Do you remember what age you started taking swimming lessons as a child? Were you scared of the water, or did you jump right in?! 

How about your kids? Have you thought about swimming lessons and water safety? Are you unsure about the best way to help them stay safe and be confident in the water? Now that summer is in full swing, odds are you have given some thought to your child’s swimming abilities.

The earlier you address a child’s skill in the water, the better: babies are naturals and are more comfortable in the water, and will learn new abilities easier. After all, we did spent our first nine months floating in the womb!

Maybe you’re thinking it’s time to help your child get a leg up in the swimming pool, lake, or pond. Even if your child is a little older, and your child seems frightened, it is oh-so-important that they understand water safety. Don’t push, get help.

That’s where Bea Skeens comes in. A Cuban-American, Bea grew up in Cuba and moved to the states at 14. She used her bilingual abilities to teach Spanish in high schools. During the summer, Bea would teach swimming lessons at both of the local YMCA facilities, as well as at her own pool. She helped small groups of children slowly and surely develop their skills. And she started strengthening her skills as a teacher.

It took five 5 years of videotaping her students, writing the script, and editing, but Bea finally created her bilingual DVD, Learn to Swim with Miss Bea (A Nadar con la Maestra Beatriz), aimed at helping families learn to swim outside of traditional swimming lessons.

Here to tell us more is Bea herself, please welcome Bea to the Spotlight!

Be the teacher for your child’s own swimming lessons

MCA: Hello Bea! Can you tell us about your motivation behind creating Learn to Swim with Miss Bea?
Bea: Unfortunately, traditional swimming lessons may not be enough to get your child swimming – they are costly and time consuming. I taught swimming lessons with several institutions and at my own pool for more than 30 summers, with more than 200 children in small group classes.

My Learn to Swim with Miss Bea (Vamos a Nadar con Maestra Beatriz) DVD includes my strategies and techniques for teaching babies and children how to swim, in both Spanish and English. I wanted to help parents develop their child’s swimming skills to the best of their ability before, during, and after they finished with swimming lessons. I want to share my knowledge and expertise with parents and other swim instructors to enhance swim programs, so that more children will be safe and love the water.

MCA: What an excellent way to encourage families to help children take learning new skills into their own hands! However we now it’s not always easy, so what was the biggest challenge for you? How did you overcome it?
Bea: As I made the Learn to Swim with Miss Bea DVD, my own swimming parents were my customers. I learned to make my own webpage but was told it was “not good enough”, so I found a relative who built me a fantastic page that I can manipulate myself!

I opened a merchant account and had to pay so many fees! Now I am with Paypal. Learn to Swim with Miss Bea has been on the market for seven years and has sold all over the world through my website and on Amazon.

Now that I am no longer teaching swimming, my biggest challenge is getting the word out about my DVD to parents and swimming instructors all over the world. I have started to sell on Amazon, started a swimming blog, a Facebook fan page, and joined LinkedIn.  My son-in-law wants me to open a twitter account…  That might be next.

I have a feeling that whatever comes next will be my biggest challenge!

MCA: How has the response been to Learn to Swim with Miss Bea? Is it what you hoped for?
Bea: This is the best response that I have received:  “Oh it’s a wonderful video! We just introduced young Wyatt (6 1/2 months old) to the water at the pool yesterday after watching the video and it went wonderfully! Thank you for this wonderful resource! You’re very thorough and clear; and I am highly encouraged and feel a lot safer about the whole infant in the water issue having seen it in action on your video as opposed to simply talk among other new moms.”

I want parents to feel empowered and confident when going to the pool with their baby for the first time.  I want parents who are having issues with their child in the pool to find the answers when they watch the DVD.

I want children to watch the DVD and say, “I can do it too!”

MCA: I feel confident just listening to you! What do you consider your most important contribution in helping families learning to swim together?
Bea: I would have to say that up to this point it has been connecting with Moms and Dads who are putting off swimming lessons because of cost or time restrictions.  I want parents to know that they can do it too!

We need to teach our children important life skills.  Not only can being able to swim save your life, but swimming is also a healthy lifestyle for today.

Ultimately, I would also like to lead swim instructors who have hopes to start their own business.  I can share all my expertise and skills to get them to be successful in teaching little ones how to swim. Now that I am not teaching myself, I have time to dedicate to others!

MCA: Those are excellent contributions! Now, if creating Learn to Swim with Miss Bea has changed your life in any way, please share it with us. 
Bea: When I was teaching public school, I taught swimming during the summers, but now that I am retired my work is to promote my DVD.  The more I find ways to promote and tell others about the DVD, the more I am convinced of the importance of getting my DVD to more parents and swim instructors.  I am searching for more ways to make it available all over the world.

MCA: That’s good! Looking ahead six months to a year, what’s next for you?
Bea: I look forward to “being famous” like my grandson says!  I want my DVD to be a part of a big anti-drowning initiative – I have the idea and the desire and it will happen!

I am continuing to learn and grow and the possibilities are endless!

Mom’s Choice Awards® Honors

Learn to Swim with Miss Bea
(Vamos a Nadar con Maestra Beatriz) DVD
by Bea Skeens
Viewing
Silver – Family/Parenting

Contact, Connect, and Network with Bea

The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature on the official Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on you and your award-winning, family-friendly products, services, and media.