Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What makes survival lessons different to traditional lessons?

A: The KASS program is very different to most swimming lessons.

Regular swim lesson for a 1-5 year olds are focussed on water familiarisation, not survival skills. Most children that drown in Australia are under the age of 4, so it only makes sense that these are the children that are also learning a how to survive in water without floaties or parents holding them singing nursery rhymes.

In the KASS Survival and Learn to Swim Program, all children learn

• Breath control,
• How to recover from a simulated fall into water,
• How to roll from front to back and remain in back floating breathing posture.

Once walking age, children learn how to;

• Turn, reach and grab the pool ledge,
• Swim (front paddle) to the side, and then
• Float independently for at least 60 seconds.
• Finally they will learn how to combine a swim with a float in a sequence to get to the side. If they are unable to get to safety they will remain floating until help arrives. This is all taught without floaties or parents/carer in the water with the child.

To get results quickly, our program is designed for approximately 8 weeks (40 lessons) where the child comes for a private 10 minute lessons 5 days/week (Monday to Friday). This is to ensure the child is equipped with vital aquatic survival skills when most at risk of drowning.

Q: Why is KASS different?

A: There are five distinct ways in which KASS is different form any other swim school:

Private 1:1

All KASS lessons are private, one instructor per student. This enables KASS instructors to:

• Tailor the lesson to each individual child, based on behavior and ability.

Maximise the effectiveness of the lesson with 100% swim time and eliminates the distraction other children in the same lesson may have on accomplishing the goal from the lesson.

No Floatation devices

KASS lessons do not use any floatation devices, aids or goggles when a child is learning the 6-8 week survival program. Reasons;

• Children will become accustom to them
• Creates a false sense of security
• They are comforts kids won’t have if they accidently fall

No parents in the water

KASS do not allow parents in the water with their children when they are still learning, as parents:

• Do not have the knowledge or training to teach their child these specialised aquatic survival skills,
• Can delay the learning process,
• Act like a floatation device giving the child a false sense of security in the water,
• Teaching adequate skills and playing in the water are two very different things.

Specialised Instructors

Each KASS Instructor:

• Has a minimum of 60 hours of in water training
• Study child psychology, learning theory, physiology, and the behavioural sciences.
• Must be certified swimming instructors. This gives them a greater understanding of the differences between the two types of lessons.
• Is encouraged to develop their own unique teaching style, while continuing to achieve KASS’s high standards for professionalism, safety, and knowledge.

Unique, individualised program

KASS deliver the only accelerated survival swim program for non-verbal infants and young children in Australia, which teaches children to independently swim and float in an simulated emergency situation to help prevent tragic aquatic incidents in the future within weeks, not years.

The program reinforces the survival skills 10 minutes per student, everyday, 5 days a week for up to 6-8 weeks, averaging 30-40 lessons.

Q: What training and qualifications do the instructor have/receive to be qualified to teach my child/ren?

A: Prior to KASS Instructor training each instructor must obtain:

1. Relevant industry qualification in Teacher of swimming and water safety (2 day course)
2. Relevant equivalent industry qualification in Infant and preschool Aquatics (1 day course)
3. Current CPR and first aid certificate
4. Working with children number
5. KASS in water training and academic work noted below

The KASS program for Student Instructor development is a comprehensive educational experience that includes actual in- water work with a certified training specialist. There is associated guided academic study of a broad base of subjects including child development and learning theory, behavioural science, anatomy, physiology and physics as they relate to infants and young children in the aquatic environment.

The training program runs for a minimum of 6 weeks where the following plan is undertaken:

• 2 weeks of academic work introducing the student instructor to the behavioural theories and the science behind KASS lessons.

• 6 weeks of theory and practical in water work.

Each KASS Instructor:

• Has a minimum of 60 hours of in water training
• Study child psychology, learning theory, physiology, and the behavioural sciences.
• Must be certified swimming instructors. This gives them a greater understanding of the differences between the two types of lessons.
• Is encouraged to develop their own unique teaching style, while continuing to achieve KASS’s high standards for professionalism, safety, and knowledge.

Q: What will my child learn?

A: In the KASS Survival and Learn to Swim Program, all children learn

• Breath control,
• How to recover from a simulated fall into water,
• How to roll from front to back and remain in back floating breathing posture.

Once walking age, children learn how to;

• Turn, reach and grab the pool ledge,
• Swim (front paddle) to the side, and then
• Float independently for at least 60 seconds.
• Finally they will learn how to combine a swim with a float in a sequence to get to the side. If they are unable to get to safety they will remain floating until help arrives. This is all taught without floaties or parents/carer in the water with the child.

Q: How can you teach children so young to float or swim?

A: KASS adapt the program to each child’s individual strengths and experiences. KASS instructors are trained in behavioural sciences, child development and of sensori-motor learning and relate this knowledge to the acquisition of aquatic survival skills which helps guide each child through the sequence of learning to swim and float.

The program is delivered over 40 x 10 minute lessons. All skills are taught with non verbal prompts. Initially we use touch, then currents in the water and slowly fade these out to help the child understand their own natural buoyancy. Skills are taught incrementally, over short but frequent lessons through a method called operant conditioning. This enables the child to retain the skills and become part of their sensorimotor response.

Q: Why are the survival lessons only 10 minutes?

A: The care and safety of children is paramount. Lessons are 100% swim time for the child as they are conducted privately 1:1. Therefore, the child is using more energy and learning a new skill. We keep the lessons short and more frequent as they result in higher retention and ensures the child does not get physically fatigued and is able to focus on learning the new skill.

Q: In the survival program, why do we need to attend 5 days a week for up to 8 weeks?

A: Taking years to teach a child to be competent in the water is too late. Children aged 0 – 4 years are most at risk of drowning. We believe children need to be skilled before they reach walking age to ensure they are safe around water. The lessons are short and frequent to increase the retention of skill from one lesson to the next where new skills are reinforced and developed each day. To get results quickly, our program is designed for approximately 8 weeks (40 lessons) where your child comes for a private 10 minute lessons 5 days/week (Monday to Friday).

Q: Why can’t the parent be in the water with the child during lessons?

A: KASS do not allow parents in the water with their children when they are still learning, as parents:

• Do not have the knowledge or training to teach their child adequate skills
• Can delay the learning process
• Act like a floatation device giving the child a false sense of security in the water
• Teaching adequate skills and playing in the water are two very different things.

Parents are encouraged to participate in the final lesson whereby the instructor will demonstrate the correct method to interact with their child in the water to ensure the best retention of the survival skills.

Q: How do I know my child will retain their skill and not forget after the 8 weeks?

A: Once the child has learnt the Survival skills they form part of their motor skills.

There are however two main factors which interfere with the retention of skills:

• Parents – when a child is picked up at the wrong time. This is why at the end of the program we recommend that parents get in the water with our instructors and we teach parents how to interact in the water with their child.
• Growth – as a child grows and if they have not been in the water for some time their centre of gravity changes and the posture they need to swim and float will change slightly. If they are in the water regularly then they will adjust this as they grow. If they are not when they go back in the water after time off they will need to re adjust to ensure they have the correct posture.

Swimming improves swimming and we encourage our survival graduates to progress into our transitional lessons, which are the steps between survival and stroke lessons. Transitional lessons reinforce the survival skills and introduce different elements to swimming such as kick boards, noodles and diving for submerged objects.

Q: What happens after survival graduation?

A: Swimming improves swimming and we encourage our survival graduates to progress to our transitional lessons, which are the step between survival and stroke. Transitional lessons reinforce the survival skills of swim float swim and introduce different elements to swimming such as kick boards, noodles and diving for submerged objects

Lessons End. Training Doesn’t.

When learning a new skill, consistency is crucial. This is particularly relevant for children. When they learn to crawl and walk they are practising these motor skills daily. The same motor skills are used for swimming. Once children complete the accelerated survival program and progress onto weekly transitional lessons, we skill parents on how to practise the survival skills outside of lessons so they can continue to reinforce and retain the newly learnt skills.

Q: Should my child cry in a lesson/s, will this create a fear or hate of the water?

A: Fear is a learned behaviour and there is a difference between being afraid and apprehensive in unfamiliar environments. KASS is not a traditional swimming lesson the aim of the program is drowning prevention. We aim to teach competence through tailoring to the individual child and progress incrementally through positive reinforcement. KASS lessons are designed to set the child up for success and this in turn builds self-esteem. In the beginning, children may not be happily skipping to their lessons at first but that is alright. Sometimes as a parent, you make sure your child does things for his or her SAFETY, like receiving vaccinations and wearing a seat belt, because you know they are important.  Once competent in their skills, most KASS students cannot be dragged away from the pool!! They are having entirely too much FUN.  When you learn about KASS, you know this is the most important level of protection you can give your child to prevent drowning.

Q: Why are the lessons only 5 days a week and not 7 days?

A: Everybody needs a little break to rest and process newly learning information.

Q: Can my child do longer lessons over 2-3 days rather than 5 days?

A: No. The program is designed to compliment the child’s learning behaviour. We teach from positive reinforcement and if the child is fatigued they may get reinforced for incorrect behaviours. Keeping lessons short and more frequent ensures the child does not get too physically fatigued, as once a child is physically fatigued their ability to learn new skills decreases.

Q: Does my child have to be fully clothed in every lesson throughout the duration of the program?

A: No. During the survival program children are taught in swimmers or swim nappies at the end of the program once they are fully skilled they are put in clothes so they have an understanding in case they ever fell in with clothes on. It is a very different sensory experience with the clothes so this is a vital step once they have learnt all the survival skills.

Q: As part of your program is it only taught in the pool or do you conduct lessons at the beach or open water?

A: The lessons are held in a controlled environment for many safety reasons but the survival skills learned can and should be applied to all aquatic environments.

Q: Why do I see the child laid out on a towel after the lesson?

A: As part of the post lessons safety we ask the parent/carer to keep the child laying on their left side for at least a minute to encourage quicker recovery and help expel any air they have swallowed. This also allows the parent to interact with the child and tell them how good they did in the lesson again giving positive reinforcement to the child.

Q: What physical reactions will my child have to lessons?

A: Burping is normal during the lesson. Swallowing air is especially common when the child is first learning to float, and the child cries during the lesson, this allows more air to enter. Your instructor will be continually monitoring your child and take the appropriate action. Some children ma spit up a small amount while burping. However, if your child spits up anything more than a small amount of liquid while being burped, you may need to make some modification to their diet as advised by your instructor.

Q: What and When can my child eat prior to lessons?

Many children have difficulty digesting foods with excessive refined sugar or processed flour. These types of foods should be avoided during KASS lessons. If a child has difficulty digesting food, it can increase the amount of gas in their system, which can affect buoyancy, and make lessons more difficult or even uncomfortable for your child. Excessive gas can also make it difficult for your child to take good, full breaths during his swimming lesson.

During KASS lessons we recommend the child avoids the following foods:

• Apples (including apple juice, apple sauce or in any other form)
• Check fruit juice containers as many are apple based.
• Pineapples, Papayas, Peaches, Passion Fruits, Celery, Honey, Spinach

The timing of eating and drinking before lessons is especially important. Your child should not eat ANY food for at least 1 hour prior to the lesson. In addition your child should not have any dairy or milk products for at least 2 hours prior to the lesson.

Q: Why does it cost more than traditional swimming lessons?

A: Firstly, the skills your child will learn are life saving skills. These skills are learnt within WEEKS not years. All lessons are delivered privately 1 on 1. We deliver an accelerated survival program with short but very frequent lessons to have the child skilled in a shorter time period when they are most at risk of drowning. Should your child require the full 8 weeks to complete the survival program this is a total cost of $1,460 (inc. registration fee). The cost is equivalent to 2 years of traditional weekly swimming lessons whereby they do not teach survival skills. If a child has been participating in traditional swimming lessons for 2 years they are not equipped with the same skills if they were to complete the KASS survival program. Most children either still wear floaties, or use aids in the water and parents believe should they fall into a body of water would not be able to save themselves.

Q: Will my child be thrown into the water?

A: No, children are not thrown into the water. Children learn breath control, in a gentle and supportive environment and once competent, progress to the next stage of learning to float on their back. Nearing the end of the program the child learns to orientate themselves through guided prompts and procedures to grab the wall/edge. The child is facilitated in the water through special non-verbal techniques, in a safe and controlled environment which they respond to as a result of operant conditioning.

Q: My child is not walking yet should I wait until they are to start the program?

A: We offer the KASS Survival and Learn to Swim program to children aged from 6 months. At this age we focus on breath control and rolling from front to back and floating, staying calm and breathing until help arrives. Once the child is of walking age we are able to add another level of skill being the swim float swim sequence, turning, grabbing the edge and understanding safety. Please talk to one of our sales staff if you are unsure what age is best for your child.

Q: Do you simulate a drowning scenario?

A: No, we safely simulate the child falling into the water from the side of the pool. Only once the child is fully competent at all parts of the survival sequence and is competent enough to make a decision of what to do, the instructor guides the child into the water and the child responds by floating on their back and either waiting for help to arrive or doing the swim float swim sequence to safety depending on age.

Because at Kids Aquatic Survival School we want children to experience this scenario in a safe and controlled environment so they understand they have the skill and can apply if needed in the future to prevent an aquatic tragedy.

Q: As a parent/carer do I need to any additional swimming with my child during the program?

A: We encourage parents to have fun with their child in the water during the program. Speak to your instructor about how you can be in the water with your child that will not interfere with the skills they are learning throughout the program

Q: What is shallow water blackout?

A: Shallow Water Black Out is the loss of consciousness in water after hyperventilation.

Please note KASS Instructors follow strict safety protocols to ensure the above is not a factor in our lessons. Instructors have 100% focus on your child 100% of the time to ensure they responding appropriately and constantly monitoring your child and their breath control to ensure this never happens.

Q: Will my child be forced or traumatised?

A: At KASS, we do not use force. We facilitate a child to learn to feel the water and understand how it supports them and how to move through it. We focus on a child’s natural buoyancy to help them float independently.

Trauma would cause an aversion to water. At KASS we aim to teach competence through tailoring to the individual child and progress incrementally through positive reinforcement. KASS lessons are designed to set the child up for success and this in turn builds self-esteem. In the beginning, children may not be happily skipping to their lessons at first but that is alright. The lessons are more frequent which allows the child to acquire the skills quicker and as they are delivered privately 1 on 1 the child is able to learn at their own pace and become comfortable in the water over the lessons as they build on their skills and accomplish new skills. Fear can unintentionally be projected from the parents/carer, one of the main reasons parents are not in the water with the child during the 8-week program until completion. The instructor has 100% focus on your child 100% of the time to ensure they respond appropriately to the specialised prompts and procedures.

Please read the testimonial from a parent who is a psychologist and whose children have completed the program. Click here

Q: Whom do you teach?

A: KASS teach children aged 6 months to 6 years. We teach different cultures and range of abilities.

Q: Is there a risk of secondary drowning?

A: Our main focus at KASS is to save lives. In every lesson the safety of each child is paramount and all KASS instructors follow strict safety protocols.

All KASS instructors undergo additional training and study above Australian industry standards. The KASS Instructor and Education Program is an intense training program of practical in-water and academic study including but not limited to sensorimotor learning, child behavioural sciences and physiology.

Secondary drowning occurs when the child’s airways open up, letting water into his lungs where it builds up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema. The end result is trouble breathing. This can occur between 1 and 48 hours later.

All KASS lessons are conducted privately 1 on 1 to ensure 100% focus is on the child 100% of the time. This is to ensure the child is responding appropriately. Instructors are constantly monitoring the child and their breath control to avoid any incidence from occurring.

The first priority of lessons is breath control. Before any child moves through the path of lessons they are taught to take a breath, and hold their breath before being submerged. This is done through physical prompts to assist in the process.

Once the child has learnt this behaviour, the physical prompt can be removed as the environment, being the water, now provides the tactical sensory for the child, which then prompts the child to take a breath and hold their breath as the child feels the water travelling towards their head.

All KASS lessons are based around strict safety protocols and positive reinforcement to ensure that this never occurs in our lessons.

Q: What we DO V’s What we DON’T DO