Daniel Zylberberg
2010 Virginia Hunt Newman International Award Recipient

Daniel Zylberberg is a clinical psychologist in Paris, France. He works with children in a psychiatric hospital and teaches infant psychology at the Medical University of Paris XIII.

In the early 1980's he put his education and experience to the aquatic field by establishing an experimental babies swimming program. At the time in France there were few such programs or awareness of their benefits.  He conducted research focused on observing the natural and spontaneous behaviors in infants while participating in an aquatic classroom environment. With friends, doctors, teachers and students, programs were established at additional aquatic centers and were well received. 

Françoise Freedman
2009 Virginia Hunt Newman International Award Recipient

Françoise Freedman, with a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, has more than twenty years experience teaching and educating instructors in water babies programs from her London area home base. She founded and operates Birthlight - an organization focusing on a holistic approach to pregnancy, birth and babyhood that includes an original water babies program and a pre and postnatal aquanatal program.

Growing up as a competitive swimmer in the central region of France Françoise credits her coaches with instilling a drive for excellence without losing the fun of swimming. As a teen she spent summers teaching reluctant children and learned that gentle progressions got children happily relaxing and floating in preparation for more learning more advanced skills.

Later as a young fieldworker in Peruvian Amazonia, swimming was again a useful and natural activity – whether to dive down to catch fish in the streams that flow from the Andes or as a daily recreational treat for all children or for bathing. She saw older children teaching little tots to swim as part of looking after them as well as parents crossing rivers with babes on their backs. Francoise was very much in a natural water environment and thereby also observed the movements of pink dolphins, otters and other water creatures swimming with their young.

Returning to London to continue her education academically as well as aquatically, she set up a small group of families who were interested in ‘swimming with their babies’ and incorporated the gentle playful ways witnessed in the Amazon. The water sessions became the highlight of each week in Cambridge – Françoise then having children of her own. She states that Virginia Hunt Newman’s book Teaching an Infant to Swim was an early inspiration to teaching babies and young children.

The presentation of her first film ‘Water Parenting’ in 1995 launched the Birthlight approach to infant aquatics with a focus on affective communication between parents and babies in a water environment. The film conveyed the message that water could be conducive to an easier birth, in the water or not, and that it could also help parents bond with their babies at any time by finding ease together in the water.

Her video ‘Swimming with Babies’ came next and then her book ‘Water Babies’. Also working at the time as an academic medical anthropologist at Cambridge University Françoise says that her university colleagues were surprised to see a double page article on Birthlight baby swimming in the Times, and then on the front page of the Daily Mail – the leading UK newspapers.

Françoise continues to impart gentle ways through her Birthlight organization - making sure teachers always create a wave of warmth and a good time in the water for children and parents.

José Fontanelli
2008 Virginia Hunt Newman International Award Recipient

Swimming teacher José Fontanelli has a passion for baby swimming. And the word ‘affectionate’ describes his manner in having taught tens of thousands of young pupils over the past 40 years in his homeland of Sao Paulo, Brazil. ‘Fonta’ as he is called loves his babies!

Fontanelli uses research and techniques in a variety of disciplines to speed their development and enhance the comfort of students and their parents who accompany them in the pool.  

Research has shown that children in utero recognize different people outside the womb and their mother’s reaction to those people.  Applying this, Fontanelli was among the first in the world to extend the ‘starting time’ for a baby swimming to the pre-natal period – where expectant mothers come to the pool for movement and exercise experiences.  Mother benefits and at the same time becomes comfortable with the pool classroom and with the teacher. After baby is born the mother returns for ‘baby & parent’ classes, and mother is well at ease and can concentrate on baby and the class program.  

Research has shown that special difficulties during gestation and child birth are associated with future problems of socialization within children. Fontanelli asks mothers about their pregnancy and delivery to better know the child.

Both parents join baby in pre-natal and beginning classes at his Fontanelli Swim Club. Classes are relaxed.  It is not common for babies to be breast-fed during class again a blending natural ways within his aquatic classroom.  Laughter, song and activity are primary components.  The joy created makes learning to swim inevitable.

Fontanelli has authored the book Between Pleasure and Technique – focusing on aquatic development of babies and toddlers.  He has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles and is often a presenter at swim teacher conferences throughout Latin and South America. José has trained numerous teachers in his affectionate, child-centered, non-traumatic methods and has been the organizer of numerous educational conferences and training clinics on baby swimming and water exercise for pregnant mothers.

Yoko Yagishita
2007 Virginia Hunt Newman International Award Recipient

Yoko Yagishita exemplifies the spirit of the Virginia Hunt Newman Award and the pioneering, innovative spirit of Virginia herself. Both are little dynamos. Both share a special heart for babies. Both share the foresight, intelligence and conviction to foster teaching methods that allow the tiniest swimmers to grow and learn in their aquatic environment in tear free and positive lessons.

Yoko graduated with two college degrees, the first from Nihon University and the latter from Keio University. She is also a licensed Japan Counseling Association Psychological Counselor.

It was during baby swim classes that she realized what a wonderful experience it was to spend precious time with her son enjoying the water. So in 1980 Yoko was trained to become a baby swim teacher and received “Baby Swim Instructor “qualification from the Japan Swimming Club Association. In 1990 she was inspired by Virginia Hunt Newman at the World Aquatic Babies conference (WABC) in Tokyo. Yoko adopted a,”wait until the flower blooms” swimming program. In Japan, Yoko introduced her style of teaching in a joyous manner in a parent/child group class format, never forcing her tiny students to perform skills.

Furthering her credentials, Yoko again attended the WABC conference in Melbourne, Australia in 1995. Yoko was inspired by a video showing smiling babies, above and under the water. She was so moved that she eventually made 12 overseas trips to the United States to study, observe and absorb these gentle methods. During her first several years she studied; during the 8 remaining years she acted as a guest teacher in the United States.  To finance these two week learning journeys, Yoko worked all night long driving a delivery  truck etc. for an entire year, all this in addition to teaching her beloved baby students during the day.

According to Yoko, the Melbourne conference and her broadened perspective on baby swimming world wide changed her life completely. Having been able to reach Virginia Hunt Newman, the mother of baby swimming, and be exposed to those programs that considered the whole child started a new chapter of life for Yoko. She was a woman on a mission to be a part of something wonderful in the lives of children, their parents and in training gentle, patient teachers. Yoko began to realize her dreams. In America, Yoko, speaking only several words of English her first years, communicated with her smile, playfulness and gentle manner. Nothing could stop her, even a bout of cancer which she fought and survived with typical strength and an optimistic attitude. Her positive teaching techniques for babies, while also integrating special needs children into her classes, slowly began to spread to clubs and aquatic programs though-out Japan. She has combined the best of Western technique with Eastern to make a culture and community of  nurture, joy and fun for mothers, fathers and their babies.  

Today, Yoko has been featured in many Japanese media, including many mothering and baby magazines, such as “Akasugu” and NHK Educational Journal, as well as appearing on “Good Morning Japan”. Yoko now swims three days per week and practices yoga.

Yoko is opening baby swim programs for the Tipness group of sports clubs. She has revamped or begun baby swim programs in multiple locations in Tokyo, and in Nagoya, Osaka, Yokohama and Kanto.  She is scheduled to open a new program in the prestigious Tokyo National Gymnasium.  Yoko has trained over 500 teachers in Japan, creating positive shockwaves through-out the country with countless thousands of happy babies and their parents smiling in the water from coast to coast.

Terje Stakset
2006 Virginia Hunt Newman International Award Recipient

Selected for as the 2006 recipient for his commitment and being a wonderful example of Virginia Newman's gentle methods of teaching babies to swim, giving voice to those not yet able to speak for themselves.

Terje traveled from his home in Norway to receive the award in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the Swimming Hall of Fame's annual ceremonies, on May 12, 2006.

Terje, a graduate of the Business Academy of Oslo, is currently manager of the Norwegian Lifesaving Federation in Oslo and Baerum.  He has been an instructor in swimming and life saving for 27 years and a teacher of baby swimming for 15 years.  Moreover, he trains instructors in swimming, baby swimming, lifesaving, CPR and first aid and for 27 years he was the vice-president of the Norwegian Lifesaving Association.

In 1990 and 1991, his team won the Norwegian National Lifesaving Championship for male teams.  In 1992, he represented Norway in the World Championships in Sweden.

Terje's baby swim school is part of the Oslo and Baerum District of the Norwegian Lifesaving Association.  He has been an advocate of Virginia Hunt Newman's gentle approach to teaching babies to swim.  He has been an international speaker at Newman's World Aquatic Baby Congress conferences in France and Hawaii as well as a international conference in Helsinki, Finland.   In October 2004 he was Director for the Nordic Conference on Baby Swimming in Oslo.  In 2002 he produced a baby swim video "The Truthful Face of Baby Swim".  In April 2006 he completed a second DVD titled: "How to Teach Young Children to Swim."

Terje is a wonderful example of Virginia's gentle methods of teaching babies to swim, giving voice to those not yet able to speak for themselves.  Terje's leadership and commitment represent Virginia's philosophy not only in the pool as an instructor, but also in his conference presentations.  Through his use of poetry and unique theatrical acting when producing his one-man stage show, he "shows off" the evolution of the gentle baby swimming approach.  This ingenious production - entitled "Baby Swim Fro  the Very Start and Into the Future" pays tribute to Virginia, and follows her vision of using play and kindness, not force and tears to teach babies to swim.

Using a poetic verse to describe his feelings for Virginia's method of teaching Terje writes:

Virginia Hunt Newman was a Pioneer,

And She Made It Quite Clear,

Non-Forceful is the Only Way,

And in That Direction it Has to Stay,

Be Gentle from the Very Start,

If You're Going to be Smart.