About Courtney

Hello, parents and families! My name is Courtney Stanley and I am a certified Infant Aquatics Instructor based out of Marble Falls, TX. It is my passion and commitment to teach children water safety skills at a young age they can use while in and around water.

Even prior to being an adult, I have always volunteered, taught, or have served babies and children of my community in various capacities. Prior to children of my own, I taught public school and went on to obtain a Master of Science in counseling to further work with children and families in a clinical setting. After having my own family, however, my plans changed: I wanted to be a stay at home mom. With my family's enjoyment of the outdoors and water activities, I knew water safety for my family would be of the utmost importance. With only one child at the time, I enrolled my son in a baby "swim" class. Although it was enjoyable, my son had no survival skills should a perilous situation ever present itself. I quickly sought out Infant Aquatic instructors in my area; there were none at the time. I decided to commit to serving my community by obtaining Infant Aquatics certification to not only teach my son and future children, but the children of my community and surrounding area.

I traveled to Dallas to obtain Infant Aquatics certification training under the experienced leadership of Bev Steinfink, RN. I had 100+ hours of training in-water, along with child development, psychology, and physiology classes. I also enjoyed partnering with parents and families to ensure children have the necessary skills not only for safety and survival, but also to lay a foundation for future enjoyment of water activities.

People often question whether babies can really learn to swim and float. Yes---babies and children, even those with special needs, can do it! It truly is amazing how we are innately created to survive and enjoy the water; however, in order to succeed, infants and children need a knowledgable professional to guide them in a one on one, safe manner. As with any skill, repetition and practice are important for mastery, and a commitment is necessary for success. Lessons start from the basic skills of holding one's breath, to proper kicking and alignment of the body, to floating, and then culminating to floating on one's back to obtain air. All of this is done with the close scaffolding and guidance of me, the IA instructor, and eventually, the baby/child can complete these skills unassisted, which truly is an amazing sight when it happens for the very first time! It is also exciting to see how these skills--when mastered--build confidence in each baby/child and also assist with physical coordination and fitness.

Drowning is a true risk for those with children and grandchildren; it is unfortunate how quickly children can be in danger's way if they do not know water safety skills. Infant Aquatics can provide practical safety measures and skills for children as young as 6 months of age. At the culmination of lessons, I utilize various water simulations for each child, with plenty of encouragement and smiles, to further ensure a baby or child would know what to do should a perilous situation ever occur.

I would appreciate the opportunity to partner with you and your child to teach them the skills that can be learned through the incredible program that is Infant Aquatics.