"I have just returned from my journey to Cambridge as I had to stop via family. I am still rather emotional as although I knew the course would be very hard work, I was not prepared for the magic! I just wanted to say that I have never been on such an intense, yet sensitive and emotional course, and I am still reeling from it. Our group was lovely and we all bonded well, and Amanda and Emmy were incredible, a real inspiration to us all. They are two extremely special people who I am so lucky to have met. They have made me think about everything from a totally different angle, and in just three days have changed my life, and my attitude to life and the people around me, for the better for ever."
(Part 1 & Part 2)
Who is this course for?
The Direct Entry course is open to those who want to teach Infant Aquatics but who have little or very limited experience of teaching parents and babies in water, even if they hold a swimming teacher's qualification. It is also open to health professionals working with babies and to mothers (Birthlight's mothers' route to training).
We recommend that students interested in this course take the STA (Swimming Teachers' Association) Parent and Baby qualification, which we offer on the course as an option. The Birthlight Infant Aquatics and the STA Parents & Baby course by Direct Entry are the only accredited course (NVQ level 2) open to applicants who do not hold previous swimming qualifications. The course is comprehensive including theory, practicals, safety aspects and foundations of infant physiology and development.
What does this course include?
As all Birthlight courses, this course blends theory and practice, with pool tuition, theory, and interactive sessions for debriefing, practice and assimilating skills.
The course covers main findings in anatomy and physiology, infant development, infant psychology and scientific approaches to movement in water that are relevant to infant aquatics. Presentation of the material is supported by visual aids and easy to take on board while resting on years of research experience and at the cutting edge of current international developments in the related fields. Several Birthlight tutors contribute special expertise to this course.
Birthlight techniques in Infant Aquatics are taught in the perspective of the development of Infant Aquatics in the last two decades. The course offers a comprehensive review of submersion and presents the gentle but effective Birthlight approach in the context of documented alternative approaches. Birthlight’s acclaimed hallmarks: swimming with babies, parent-infant water bonding and water parenting, relaxed holds and relaxed floats, transition from reflexes to voluntary movements, transition to independent dives and to independent swimming for toddlers are taught on this course.
Courses held at residential venues offer additional opportunities for film viewing and evening talks. At Riddlesworth Hall, the pool is accessible for additional practice outside of course hours.
How is the course structured?
The course consists of three modules: Part 1 (first module) imparts the theoretical and practical knowledge required to start teaching over a three day intensive course. The second module is self practice over approximately six months, including setting up an Infant Aquatics class and documenting regular practice of Infant Aquatics while preparing coursework. Course tutors are available for support and advice if needed during this period. The Birthlight buddy and watchdog schemes offer additional sources of support. In order for students to have insurance during this time, Birthlight has arranged a student policy with Care Sure for one year. The third module, Part 2, is a two day course, residential or non-residential.
Students have a maximum period of 24 months to complete the Diploma from the time of their Part 1 course.
How is this course assessed?
Part 1 is tutor assessed by means of a simple practical assessment in which students teach part of a class. In the rare instances when a tutor recommends that a student should repeat this assessment, Birthlight strives to arrange that this student work with an established teacher and be assessed at a later date.
Students’ portfolios of case-studies and coursework are carefully assessed with detailed constructive comments aimed to forward their teaching and practice. The Diploma in Perinatal Yoga is awarded on the basis of both the student’s portfolio and a final assessment involving an external assessor.
Which qualification is gained on this course?
The Diploma in Infant Aquatics is the full teaching qualification recognised for purposes of insurance and professional accreditation. Diploma holders can be listed on the register of Birthlight teachers with their own website entry and page. All Birthlight teachers must sign a membership declaration that refers to a code of practice. All Birthlight teachers must also abide by the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme that guarantees quality standards for teaching safely and professionally with updated techniques.
What is special about this course?
Numbers of certified Infant Aquatics instructors are rising each year. Managers of sport and leisure centers and spas as well as parents will be looking for greater quality and experience in Infant Aquatics. The Birthlight approach stands out in that its main focus is a combination of enjoyment with best techniques.
The inspiration for the gentle yet dynamic approach taught on this course comes from Amazonian forest people with whom Francoise Barbira Freedman, the founder of Birthlight and author of ‘Water Babies’ * lived as an anthropologist. The course brings together the spontaneous daily delight of families in the water at bath time with scientific research on movement in water and a set of best practice values that respect each baby and each parent-baby pair fully.
Birthlight is an educational charity with a deliberate choice to function as an evolving network rather than as a franchise. This course is set up in a spirit of friendship and open collaboration with fellow teachers who have other training.
The course curriculum has core components but is constantly updated as new developments arise both inside and outside the Birthlight network. In today’s fast paced world, the integration of ancient skills associated with a relaxed life-style with new knowledge and techniques makes more and more sense. Birthlight invites Infant Aquatics teachers from different constituted schools to be part of this innovative process for the greater benefit of new families.
All the Birthlight practices are backed up by research and are consistent with the latest developments in infant physiology and infant psychology. We pay particular attention to interactive practices that promote parent- infant bonding. The hallmark of Birthlight is a gentle yet thoroughly professional way of teaching that aims at combining enjoyment, safety and the foundations of swimming in playful, relaxed classes.
In this course we cover submersion and the transition from reflexes to voluntary movements in the water in particular detail.
The teaching on this course is both formal, using visual aids in classes and demonstrations in the pool, and interactive in a way that allows experienced teachers to discuss and compare techniques on a non-judgmental basis.
This course also includes a Baby Resuscitation course by Vic Smith (Royal Life Savers) valid for two years. There are also inputs by Birthlight tutors with special expertise in infant development and parent-infant interaction. Birthlight tutors have made acclaimed presentations at World aquatic Baby since 2001 and they bring to the course an up to date awareness of practices and current discussions in Infant Aquatics worldwide.
*The book ‘Water Babies’ (Anness 1999) is now in its 6th edition. It is available in Swedish, Danish, Finnish and French.
Who are the tutors on this course?
Birthlight Infant Aquatics tutors are all experienced practitioners who bring different areas of expertise to this field. The Birthlight tutor leading the Infant Aquatics Course has an outstanding experience in swimming development. Whenever possible, input from other tutors is sought, particularly from tutors with special experience in parent/infant interaction and infant development. The Infant Aquatics tutors are: Françoise Barbira Freedman , Sally Lomas, Shawn Tomlinson, Amanda Walker, Phil Geary, Emmaline Kitson and Julia de Lucchi.
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