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Happy Valley ISR

ISR Self-Rescue® swimming and aquatic survival lessons for infants and children 6 months – 12 years old, based in State College, PA.

NOW ENROLLING FOR WINTER AND SPRING LESSONS!

Copyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

ISR Certified
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ISR Lessons

What is ISR?

Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) was founded in 1966 and is the global leader in the industry of survival swimming lessons for infants and young children.ISR’s survival swimming technique is the product of nearly 60 years of research and development. All ISR lessons are one-on-one and customized to the unique needs and developmental abilities of each child (ages 6 months to 12 years). Lessons are conducted 5 days a week, for about 6 weeks, with a maximum lesson time of 10 ten minutes per day. Each child has their own lesson time daily.ISR’s team of highly-trained Certified Instructors provides the safest and most effective survival swimming lessons for children available. Certified ISR Instructors must pass a national background check and successfully complete an extensive academic and in-water training program with a Certified ISR Master Instructor or Senior Master Instructor. They are required to possess active liability insurance and a current CPR/First Aid certification, and they must also complete yearly professional development educational programming to re-certify with ISR.

What will my child learn in ISR lessons?

Roll-Back-to-Float: Lessons for infants at least 6 months of age to about 12 months focus on teaching the child to roll onto their back to float, rest and breathe, and maintain this life-saving position until help arrives.

Roll-Back-To-Float

Swim-Float-Swim: Lessons for toddlers, preschoolers, and young children (12+ months) focus on teaching ISR’s patented swim-float-swim survival sequence. Children learn to swim with their head down, roll onto their back to float, rest and breathe, and flip over to continue swimming. The combination of these skills allows a child to reach safety at the side of the pool or edge of the water where they can either crawl out or be rescued.

Swim-Float-Swim

What if my child has already completed ISR lessons?

Refresher and Maintenance lessons: Refresher lessons are for students who have recently completed the ISR program and usually last 2–3 weeks. As children grow, their skills will need to be adjusted to match their new height, weight, and strength. The frequency of refresher lessons depends on the child’s age, growth rate, skill level, and confidence level, but are recommended about every six months as your child hits new developmental milestones.Maintenance lessons allow Happy Valley ISR's already skilled students to come back once or twice a month to maintain and refine their skills in the water on a more regular basis.

Copyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

ISR Certified
Happy Valley ISR logo of a seal and otter

Meet the Instructor

Michael Stahl is a Certified ISR Instructor and current resident of State College, PA, where he lives with his wife, Caroline, and daughter, Annie, and works as a professor at Penn State.Michael received his ISR Instructor certification in the summer of 2025 in Charlotte, NC, where he trained under two Senior Master Instructors with over 45 years of combined ISR teaching experience. He is also certified in Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED through the American Red Cross.Michael’s longstanding love of the water and deep concern for child safety motivate Happy Valley ISR’s mission to provide the safest and most effective survival swimming lessons for children in the State College community and surrounding areas.

Copyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

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Happy Valley ISR logo of a seal and otter

Register

Upcoming Sessions

Winter 2025: Monday, November 3–Friday, December 19

No Lessons: November 7, 26, 27, 28; December 12
Make-up Days: December 22, 23

Time Slots: 4:00–4:12 p.m., 4:12–4:24 p.m., 4:24–4:36 p.m., 4:36–4:48 p.m., 4:48–5:00 p.m., 5:00–5:12 p.m., 5:12–5:24 p.m., 5:24–5:36 p.m., 5:36–5:48 p.m., 5:48–6:00 p.m.

Please note that time slots are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Times listed above do not guarantee that the slot is still available.

Spring 2026 Session: Monday, March 16–Friday, April 24

Make-up Days: Monday, April 27–Friday, May 1

Time Slots: 4:00–4:12 p.m., 4:12–4:24 p.m., 4:24–4:36 p.m., 4:36–4:48 p.m., 4:48–5:00 p.m., 5:00–5:12 p.m., 5:12–5:24 p.m., 5:24–5:36 p.m., 5:36–5:48 p.m., 5:48–6:00 p.m.

Please note that time slots are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Times listed above do not guarantee that the slot is still available.

Location

Site: Heated indoor pool at the Ramada by Wyndham State College Hotel & Conference CenterAddress: 1450 S. Atherton St., State College, PA 16801

Happy Valley ISR is proud to partner with Ramada by Wyndham State College Hotel & Conference Center to offer the Ramada by Wyndham State College Scholarship, which provides 50% off tuition for one student in the community with financial need each session!

Future Sessions

Summer 2026 Session 1

Session dates and times for Summer 2026 Session 1 will be announced soon!

Summer 2026 Session 2

Session dates and times for Summer 2026 Session 2 will be announced soon!

TextCopyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

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Happy Valley ISR logo of a seal and otter

Contact Happy Valley ISR

Michael Stahl, Certified ISR Instructor
[email protected]

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Copyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

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FAQs

Repetition and consistency are crucial elements in sensorimotor learning for young children. Research shows that short, frequent lessons result in higher skill retention. Additionally, shorter lessons are safer, and safety is a top priority in all ISR lessons. While ISR safety protocols require the pool temperature to be maintained between 78–88 degrees, the water temperature is still lower than your child’s body temperature. ISR Instructors therefore check students regularly during lessons for temperature fatigue, which is an indicator of physical fatigue.

ISR’s 6-week session length is based on the average time it takes most children to learn swimming and aquatic survival skills. Every child is unique, and ISR’s Self-Rescue® program is specifically tailored to each child’s individual strengths and needs. ISR is dedicated to safety and, therefore, aims to provide your child with sufficient time and the best opportunity to become proficient in their swimming and aquatic survival skills.

No, these are not group lessons. Every lesson with ISR is one-on-one and individualized for each student. This means we never have more than one student in the water at a time and keep a 1:1 student to Instructor ratio.

Yes, to the best of their developmental abilities! ISR believes that part of survival for a child who can crawl or walk is swimming. Infants learn the Roll-Back-to-Float sequence and toddlers and children learn the Swim-Float-Swim sequence. The difference in ISR’s program is that children learn swimming *and* survival skills—that is, they learn how to be an aquatic problem solver. At a minimum, your child will learn to roll onto their back to float, rest, and breathe and to maintain this position until help arrives.

Research indicates that refresher lessons are important because children change so much, both cognitively and physically, during the first 0–5 years of life. It is therefore important that their water survival skills grow with their developing bodies. The goal of refresher lessons is to help your child adjust their new body size and weight to their existing skill level. The frequency of refresher lessons depends on the child’s age, growth rate, skill level, and confidence level. ISR instructors work with your child individually to help fine-tune their aquatic experience.

Around 85% of children who accidentally fall into the water do so fully clothed. If you have ever jumped into the water with clothes on, then you know that there is a significant difference in weight and feel wearing clothes as opposed to a bathing suit. ISR therefore wants its students to have experience with such a situation. If a child has experienced the sensations of being in the water in clothing prior to an emergency situation, they are less likely to experience panic and more able to focus on self-rescue.

Yes! Your child’s health and well-being are ISR’s highest priority. ISR Instructors maintain numerous safety protocols to promote safe lessons at all times. Additionally, ISR’s Registration Evaluation Team (RET)—comprised of ISR certified pediatric nurses—will review your child’s medical and developmental history as a mandatory part of the ISR national registration process (all medical information is held strictly confidential). All ISR Instructors also undergo intensive and rigorous training and are required to be re-certified yearly to ensure quality control as well as safety and lesson efficiency. Parent education in the area of aquatic safety is an integral part of ISR lessons too. You will receive access to the *Parent Resource Guide* to inform you about every aspect of swimming and aquatic safety for infants and children. In short, you will discover that ISR is not only the most effective program for teaching infants and young children how to swim, but also the safest survival swimming program.

ISR instructors teach infants and young children to swim by honoring each child’s individual strengths and experiences. They understand the fundamentals of the behavioral sciences, child development, and sensorimotor learning as it relates to the acquisition of aquatic survival skills. ISR instructors use this education to guide each child on an individual level through the sequence of learning to swim and float.

Unfortunately, babies and young children cannot naturally swim. If this were the case, there would not be so many accidental drownings every year. According to the Center for Disease Control and Accident Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1–4 in the United States.

No! While parents do not participate in the water during lessons, you are the best cheerleader your child could have. Your positive support and encouragement are invaluable to creating an effective learning environment for your child. Additionally, parents are invited into the pool for one or two lessons during the last week of the session. During this time you will learn how to maintain your child’s new skills while in the water and how to properly promote their ISR Self-Rescue® skills.

Young children often fuss during the first few lessons because they are being asked to do a hard thing, in a new environment, with a new person. However, as children become more confident in their abilities in the water, their fussing usually decreases and may even be replaced by enthusiasm, clapping, and laughter.

No! There is an important difference between true fear, on the one hand, and apprehensiveness because one is not yet skilled in a new environment, on the other. ISR is not like traditional swim lessons: it is a drowning prevention program that teaches survival swimming and aquatic problem solving. Sometimes as a parent, you must make choices for your child’s safety—like putting them in a car seat—because you know they are necessary and important. The same can be said for ISR. Once competent in their aquatic skills, many children cannot be dragged away from the pool—they are simply having too much FUN!

Copyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

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Happy Valley ISR logo of a seal and otter

Scheduling

Thank you for your interest in Happy Valley ISR! The first step in the registration process is to schedule an introductory call with the Instructor. Please read the following information about the program before scheduling your call.

Happy Valley ISR Program Overview

  • Each session runs for 6 weeks, with additional days reserved for make-up lessons

  • Students must attend lessons 5 times a week (or 4 days if you enroll in the Flex Plan), Monday through Friday, at the same time slot each day

  • Each lesson is 10 minutes long (max) to prevent fatigue, maximize learning, and keep your child safe

Pricing, Promotions, Financial Aid

  • ISR Registration Fee (non-refundable): $105 (registration with ISR is required to screen the health and safety of your child for ISR lessons and ensure that they are covered by Happy Valley ISR’s liability insurance)

  • Tuition (Promotional Rate): $125/week (usually $135/week)

  • Referrals: $50 off lessons for you and $50 off lessons for whomever you refer

  • Sibling Discount: 10% off when you enroll siblings in the same session

  • Financial Aid: Ramada by Wyndham State College Scholarship (50% off tuition for one student in financial need each session); Live Like Jake scholarships (need based)

  • Payment Plan: $50% deposit (non-refundable) at time of booking; $50% balance due by time of first lesson

  • Refresher Lessons: $250 for two weeks, $350 for 3 weeks

  • Maintenance Lessons: $25/lesson

Flexible payment plan options available on request

Introductory Call

Select a time below on Michael’s calendar to schedule your introductory call about registering for Fall Session 2, starting on November 3!

Copyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

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Happy Valley ISR logo of a seal and otter

Financial Aid

Happy Vally ISR is proud to partner with local businesses and non-profits to ensure that all children in Happy Valley can have the opportunity to take ISR Self-Rescue lessons.If you are a member of the local community and interested in establishing a scholarship to increase access to ISR Self-Rescue lessons for children in State College and surrounding areas, please contact us here.

Ramada by Wyndham State College Scholarship

The Ramada by Wyndham State College Scholarship provides 50% off tuition for one student in the community with financial need each session.

Live Like Jake Scholarship

The mission of the Live Like Jake Foundation is to raise awareness for childhood drowning prevention and provide scholarships for ISR Self-Rescue swim lessons to families that cannot afford them. Please visit Live Like Jake to see if you qualify for this need-based scholarship.

Copyright © 2025 Happy Valley ISR

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