Baby Swimming Teacher Certification and
Serenity Swim Program Licensing 2018
with Rob and/or Kathy McKay
Infant/Toddler Swimming
Small group training
Lifestyle Swim School
Boca Raton, Florida
Come train in a tropical paradise, warm ocean breezes, sunny skis, beautiful beaches and a clean safe community.
Raising the bar on teaching with kindness and joy
Rob and Kathy McKay have conducted baby swim teacher training workshops at their Boca Raton, Florida site with attendees from as far away as Japan, New Zealand, The Philippines, Scandinavia, Australia, South America, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Europe as well as from throughout the U.S. They have conducted workshops for countries, cities, private organizations as well as for individuals. In 2003 Rob presented a workshop in Uppsala, Sweden, sponsored by pediatrician Dr. Ludmilla Rosengen, and in 2004 Oslo, Norway.
Recently baby swim teacher workshops have been held in all corners of this wonderful water world from Wellington and Christchurch, New Zealand to Brighton, England to Krakow, Poland and in between.
2008 was an amazing year as we trained teachers here at our Boca Raton site from the United States, South Africa, The Philippines, Malaysia, Russia and Greece, as well as hosting visits from Swimming Hall of Fame award winners from Brazil and Tokyo. This group included swim school owners, people starting swim programs, doctors, psychologists, swimmers, swim coaches, child care specialists, and mommies. All sharing a love of water and children.
2009 was equally fulfilling with over 125 caring, gentle people participating in our workshops from all over the world.
2010 a very exciting year with baby swimming teacher training participants. Some were starting programs from scratch in their countries, while others were starting swim schools or adding baby swimming to their programs. They were setting up baby swim classes in medical facilities, health clubs, schools, back-yard pools, scuba centers, public and private facilities. Several were planning on building there own facilities. All of our trainees share a common bond of teaching children in a kind, playful and age and developmentally appropriate manner. Sharing the joy of the water and gradually teaching the safety skills at a child centered pace, based on readiness.
In September 2014 Rob and Kathy presented a workshop at the World Swim Coaches Conference.
In both 2011 and 2012 Rob logged over 20,000 miles in air travel working with clients. We also conducted a teacher training workshop at the World Aquatic Baby Swimming Conference.
In 2012 we have had visitors and trained teachers here in Florida from Norway, Brazil, India, Beijing China, Duke University and Chicago, with more traveling from New Zealand, Japan, Shanghai China and the US .
Shirly from Shanghai, China Mandy from Wellington, New Zealand 2012. They completed one month of training with us here in Boca Raton, Florida at Florida Atlantic University.
Rob and Kathy presented a special one day baby swimming teacher training workshop in Brighton, England on Oct 6th, 2009. This was held in conjunction with the WABC world conference. click here: WABC Workshop England.
25 participants attended Rob and Kathie’s pre-WABC workshop, from Greece, Israel, Japan, The Philippines, Bermuda and the United Kingdom.
If after reading this entire web site you feel that you are in tune with our gentle, “baby friendly” philosophy and you feel at home with the principles expressed below, you may be a candidate for our teacher training workshop. Teaching babies has an incredible impact on a young child’s life and is a great responsibility, the “whole child approach” requires individuals with special “sensitive traits”. It is not for everyone.
“The Lifestyle Swim School, in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A.,
has the world’s foremost infant/toddler learn-to-swim program.”
Ross Gage, Director Swim Australia
Rob training Nathalie from Water Planet Human Dolphin-Encounters Panama City Beach, Florida/Bimini Island Bahamas
If you are looking for baby swim teacher training or a registry of gentle mindful programs in your area, here is a link to our teacher training website:
http://www.serenityswimnetwork.com
Our workshops are for those high minded individuals who:
- Seek to create a warm and nurturing experience for young children that will help to shape their lives in a positive way.
- See the swimming experience as an avenue for guiding and inspiring growth on many levels, and not focusing solely on the fear of “not drowning” (see safety link Pool & Water Safety )
- Will only treat children with gentleness and awareness of their feelings, abilities and readiness.
- Would never use an accelerated agenda utilizing forced pre-mature and repeated submersions or unwilling coerced back float. (We welcome those who bring joy, not crying or fear). You must understand that this is not “survival backfloat swimming” or “drown proofing”. We are a holistic school, and while we do teach safety skills over time, we are a child centered, child paced (not fear based) as well as child friendly and family friendly. We are a happy place, filled with smiles not tears.
- Are in tune with and consciously become of aware of what the child is capable of, only seeking the highest good of each child
- See swimming as a road to celebrate life, each class being it’s own reward
- Come open and ready to learn from the babies and from us
Meg Balfour from Durban, South Africa, attended the two week baby, infant/toddler swim teacher workshop, May 4-15th, 2008. Here Meg is seen at the International Swimming Hall of Fame for the annual Paragon Awards and the Virginia Hunt Newman Award ceremony. Seated from left to right are Meg, Jose Fontanelli of Sao Paulo, Brazil recipient of the 2008 Newman award and presenters Rob McKay and Kathy McKay.
Cesar Acsencio from El Salvador, attended our infant/toddler swim teacher workshop for three weeks in May, 2010. A successful lawyer in San Salvador, Cesar plans on introducing the family oriented, playful approach to baby swimming in his country. Our baby students here in Florida took an immediate liking to Cesar, the babies of El Salvador are very lucky to have Cesar as their teacher and guide.
M. Satish Kumar from Bangalore, India, starting the nations first baby swimming program with the help of Rob and Kathy McKay.
Rob and Kathy with Nina who trained in our holistic/gentle approach to teaching babies to swim. She participated for 4 weeks in the fall of 2007, at our Boca Raton site. Nina is from London and Brighton, England
Dr. Lyudmila of Moscow, Russia participated in our baby swim teacher training in September, 2008. Combined with pediatric medicine and baby massage, it is her hope to add infant/toddler swimming to her work in Moscow.
Dr. Lyudmila is now convinced that swimming at early ages in a gentle, nurturing, child paced, playful environment will greatly enhance the healthy development of the child.
Check out our new Teacher Training Website at:
serenityswimnetwork