About Susan

Hello, my name is Susan Willey, a certified Infant Aquatic Survival (IAS) Specialist, and the owner and instructor of Shoreline Infant Aquatics in Southwest Michigan. I graduated in 2003 with a degree in Business and Spanish, and settled down in Chicago with my husband of 10 years, Mike. I decided to leave my full time career and raise our children when my first child was born. We settled in a small lakeside community in Southwest Michigan with our three young children.

Growing up with an indoor pool and spending many years as a lifeguard, I’ve always had a love of the water. That carried into my adult years as I became an avid boater. We always knew we wanted our children to love and be around water all the time, but it wasn’t until I became a parent that I understood the importance of safety around the water. I have friends who lost their child, and others who have experienced close calls. As a mother myself, I couldn’t fathom that pain, and so began my passion for drowning prevention. When I realized there was nothing available to our charming Lake Michigan communities, who are surrounded by Lake Michigan, pools, and creeks - I knew I needed to do something. And that’s when I found Infant Aquatics. It was such a hard decision to leave my family at home, but I knew it was the best thing to do for my family, and my community.

I had the privilege of training with the best, Judy Heumann (founder of Infant Aquatics) and Kyla Heumann (Certifying Instructor) at their state-of-the-art Swim Float Swim school in Longmont, CO. With their educational background and years of experience dealing with the physics of swimming, they have developed and conduct the safest and most comprehensive baby swimming lessons possible. The course is extremely comprehensive with over 200 hours of in water hands on learning, as well as the integration of child psychology, child behavior, anatomy & physiology, sensory integration, and safety guidelines within lessons.

At Shoreline Infant Aquatics, your infant will learn breath control, to turn over onto his back, and perform the survival back float unassisted. Your toddler will learn to swim face down in the water, roll back to float, rest and breathe, and turn back over to continue to swim. The "swim-float-swim" method not only ensures your child knows how to react to real-life situations in the water, but also gives her the confidence to enjoy the water, safely.

Your child will learn to swim in weeks, not years, and develop a lifelong love of swimming. Infants (7-12 months) will have 10 minute lessons, Monday through Thursday for 4 weeks. Toddlers (Walking - 3 yrs) will have 10 minute lessons, Monday through Thursday, for 6 weeks. Older children (age 4-6), will have 20 minute lessons, Monday through Thursday, for 3 weeks.

I am beyond ecstatic to bring such an amazing, life-saving program to the families and children of my community and nearby lakeside towns. I look forward to teaching your child to swim independently, and to love and enjoy the water, safely!