Where and when is JAAR Program held?
Our Fall 2024 water-safety swim lessons are being held at the EVEN Hotel in Eugene, Oregon. The hotel's address is as follows: EVEN Hotel 2133 Centennial Plaza, Eugene.
The pool is located on the first floor, and the door will be opened in-between lessons by an available instructor. We keep it locked during lessons to ensure that only JAAR participants, and guests of the EVEN Hotel, have access to the pool. Please know we hear your knocks but must finish our current lesson prior to answering the door.
JAAR Program is re-starting water-safety swim lessons the week of October 15th!
"Session 13" will have its first lesson on Wednesday, October 16th and then continue on Mondays and Wednesdays (along with two Fridays due to Federal Holidays on Mondays) through November 20th. The potential Make-Up Day due to any Instructor Missed Class is November 25th.
"Session 14" will have its first lesson on Tuesday, October 15th and then continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays through November 21st. The potential Make-Up Day due to any Instructor Missed Class is November 26th.
Sessions 13 & 14 will run concurrently, such that 12 children have the opportunity to gain water-safety skills prior to Thanksgiving. For six weeks, Alix and Aria will each teach three private lessons in a row Monday through Thursday. That means that each group of participants ("Session 13" on M/W and "Session 14" on T/R) has access to two, individualized, 1:1, water-safety swim lessons per week. In total, all 12 participants will receive 12 private lessons prior to Thanksgiving break.
The schedule is set on our end, so if your child is on our waiting list, we have sent you an email regarding their participation in our Fall 2024 lessons. The email contains a survey for you to answer regarding days and times of water-safety swim classes along with your family's availability. As you look at the scheduling choices, please ensure that your child can attend a minimum of 10 lessons before saying "yes" to the session. If your child cannot come to 10 of the 12 classes, we will put them back on our waiting list until a session better lines up with their schedule.
All fall lessons will be held from 4:30pm-6:30pm. Children will be in the water receiving 1:1 instruction from 4:30pm-5:00pm, 5:10pm-5:40pm, or 5:50pm-6:20pm. JAAR Program allows for 10 minutes of transition time between lessons and departure. Typically, participants, who are a minimum of 5 years old, spend 5 minutes in the hot tub after their water-safety lesson (if it is not in use by hotel guests AND if a parent/guardian is actively watching their child). Then, they have 5 minutes to rinse off in the shower before changing to go home. We ask that you keep the 40-minute timeframe in mind by doing your best to leave before the next lessons start. We know it will not always be possible, but do appreciate your efforts.
*Please note that the JAAR aquatic staff is only liable for your child during their 30-minute lesson in the pool. If you allow your child to enter the jacuzzi, regardless of their age, you must ensure that (i) it is empty of hotel guests and (ii) that you watch your child for the entirety of their time in the hot tub.
What are the exact dates of Fall 2024 water-safety swim lessons?
Session 13 (Monday/Wednesday Group):
Day 1: October 16th
Day 2: Friday, October 18th (Makeup class due to Columbus Day, which is on Monday, October 14th.)
Day 3: October 21st
Day 4: October 23rd
Day 5: October 28th
Day 6: October 30th
Day 7: November 4th
Day 8: November 6th
Day 9: November 13th
Day 10: Friday, November 15th (Makeup class due to Veteran's Day, which is on Monday, November 11th.)
Day 11: November 18th
Day 12: November 20th
Potential Date for Instructor Missed Class: November 25th
Session 14 (Tuesday/Thursday Group):
Day 1: October 15th
Day 2: October 17th
Day 3: October 22nd
Day 4: October 24th
Day 5: October 29th
Day 6: October 31st
Day 7: November 5th
Day 8: November 7th
Day 9: November 12th
Day 10: November 14th
Day 11: November 19th
Day 12: November 21st
Potential Date for Instructor Missed Class: November 26th
When is the next session of JAAR Program?
JAAR will begin a combination series of water-safety swim lessons with 12 children in the middle of October. One group ("Session 13") has lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays. The other group ("Session 14") has lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The JAAR aquatic staff, in partnership with the EVEN Hotel, will likely hold a condensed Session 15 in late November and early December. Based on the various school and holiday schedules, we will most likely schedule Session 15 to have lessons taught 3 times a week for 4 weeks. That way, we can maximize the number of children who receive 12 private water-safety swim lessons prior to the start of the New Year.
Fall water-safety lessons will always be held from 4:30pm-6:30pm. Once your child has a time slot, it will remain the same for all of their lessons.
JAAR Program has taught over 70 children at no-cost to their families. As we move forward, we must continue providing participants with equipment and have novel learning materials. All donations make a difference as we run on the generosity of this community. Please consider making a donation and helping us to end drownings!
Who is eligible?
Currently, JAAR Program provides free, individualized, 1:1, 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 will receive a letter of confirmation from us within 1-2 business 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. Please check your spam folders if you do not see this email, and then add hello@jaarprogram.org to your email list.
JAAR Program is working hard to expand and reach different demographics of at-risk youth. When this is possible, we will make public announcements on social platforms.
How long are water-safety swim lessons?
Most sessions of water-safety swim lessons are six-weeks long with instruction occurring twice a week. However, to maximize instructor time, pool space, and number of participants, JAAR Program does occasionally offer four-week sessions with lessons happening three times per week. Thus far, our data does not show a statistically significant difference in the number of skills learned based on a 4-week versus 6-week program. Rather, it is attending at least 10 of the 12 offered lessons that seems to hold significance in terms of the number of swim skills participants learn.
Water-safety lessons are 40 minutes long. Participants are taught for 30 minutes in the pool, and then have 10 minutes of transition time that can include 5 minutes in the hot tub. The jacuzzi may be used by children who are at least 5 years old if (i) a parent or guardian is able to supervise AND (ii) the hot tub is not in use by hotel guests. The JAAR Team cannot watch, and is not responsible for, participants while they are in the jacuzzi. If, for any reason, you are unable to supervise your child in the hot tub, please ensure they do not enter. The hot tub must be empty for JAAR participants to utilize it; if a hotel guest enters, participants must immediately get out of the jacuzzi.
The pool, and hot tub, are only available to JAAR participants and JAAR aquatic staff.
The EVEN Hotel is incredibly generous with its gifted pool time, so we do ask that all families respect the 40 minutes allotted for their child's water safety classes.
What do participants gain from going through JAAR Program?
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.
What health and safety standards do you enforce?
Health: The JAAR staff is maintaining some safety protocols from the COVID era to remain as healthy as possible. We have one group of swimmers that work with Aria and a group taught by Alix, which remains the same for six weeks. Both instructors are fully vaccinated and keep up-to-date with seasonal flu shots, COVID boosters as they are released, and any other doctor-recommended injections and/or treatments. Participants are not required to have any specific vaccinations, but we do ask you to consider taking precautions knowing that at least one person with whom your child will interact is immunocompromised. Please wait at least 24 hours after your child has had a fever or other contagious illness, to bring them back to lessons.
Safety: JAAR Program strives to be as inclusive as possible. For that reason, we will do our best to include children who display either aggressive behaviors towards others and/or exhibit self-injurious behaviors. If your child, or foster child, does engage in any type of physically-challenging behaviors, the JAAR Team requires that you send us their Behavior Support Plan (BSP) at least two weeks prior to the start of lessons.
Also, the pool door remains closed for your child's safety. It allows us to maintain control, while teaching, over who enters the pool. This ensures only JAAR Program participants, and hotel guests with proper keys, can access the pool deck.
Instructors remain safe on the pool deck and in the pool to set the standard for behavior. We will teach your children how to act safely both in and around different bodies of water (e.g., "Would you like to walk, march, or stomp towards the pool?").
How much money does JAAR Program cost?
It costs the JAAR Team $300 (excluding all equipment costs) to teach each child who goes through our program. However, JAAR Program is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit and we do not require any family to pay for their participant's lessons or for their ~$30 of personal equipment. We know that paying $300 is not affordable for all families; however, every donation does have a huge, positive impact on not just the present, but also the future of JAAR Program. All donations go straight to our participants, their lessons, personal equipment, shared toys, and instructor supplies.
The JAAR Aquatic Team and the JAAR Board of Directors are mindful about wanting JAAR Program to become a permanent part of the Eugene/Springfield community. 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 teaching lessons, while waiting for established and enduring funding, WE ARE RUNNING ON DONATIONS.
As a participating family, please keep your socioeconomic status in mind and approach JAAR Program as if it were operating on a sliding scale.
Thank you, in advance, for your life-saving donations, which can be made through:
1) By clicking the buttons to donate on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JAARProgram/
2) By check, made out to JAAR Program and mailed to:
Allison Jordan 3095 Kincaid St., Eugene OR 97405
3) By Venmo, donating to @JAARProgram
4) By GoFundMe at the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/JAAR-WaitingListAndEvents
5) By one-time PayPal donation in any amount to: jaarprogram19@gmail.com
6) By recurring PayPal donation at the following link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/...
For those who wonder about the $300 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 (if it available), 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 (oftentimes 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.
I need more information!
If you want to learn more about our program to see if it would be the right fit for your child, please feel free to call us at (541) 852-2997. We have our hours of availability listed on Facebook and will return any calls received after 6pm, or on the weekends, the following business day. Please feel free to leave confidential voicemails on that line.
If there is a child in your life who you believe would benefit from our lessons, please sign them up for our waiting list. This can be accomplished by clicking the button under two questions on this page: "When is the next session of JAAR Program?" or "Who is eligible?". Alternatively, click the "Contact Us" tab and answer the ten listed questions.
If you are interested in volunteering or in joining the Board of Directors for JAAR Program, please email hello@jaarprogram.org.