help parents stay aware year round. Water safety is not a one time lesson, it is an ongoing skill that grows with your child.

Our commitment is simple. We want every child to feel safe, capable, and confident in the water. At Swim to Shore, water safety is always the first priority and the foundation of every lesson we teach.

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