TORTUGA TOTS

I grew up in Florida, surrounded by water, and loving swimming in the ocean and pools to beat the heat.  After college I moved to Arizona, another state where pools are your friend.  When I had my first daughter I was introduced to infant swim classes.  Prior to that, I had no idea you could put babies in the water, let alone teach them how to swim and float.  I taught my first daughter how to swim float swim across the length of the pool by the time she was 2.  When I had my second child, in Florida, I knew I was going to have to get her life saving skills as soon as possible, because putting her in floatation was not an option.  I had heard too many stories of how children have drown, and I have witnessed near drownings because the children forgot and entered the pool without their puddle jumper or water wings. Since floatation devices keep the child in a vertical position, when they are in a situation were they can't reach the bottom or side of the pool, they go vertical and don't know how to come up for air.  Drowning is quiet, and at the time, being a stay at home parent of 2, having to play "zone defense" during the day, I did not want either of my children to become a statistic. My children are now 11 and 9, and still to this day before we get in the water I remind them that floating will save them if they find themselves in a situation where they are too tired to swim.  
I am a teacher by trade, currently teaching 4-5 year olds at the sweetest little preschool in Apex, NC.  When we put a pool in at our home, I knew I needed to become certified to teach lessons, offer life saving skills to babies as young as 6 months in the Triangle Area, and spread awareness about how important it is for children to swim and float as early as possible without floatation devices.  I researched different programs around the country and found and attended the PediaSwim Certification Program at Southwest Aquatics with Joy McGinty.  This is where I spent everyday for 4 weeks in the water with hands on training.  I am so excited to bring the PediaSwim approach to swim safety to the triangle!