Nationally, drowning is the second leading cause of death for infants and young children.
Only auto accidents are more deadly.
But those associated with the Infants Swimming Resource are confident those numbers could be drastically reduced.
When Holley Kitchen moved into her home in August -- the outdoor pool was an immediate concern because her son Colby was just 8-months old at the time.
"He could crawl and he can get to water, and if he can get to water he can drown," Kitchen said.
Dismayed by what traditional swimming classes could not teach Colby, Kitchen learned about the Infant Swimming Resource technique which teaches infants as young as 6-months to remain afloat while in the water.
"It's not a swimming program it's a self rescue survival program," said Jennifer Loomis, a Infant Swimming Resource instructor.
The program has generated controversy because infants from 6-months to a year learn to find the surface, float on their back and breath, no matter what position they enter the water.
"They teach them to float with their head up, they teach them belly up and swimming lessons they teach to swim with your face in the water," Kitchen said.
Kitchen says watching Colby struggle to learn to float during the four week course was difficult.
"I cried probably through very single lesson I kept my sunglasses on and I cried but I told myself am I going to cry more if I lose him or if I go through these lessons," she said.
Kitchen says the tears were worth it because ISR claims that more than 100 thousand kids who've been trained in the technique and have fallen in the water have been saved. She says you can't beat the security of a 100 percent success rate.
"This floating technique can be the difference in death, brain damage or a perfectly normal child, he can't walk but he can save his life if he falls into water," Kitchen said.
For more information on ISR or a list of family water safety tips, go to www.israustin.com.
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