Ada Yip
“After deciding to become an Infant Aquatics℠ instructor, I visited the SWIM•Float•SWIM!℠ website many times. I wanted to learn from the ‘source’. Judy has over 40 years of experience and is the founder of Infant Aquatics℠. Who wouldn’t want to learn from the best? Her pool facilities look attractive from the website photos, but wait until you see them in person. The pool and location are unbelievably awesome.
When I first started to communicate with Judy, she gave me the feeling that she “cares”. She cares about Infant Aquatics℠, and she cared about me even before I met her. She is a mother and a grandmother, so she understood my concerns and needs traveling all the way from Hong Kong to Colorado. It made a big difference knowing that there was someone I could truly trust during my training.
Longmont is located 20 minutes away from beautiful Boulder. Boulder is marvelous, and it was such a bonus to be able to enjoy two beautiful American cities during my training.
The training was overwhelming and intensive but worth it. It’s very hands on, informative and has a very steep learning curve. It requires both physical, and mental energy. But Judy is patient, warm, and savvy. She openly extended her arms to welcome me when I first arrived. She knows her business well and works efficiently and creatively. Even though she started her profession 40 years ago, she has kept herself updated with new skills and information for Infant Aquatics℠ and is in tune with our continuously evolving world.
Judy has a great team at SWIM•Float•SWIM!℠ They are helpful in so many ways. Whether answering questions relating to the training or simply wanting to know where to eat/visit they were always willing to give the best advice.
When I returned to Hong Kong and eventually found a pool to start teaching, I ran into numerous problems. Although I had handled a large number of babies and children during my training, every child is unique. There are times when I run into a situation which I haven’t seen before. Judy provides tips and advice over email and phone calls that help me solve the problem or expedite the learning of my students. I can even send her video of my lessons and she provides me with valuable feedback. This has been very important to me because I am the only Infant Aquatics℠ instructor in Hong Kong and China. I have no other resource in the area. Judy’s quick response really helps because our lessons are 4 days a week. That means I need to figure out the issue before the next day’s lesson.
Providing technical advice was only a small part of my post training experience with Judy. In Hong Kong, many people do not understand or have never seen the teaching method of Infant Aquatics℠ program. When people don’t know why our program works effectively to teach a survival life skill to a child, they tend to reject it or criticize it. Judy has provided invaluable support to me by helping me handle situations on an emotional level. Judy has also taught me how to educate people on what is Infant Water Survival, which has been tremendously beneficial for me.
Which brings me to my final point. In addition to the actual in-water training, learning the academic and behavior sides of the program, and post training support from Judy, there is one other thing that is irreplaceable. During my 6 weeks at SWIM•Float•SWIM!℠ I also learned the business aspect of running an Infant Aquatics℠ program. Judy showed me how best to handle prospective clients, new parents, veteran moms, and the students themselves; how to make a facility a warm welcoming place for children and how to deliver the right message to parents. She showed me that Infant Aquatics℠ is not just a business, it is her life. Her passion and commitment to Infant Water Survival and to the safety of all the children is one of the greatest lessons I have learned.”
Infant Aquatic Survival℠ specialist Ada Yip from Hong Kong discusses her post training experience with Judy Heumann, Infant Aquatics℠ Founder and Lead Instructor.