Where and when is JAAR Program held?

The Late Fall session, otherwise referred to as "Session 5", for JAAR Program is being held at the EVEN Hotel in Eugene, Oregon. The hotel's address is as follows:
EVEN Hotel 2133 Centennial Plaza, Eugene, OR 97401. 

The pool is located on the first floor, and the door will be opened in-between lessons by an available instructor. Please know we hear your knocks but must finish our current lesson prior to answering the door.

Eryn and Alix will each teach three private lessons in a row on most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to account for holiday pool closures. Alix and Eryn have slightly differing schedules, so although they will mostly teach together, please double-check the dates below to ensure you follow your child's instructor's schedule. All lessons are held from 4:20pm-6:20pm. Children are in the water receiving 1:1 instruction from 4:20pm-4:50pm, 5:00pm-5:30pm, or 5:40pm-6:10pm.

We allow 10 minutes of transition time between lessons and departure. Typically, participants spend 5 minutes in the hot tub, and then have 5 minutes to rinse off in the shower before changing to go home. The JAAR staff is only liable for your child during their 30-minute private lesson. Please watch your child while they are in the jacuzzi!

Exact Dates for JAAR Program Session 5 (Alix's Lessons): 

- Week 1: November 7, November 8, & November 10

- Week 2: November 14, November 15, & November 17

- Week 3: November 21 & November 22 (Happy Holidays!)

- Week 4: November 28, November 29, & December 1
- Week 5: December 5 & December 6, & December 8 (due to 11/21 illness).

Exact Dates for JAAR Program Session 5 (Eryn's Lessons):
- Week 1: November 7 & November 8

- Week 2: November 14, November 15, & November 17

- Week 3: November 20 & November 21 (Happy Holidays!)

- Week 4: November 28, November 29, & November 30
- Week 5: December 5, December 6, & (December 7 is a pre-planned make-up day that will occur if an instructor cancels due to illness or absence.)

Currently, JAAR Program provides free, private water-safety lessons to children who are between the ages of 3-18*. All participants** must experience neurodiversity (physically, mentally, or both) that results in either a medical and/or school diagnoses. Children in the foster care system are also welcome to apply.
*Any participant, who is not yet toileting, must use the appropriate swimming diapers. Additionally, a parent or guardian must be present to change diapers.

** Please note that you should receive a letter of confirmation from us within 1-2 days of filling out the online form on the "Contact Us" page. In the interest of fairness, and the promotion of mental fitness, your child will be taught with a group of similarly aged peers whenever possible. We strive to create natural friend groups while maintaining the order of the waiting list.

JAAR Program is working hard to expand and reach more demographics of children. We plan to specifically reach out to BIPOC+ and LGBTQ+ folks when we re-start in January 2024.

Our goals for children who take lessons through JAAR Program are for them to learn:

- how to stay safe when near water and when in water. 

- basic aquatic survival skills.

- concepts of a beginner's freestyle stroke.

- self-sufficiency in the water.

- how safe adults interact respectfully with children, peers, and other adults.

- some of the skills that go into making friends.

- that they are uniquely important, deserving of kindness and equity, able learn and gain new skills, full of individual strengths, allowed to respectfully take pride in their accomplishments, and to have confidence in their wonderful selves!
*We have the utmost respect for parents and guardians. If you have a specific goal for your child that is not listed here, please email us prior to your child's first lesson.

At JAAR Program, every child has private lessons with the same instructor for the duration of their session. Due to this set-up, we are able to meet each participant where they are skill-wise and can teach them in their preferred manner. Children with previous aquatic experience will have the opportunity to develop and refine swimming techniques in all four strokes and flip-turns. Respectful yet fun interactions with instructors, and synergy with similarly aged peers, are all geared towards increasing the mental fitness and resiliency of participants.

JAAR Program is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit. We do not require any families to pay for their participant's lessons or equipment. However, we are mindful about wanting JAAR to become a permanent part of the Eugene/Springfield area. As a new nonprofit, we are working hard to write and win grants in addition to forming partnerships within the community we love. To continue running, while waiting for established and enduring funding, we do count on your donations. Please keep your socioeconomic status in mind and approach the program as if it runs on a sliding scale.

Thank you, in advance, for your life-saving donations, which can be made through PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ZHYHTM5MNJW8C
Venmo: @JAARProgram
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/JAAR-WaitingListAndEvents.   

*Please keep in mind that it costs the JAAR Team $300 to teach each child who goes through our program. We know that is not an affordable amount for all families, but every size donation makes a difference. The money goes straight to our participants, their lessons, and their equipment. 

For those who wonder about the cost, please read more below:

• Comparatively, JAAR Program, even at the highest end of full price, $300, is the cheapest set of lessons to gift a child. $300 not only buys 40 minutes of instructor time twice a week for six weeks, but also covers the cost of all equipment. The 40 minutes is broken down into:
• 30 minutes of a private 1:1 water-safety swim lesson taught by an established adult, 21 years old or older, who not only has substantial experience working within the disability community, but also has competed either for their high school swim team and/or their collegiate swim team. After the lesson, 5 minutes are spent relaxing in the hot tub, and then participants have 5 minutes to rinse off in the shower and head home.
• The equipment is all top-notch and can be worn for lessons but could also be worn for competitions. The swimsuits, caps, goggles, nose plugs, and ear plugs are all from Nike, TYR, Speedo, and other high-profile companies.

The next closest program, in terms of pricing, offers 12 private half-hour swimming lessons for either $300 or $360. Those prices are set as thirty minutes of instruction (times twelve). They do not include, nor do they offer, transition time in a hot tub, any personal equipment, or an instructor who is guaranteed to have experience working with a vast array of children within the disability community.