Meet your Instructor

Abby Markham, Certified ISR Instructor

My mission is to provide children with the survival swimming skills they need to be safe, strong, and confident in the water.

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About Abby

Hello! I'm Abby Markham, originally from D.C. I began my career working on Capitol Hill and spent several years in writing, political messaging, and communications. As a proud USMC spouse, I've had the privilege of traveling the world with my husband and 4 kids. We've moved nine times and are thrilled to finally put down roots here in Prince William County.

My journey with Infant Swimming Resource began when my oldest was a toddler. Like many parents, I was looking for ways to keep him safe. I knew drowning was a huge risk--in fact it's the number one cause of accidental death in children ages 1 to 4--I wanted to find some way to combat this danger. And that's how I stumbled upon ISR.

Watching my son learn life-saving water safety skills was transformative. We became an ISR family and never looked back! Since then, all three of my other children have gone through ISR lessons, and I've seen firsthand the incredible impact this program can have. They gained swimming skills, the ability to self-rescue, and tremendous confidence in and out of the water--gifts I'm thankful for every day. The ISR Instructors we met along the way inspired me to bring that same peace of mind to other families. And my passion was born.

Becoming an ISR Instructor has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. Watching children grow in confidence and learn these vital skills that will last a lifetime is truly rewarding. There's nothing like that first 'I did it!' smile! Parenting is full of challenges, and I know how important it is to equip our kids with the tools they need to thrive. That's why I'm passionate about helping families feel confident and empowered when it comes to water safety. I'm excited to continue working with families here in Prince William County and to share this incredible gift with many more children. I can't wait to meet you and your little ones!

FAQs

Will my child need additional lessons?

Based on our research, we know that refresher lessons are important because children change so much both cognitively and physically during the first 0-5 years of life. It is important that their water survival skills grow with their bodies. Frequency depends on the child's age, growth rate, skill level and confidence level. The goal of refresher lessons is to help your child adjust his/her new body size and weight to his/her existing skill level. Your instructor will work with your child to help fine-tune his or her aquatic experience to assist with building efficiency, which will result in self-confidence. This is especially important if your child has not been able to practice any appropriate aquatic skill between seasons.

Why don’t parents participate in the water during the lessons?

We do not want the baby to initially associate the water with the love, attention, and affection of the parent while in the water. Also, it takes incredible concentration and objectivity to teach the baby how to respond to an aquatic emergency and our experience shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their own children in the water. We gladly invite parents to join us in the pool once their child has independent skills to practice at home.

How is it that babies can learn to respond to the danger of water when they fall in?

A baby does not need to perceive danger or be afraid to respond appropriately to being underwater. If a baby has learned to roll over and float when he needs air, he doesn't need to perceive danger in order to respond in this manner. He needs skill, practice and confidence to calmly deal with the situation.

What other benefits does the ISR lesson experience provide students?

Every child is unique. However, many parents report that once their young children have mastered learning to swim, the resulting confidence in their abilities engenders a positive self-concept that is often demonstrated in other aspects of their personalities. There are also obvious health and other psychological gains.

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