Frequently Asked Questions
Have a more specific question? Chat in with our chat widget or call or text us at 256-445-8646.
Why take lessons and how long will it take to learn?
We teach toward the goal of every person becoming as safe as they can be in the water. Having experience with swim skills and using them correctly can save a life.
We believe swim lessons, especially year-round lessons, give people the consistency they need for swim success. Our lessons also work well with your schedule because they occur at a predictable time every week, and you can adjust that anytime based on your schedule and what we have available. Simply check out our schedule or chat in with us to see what’s open!
Learning to swim is a lot like learning a language. You learn a little at a time, week by week. At first, you need basic skills, and once those are mastered, more complex skills can be introduced. We start with introduction to the water, progress to face in the water, floating, propelling, air exchange, and then strokes. These more complex skills take the basic skills to work, so they take time to learn. Everyone learns at their own pace, and everyone takes a different amount of time based on natural ability, willingness, strength, stamina, and interest. On average, it takes a beginner several years to learn, starting from complete novice to comfortable and independent in the deep end. Our goal is to give our clients the opportunity to master the skills of independence in the water.
Getting Started with Lessons
Our year-round classes can start anytime! Our summer-only sessions have certain registration deadlines. Find classes that fit your schedule by chatting in or checking out our lesson pages!
For our year-round lessons, class runs continually until you withdraw. We love watching our students progress all year! Summer-only classes have certain registration deadlines that are posted on the summer lessons page!
Year-round lessons are once weekly for 30 minutes. Our two-week Summer Session lessons meet twice weekly (you can find this year’s info on the summer lessons page). Weekly regularity helps students retain information and gain consistency in their skills over time and leads to excellent retention.
Year-round lessons are once weekly, so some months have 5 weeks and hence 5 lessons, and some months have 4 weeks, hence 4 lessons. We have no additional charge when there are 5 lessons in a month, and no discount when there are three.
Note: Our TWO-WEEK SUMMER SESSIONS often have class twice weekly, so check the Summer Session pages for this year’s info!
A swimsuit designed for swimming, goggles, and a cap (cap optional). Please avoid wearing regular clothing in the pool, including sports shorts, diapers, cutoffs, or underwear. Females should wear coverage on the top, regardless of age.
Swimwear should be comfortable and close fitting, but avoid too much or loose clothing like swim shirts and long shorts, which tend to weigh swimmers down, making it harder for them to swim.
Withdrawing From Lessons
To withdraw from year-round lessons, click the Contact tab at the top of this webpage and select Withdraw. We require withdrawals by the 15th of each month so that we can plan our next month’s work.
Note: There is no need to withdraw from SUMMER SESSIONS because they have fixed start and end dates.
While we can’t guarantee that we can match availability, we always do our best to work with your schedule and accommodate everyone as much as we can.
Changing Class Times or Instructors
We try to take everyone’s requests into account and accommodate the best we can. We know that everyone works well with different learning and teaching styles, and rest assured we’ll do our best to ensure you’re happy with the instructor you have.
At times, our instructors need to change lesson times or move on to other great things. However, all of our instructors are kind, delightful, and ready to teach each swimmer well. If your favorite instructor moves on or changes times, we will contact you and help you select a new instructor or time.
You can request to change your lesson day or time by logging into the Parent portal and picking the class you’d rather have. Register in for that class just as you originally did, and make a note in the comments that you’d like to transfer to this class. Once we receive the registration notification, we will send you a confirmation about the new class and details for the first lesson at the NEW time.
Billing
Yes! Tuition for year-round classes is pro-rated for the exact week you start, in order to ensure that you’re not overcharged.
Registering Multiple Students or Families
Our classes DO allow more than one student in your class. However, the registration software has a setting we don’t control at initial registration, in which the software only allows you to ‘officially’ register one student. Please fill in the registration form under Student #2 and/or #3 with your other student information, our admin assistant place them into the class for you.
Don’t worry, we will take good care of you! If you have any questions as you register, just chat into the website or call/text our assistant at 256-445-8646.
- For Family #1: go to the CLASS REGISTRATION table, click the ‘+’ next to the day you want, click Register, then fill out and submit the registration form that pops up, noting in the Comments box the names and emails of the other families that will be joining you.
- Other families: CLICK HERE to register into a placeholder class, and list in the Comments box the names of the other families. We will move you into the right class once we have this info.
Yes! The monthly tuition you see on our website is the total price you pay. It’s the same amount whether you have 1 or 3 students in the class. The other students can be siblings, friends, or relatives, it’s up to you!
Contacting Us
Text or call us at 256-445-8646 or chat in with our chat widget!
Your instructor’s cell number was in your confirmation email that we sent confirming start date. If it is urgent and you do not have their number, please chat in using our chat widget or call/text us at 256-445-8646.
If you need to get in touch because you will be missing your lesson, please CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR AS A FIRST STEP.
If you are eligible for a make-up this quarter, you may also fill out our make-up request form under the Contact Us tab on our website here.
Absences, Makeups, and Inclement Weather
As you can imagine, handling misses is challenging for both you and us, so we have endeavored to provide a system that will work for everyone.
Our policies describe how we manage missed lessons. Makeups in accordance with the below policies may be requested on this website at the top (desktop) or side (mobile) under Contact–> Makeups.
For Year-Round Lessons, there are 3 types of absences – 1) Holidays, 2) Pool maintenance/weather/instructor absence. and 3) Your absences.
- Holidays: No make-ups for holidays for year-round lessons. Observed holidays are : Martin Luther King Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and Christmas Eve through New Years’ Day.
- Pool closures/Weather/Instructor absence: Make-ups are always allowed.
- Your Absences: One make-up per quarter** is allowed in the event your student is sick or on vacation, which you can arrange by filling out this form: Makeups . You can have your make-up with any instructor, yours or otherwise.
*If you are in a multi-family lesson (e.g. there are multiple families sharing a lesson), then we consider class taught if any one of the students is present. If other student(s) miss class, there is no make-up. If you as families collectively decide that all students will be absent, then the class can be considered for a make-up.
**(A Quarter is a 3-month period on a yearly calendar (Jan-Feb-Mar is 1st Quarter; Apr-May-Jun is 2nd Q; Jul-Aug-Sep is 3rd Q; and Oct-Nov-Dec is 4th Q).
For SUMMER SESSION: You are allowed one make-up per Summer Session if the absence is on your end. Make-ups are ALWAYS allowed if the absence was due to something on our end (instructor out or weather, pool maintenance), and if class is held during 4th of July week, we would allow a make-up for 4th of July FOR SUMMER SESSION REGISTRANTS ONLY.
No problem. Please CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR AS A FIRST STEP and let them know about the absence. If you are eligible for a make-up, please also fill out our make-up request form under the Contact Us tab on our website.
Your instructor’s cell number was provided to you in your confirmation email that we sent confirming start date. If it is urgent and you do not have their number, please call/text us at 256-445-8646.
For safety reasons, we must exit the pool when lightning is in the area. Weather cancellations must often be made at the last minute due to quickly changing conditions. If lessons are to be cancelled due to inclement weather, instructors will send a text to the PRIMARY CONTACT LISTED IN OUR SYSTEM approximately one hour before the scheduled swim lesson. If more notice is possible, it will be given, but due to the fluctuations in weather more notice cannot be guaranteed.
We will never cancel without attempting to contact you, so please DO NOT assume a cancellation if the weather is poor.
To make up lessons cancelled due to weather please refer to the FAQ above titled “How do we handle absences and makeups?”
We do not have swim lessons on any of the following holiday days due to pool closure, and there are no make-ups for holidays for year round lessons. If Summer Session classes are held during 4th of July week, we would allow a makeup for 4th of July for SUMMER SESSIONS ONLY. Here is the list of holidays when the pool is closed:
• Martin Luther King Day
• Easter Sunday
• Memorial Day
• 4th of July
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving and Black Friday
• Christmas Eve through New Years’ Day
For our policy on makeups re: holidays, please see the FAQ called “How Do We Handle Absences and Make-ups?”
COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS
- Masks may be worn on deck by observers and when not in lessons.
- Fevers: We may take your temperature using a forehead thermometer.
- Social distance: Observers may maintain an appropriate distance on deck.
- Cleanliness: The facilities where we teach are concurrent physical therapy facilities that continue to maintain high standards for cleaning and sanitation.
- Quarantines: If you are instructed to quarantine or experiencing symptoms, please do not attend class. If your instructor is instructed to quarantine, we will let you know and will help schedule alternative arrangements.