• Subscribe
  • E-Newsletter
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Login
Campus Rec Magazine
  • Sections
    • Columns
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • CR Base Camp
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
  • Sections
    • Columns
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • CR Base Camp
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
Campus Rec Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Programming Aquatics

Keys to Running a Successful Aquatic Certification Program

Emily Harbourne by Emily Harbourne
October 13, 2015
in Aquatics, Education, News
0
Keys to Running a Successful Aquatic Certification Program
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

Let’s be honest. We are always looking for ways to make a little extra revenue. A perfect option for gaining extra spending money, while optimizing usage of your aquatics facility, is through hosting various certification courses.

At the University of Northern Iowa, the recreation department hosts a variety of Red Cross certification courses, such as Water Safety Instruction, CPR, First Aid and even a few youth programs like babysitting and junior lifeguarding.

Certification courses are open to everyone in the community, both on campus and off. According to Rachel Cook, the aquatics and certifications coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa, students who want to participate in the course receive a discount.

Student aquatics staff that already work at the UNI Recreation Center lead the courses. “I have about 10 instructors that take a lifeguard instructor course and then they are eligible to teach these classes for us,” explained Cook. “If it is a Water Safety Instruction class or a certain LGI class then it would be myself or our professor in academics who teaches the class.”

Lifeguarding can seem like an appealing job to a high school or college student. Sitting out at the pool, while getting a tan, sounds great and according to Cook, this has been one of the biggest challenges when running the program. “We have a handful of highschoolers who take the courses. They are 15 and they want to get their first job,” added Cook. “They think it is sitting out there getting a tan, so a big challenge is to train those lifeguards that it is more than that. Kids don’t necessarily realize what it takes to be a lifeguard.”

In order to market the program, the in spring they send out brochures and information to all high schools and city pools within a 100-mile radius from the university, which helps get the word out.

While running a certifications program poses it challenges, Cook offers a few pieces of advice. Firstly, take advantage of your student staff. Get them properly trained so they can teach the course. “I know some recreation centers where the person in my position is the only person who is trained to teach classes, but it is a really great experience for the student instructors because they can learn about customer service, public speaking, how to run a class and things like that.”

Lastly, choose the right certification program. UNI uses the Red Cross, which Cook explained has been a great experience. “Each region has their own Red Cross Representative and ours has been a great help,” said Cook. “She helps with whatever class we are having issues with or if we have questions she is there to help.”

Stay up to date on industry trends, best practices, news and more.

Previous Post

Striving To Be The Best

Next Post

Improving Academic Performance Through Recreation

Emily Harbourne

Emily Harbourne

Emily Harbourne was a previous editor for Campus Rec Magazine.

Related Posts

Aquatics Amenities
Aquatics

Designing Aquatics Amenities to Connect with More Students

July 8, 2025
2025 Campus Rec Summit
Education

Real Talk, Real Tactics: Top Themes and Lessons from the 2025 Campus Rec Summit

June 12, 2025
difficult conversations
Columns

6 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations

May 20, 2025
2025 Summit
Columns

The 2025 Summit is Around the Corner — and 2026 Should be on Your Radar

May 6, 2025
hands-on swim program
Aquatics

UNCW Campus Rec Tackles Water Safety Inequity with Hands-on Swim Program

April 3, 2025
Binghamton University Starts Facility Renovation to Add More Space and Opportunity for Recreation
Facility Development

Binghamton University Starts Facility Renovation to Add More Space and Opportunity for Recreation

January 23, 2025
Next Post
Improving Academic Performance Through Recreation

Improving Academic Performance Through Recreation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Updates in your inbox

Stay up to date on industry trends, best practices, news and more.

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn
Campus Rec Logo

The premier business resource for college and university recreation centers.

The Current Issue

July/August 2025

July/August 2025

Browse

  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • E-Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

© 2025 Campus Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Sections
    • Columns
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • CR Base Camp
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Buyer’s Guide

© 2025 Campus Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.