Hello! My name is Jennifer Golde
and for over 20 years I have had the privilege of teaching hundreds of students throughout the San Fernando Valley. As a swim instructor I have had experience teaching ages 6 months to 60 years old how to love, appreciate, and confidently swim in the water. I maintain a YMCA Aquatic Safety Assistant certificate, PADI Open Water Dive certification, and am both First Aid and CPR certified. But most importantly, I love teaching!
My personal love of the water started when I was 6 months old while taking swim lessons in a warm private pool with one-on-one instruction. Consequently, I have been in love with the water ever since. The reason I teach swimming today, and the foundation of how I set up my swim program, is the result of my early and wonderful memories of those fun summers in the water.
Before I became a swim instructor I was fortunate enough to have been a teacher at The Magic Years Nursery School where I first learned how important it is to validate and honor the individual needs of each child. Since creating Water Otters Swim School in 1999, I have developed my own unique style and philosophy of how to best meet the needs of each of my students. My child centered teaching philosophy is derived from a combination of working with the many seasoned teachers at the Magic Years, absorbing information in countless child development and parenting books, attending attachment theory conferences, as well as completing UCLA’s Basic Core Certificate Program in Early Childhood Education.
For me, teaching swimming is the perfect way to combine my love of the water, enthusiasm for child development and passion for teaching. Because of this dynamic combination Water Otters Swim School has become more than just a successful child centered swimming instruction business, but the first step in a life-long appreciation of water safety and water enjoyment for hundreds of students.
