01 | How long will it take my child to learn to swim?

Many factors can and will affect how long it takes your child to learn to swim. Because we give private lessons, it enables us to individualize the lesson allowing your child to progress at his or her own pace. Therefore, it is very difficult to determine exactly how long it will take your child to get through the course. A minimum of three weeks is required upon registration. This will be the least amount of time it will take your child to learn the skills. At that point you can decide whether or not to do one more additional week.

02 | When will he stop crying?

As parents in this program, We remember asking the same question. It is entirely normal for you to be concerned about your child’s emotional well-being. We have been specifically trained in this area of child behaviorism to analyze the different cries of your children.

1. Crying BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE LESSON indicates that the student is truly afraid of the entire situation. We would then slow down the pace and make changes until the crying subsided.
2. Crying JUST BEFORE AND DURING THE LESSON indicates the student does not want to separate from the parent or associates the lesson with hard work. If it were “water fear”, the cry would continue throughout the lesson and after. In some circumstances, we would speed up the pace of the lesson giving the student less time to hear himself cry.
3. Crying DURING AND AFTER THE LESSON indicates the student may have been introduced to a new skill that he is not comfortable with. Once the skill has been mastered, the crying will stop. The student that cries after the lesson only may want to stay in the water to perform for the crowd. We would then introduce more complex skills or work a bit harder.

We have come to expect some degree of crying. Although this can be very hard on parents, please TRY NOT TO REINFORCE THIS BEHAVIOR. Your child will feed off of how YOU respond to the lessons. If he feels any anxiety from you, he will hold onto the tears a little longer. If you are having those feelings, please mask them. Our favorite things for parents to do are stay completely positive through out the lessons and tell the child what they saw them do (i.e. “I saw you look down at the flipper” OR “Good job getting the wall” etc.). You will not only be keeping it POSITIVE but, you will be telling him that you are watching and you approve and support what you see. THIS, MORE THAN ANYTHING WE CAN DO, WILL HELP YOUR CHILD overcome his reason for crying.

03 | How can I help my child before and after lessons?

A. EATING - Be sure your child does not eat for at least an hour, preferably two hours, before swim lessons to avoid vomiting.

B. SLEEP AND ILLNESS - Please try to maintain a regular daily routine for your child during lessons, including regular bedtime and nap schedules. It is important that you DO NOT bring them if he or she is running a fever, or has shown other signs of illness.

C. EARS - Do not put anything into your child’s ears unless directed to do so by your physician. The stimulation caused by drops or swabs can increase the production of wax. If your child has TUBES in his ears, please bring it to our attention.

04 | Clothing?

If your child is not yet toilet trained, it will be necessary for them to wear a swim diaper or plastic pants (no real diaper) underneath the swimming suit.

When your child has learned the skills we teach for survival, we have the option of bringing him into the water in clothing. It is wise to help them feel the effects of clothing in the water, in case they find themselves in this situation.

05 | How and when to pay?

There is a one-time registration fee of $25.00.

Payment via CASH - $60 per week*

Payment via CHECK or VENMO - $64 per week*

You are required to register for no less than three weeks, in which payment for the full three weeks will be expected at the time of your child’s first lesson by cash, check (to KidsCanSwim), or Venmo (@kidscanswim). After the first three weeks, payments can be made week-by-week.

*Note: Tuition is subject to change due to change in pool rental fees, etc.

06 | Refunds?

Once you begin lessons, paid tuition is non-refundable. These funds would, however, stay on your account and you could use them for future lessons, as needed. The reason for this policy is the fact that the first few weeks of training are a very critical time of adaptation to a new environment, instructor, and technique for you and your child. It can be a time of very low self-confidence in the water because the child has not had time to perfect his skills in the aquatic environment. If the child’s lessons are terminated during this time, the last thing he will remember about the water is the lack of confidence in and around the water. Therefore, make sure this program is for you (we feel it is for every child). Stay with it and support your child in every way you can until he has acquired the skill level you want him to have in the water.

07 | Make-up lessons?

We do not offer make up lessons. However, if you know your child is going to be ill for some time or you are planning a vacation, you may give up your time and go onto a first priority waiting list. As soon as you are ready to come back into lessons, let us know and we will offer you the next available time slot. If your child is ill for a day or so, give us a call, text or email BEFORE your scheduled time, and you will not be charged for the lesson.

If you have paid for the required 3 weeks and miss a day, the amount for that lesson will be added as a credit to your account. You can use that credit towards another child's lesson, a brush-up week, or a once-a-week lesson.

08 | Why brush-up lessons?

It has been proven that children will retain a very high percentage of the skills they learn in this program. Because of time away from the water and body changes as their body grows, it can cause a loss of confidence. Without confidence, they will not be able to apply the skills that they have learned. By having a few brush-up lessons, they can sharpen the skills that were learned last season, while at the same time build their confidence back to a comfortable level.

09 | Why 10-minute lessons?

A. There is a serious condition called Hyponatremia or better known as “Water Intoxication.” In simple terms, it means that either too much water has been taken into the body or not enough released, therefore, diluting the sodium content in the bloodstream. The victim may experience shiny skin, blue lips and nails, clammy skin, coolness, headache, confusion, seizures and coma. When children get fatigued, they can actually start drinking water. This is one of the reasons we teach a maximum of 10 minutes, using a fatigue check periodically throughout the lesson, preventing any chance for problems. ALSO PLEASE INFORM US AS TO ANY CHANGES IN DIET, SLEEP, BOWEL MOVEMENTS OR URINATION. These can show other indications of fatigue or overworking.

B. We are sure you are well aware of the length of your child’s attention span. We want your child to get out of the water at the peak of his learning ability. If taken past this, they can actually lose some of their skills and practice them wrong due to fatigue. This method of teaching is very effective and is an efficient way to teach your child any skill.

C. We have found that they are usually physically and mentally ready to get out at the end of their ten minutes.

10 | What is my part in the lessons?

A. Safety, before and after lessons, is your responsibility. The pool owners, Mindee and Pam assume NO responsibility for the safety of your children, your visitors, and/or you. Watch your children and remember you enter the pool-owners property at your own risk. It is your responsibility to inform your visitors of the rules.

B. Our safety policy requires that you bring your child to the pool edge and hold onto him or her until we have them for their lesson. Then, we will release them back into your arms at the end of their lesson. This is to avoid a possible accident at the pool edge. No child will be allowed in the pool for any reason, except for the lesson. Before and after the lessons, your child is your responsibility.

C. We appreciate you being involved in the lessons by clapping and letting your child know you are pleased with their “hard work.” You will better help your child learn if you clap (or reinforce verbally) only when you see us verbally praising your child. This will help avoid confusing your child. Sometimes what we are looking for during lessons is different from what might look good to you as a parent. If we, together, show approval for the same things, it will help your child feel successful and increase your child’s chances of correct swimming behavior.

D. We understand that you may need to bring younger children with you to the pool. We love the added encouragement siblings can provide! HOWEVER, please keep siblings away from the edge of the pool. While instructing, we want to focus our full attention on our student. For the safety of all involved, we encourage children to be sitting in the chairs on the side of the pool or buckled into a stroller.

E. Your attitude as a parent makes a difference. We will teach the in-water skills, you will teach the attitude toward the lessons, swimming, water, how to meet challenges, and dealing with new situations. Try not to reinforce the negative. (i.e. “It’s almost over, stop crying” or “I know it’s hard”). Reinforce the positive by telling him the things you saw him do correctly. (i.e. “Yes, but I saw you float, pick up a ring, or get the wall.”) Please understand the impact you have with everything you do and say, before during and after the lessons. By keeping your statements positive he will soon do positive things for your attention.

11 | What do we do when I take my child to the pool?

First of all… NO AMOUNT OF SWIMMING LESSONS CAN REPLACE DILIGENT SUPERVISION FROM A PARENT!!

We wish we could guarantee a safe summer for you after these lessons. Truth of the matter is, we never know what they will do in a panic situation. Our hope is that they will be confident and well practiced enough that they would respond with the skills they have been taught. Please watch your children diligently, If they do have a slip off the step, or fall in and don’t respond correctly, a wise thing to do is not panic yourself and help them use their skills by rolling them to their back or pushing them to a wall to grab.

We recommend not wearing flotation devices of any kind, BUT ultimately we want your child to be safe. If you feel you cannot watch them sufficiently, a life jacket is a better option than armbands or floaties. Be aware that when a child wears a flotation device, it is contradicting the body position that we are working on during lessons, and will make it more difficult for them to use their skills correctly.

Let your child initiate what he wants to do at the pool. Be aware that some things are going to feel different to him – water temperature may be cooler, sunshine in their eyes while floating on their back can be a surprise and more movement in the water can feel strange. Be patient and help them until they gain their confidence in the new situation.

When your child wants to jump in or swim off the step, we recommend that you have them roll to their back before picking them up or swim to a wall, even if you have to do all the work to get them there. Sometimes, with great intentions, we teach our children that the water is a safe place by picking them up without letting them take care of themselves. By allowing them to roll to their back or swim to the wall, we hope that it will become a habit if they ever actually fall in.

Most of all HAVE FUN!! Your time with them does not need to be a lesson. They have been working hard with us, now they need to play and enjoy!!