Summer isn't officially here yet, but it's never too early to think about summer fun in the sun, and safe summer fun is what Little Swimmers is all about.

Gerald Little with a little swimmer

This swim school, now in its fifth year of operation, is currently offering group and private lessons at the Doral Isles pool for beginners and intermediate swimmers of all ages.

Little Swimmers is the brainchild of Gerald Little and Meric Tendrich, both elementary school physical education teachers.

Little is confident that "anyone from eight months old through adulthood can learn to swim in as little as five days."

Infants in particular fascinate him; and his observations regarding how they comprehend water safety, which of course is his primary concern, are fascinating.

He explained, "Their first reaction is to defend themselves when they sense something is wrong, and instinctively they go to the wall. We teach them through conditioning and repetition. Infants are very smart--they know more than we think they do."

With adults, Little's first step simply is to talk with them, "because they are set in their ways, and talking helps them overcome fears and become conscious of bad habits acquired through the years."

It is only then that he introduces specific exercises, to help them glide across the pool. The idea is to "get them comfortable with themselves and me; otherwise they won't learn."

Little graduated from Florida State University with a degree in early childhood development, and teaches at St. Brendan's Elementary School in Westchester.

He is Red Cross certified in life saving, water safety instruction, first aid and CPR, and he has taught swimming to all age groups, including the physically and mentally handicapped. He also founded Love, Hope, Prosper, a non-profit organization to enrich the lives of children at risk or in need.

Tendrich is an FSU graduate whose degree is in physical education, and likewise holds the requisite series of Red Cross certifications, and as a Dade County public school teacher, he is a veteran of the county's "Learn to Swim" program.

Little and Tendrich have 20 years experience between them teaching swimming, and Little Swimmers is a member of the National Swim School Association.

Its 17 instructors are all Red Cross certified and are fluent in English and Spanish or French.

Little Swimmers is located at 6401 Kendall Lakes Drive where, on average, 600 students attend classes, which run from April through September, from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday, in its Olympic-size pool.
They can choose individual or group

lessons, from beginner through advanced. Skill levels include wader, splasher, jumper, crawler and swimmer, then continue all the way through survivor and racer. Specialized training is given in the crawl, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly, and "Mom and Me" sessions are offered for infants and toddlers. Adults can even join pre-fitness and fitness team programs.

One satisfied parent, Roxana Romero said, "Gerald started teaching my son at the age of three and within a week he was swimming on his own. My boy has been taking classes for two years now, and he's lucky to have such wonderful teachers."

For more information about either instruction at the Kendall campus or the current program at Doral Isles, call 305 383 SWIM.