frequently asked questions
I'm on a waitlist, what does that mean?
If you are on a waitlist, you should not show up for the first class. It means you are waiting for someone in that class to drop or switch classes. We have up to ten students on the waitlist, for any class, at any given time. If there is another class that works for you, you MAY sign up for it and remain on another waitlist.
Feel free to email us to get off of a wait list and open it up to someone else by emailing info@swimwithphyn.com and letting us know. If more than one waitlist works for you, we encourage you to sign up for multiple waitlists in order to have the best chance of getting a class.
What is your Open Swim Policy?
Open swims are self-guided pool time, there will be no instruction during the Open Swim and No Lifeguard On Duty. These are times that everyone can use to get in the pool to get additional practice. There is no charge for these events for swimmers registered for the current swimester. At this time, we do not allow non-currently enrolled students in the pool, even during open swim, and even if they are a sibling of a current swimmer. Sorry.
Each swimmer must have a dedicated parent or guardian present in the pool (i.e. one guardian per student). Additionally, students (and the accompanying guardian) must have attended at least one lesson prior to attending an open swim so that they have learned safe entry, exit and practices in and around the pool.
When should I start swimming lessons?
As soon as possible! Babies are born with the natural ability to kick and hold their breath which they lose anywhere from 2 to 8 months, the earlier we start, the more we can build on their natural ability. Babies can start as soon as their belly button heals, (if a boy has had the “surgery” that needs to heal too!). As children get older they start to develop fear, so the sooner we can start teaching safe choices around water, the easier it is to learn!
I'm nervous about putting my baby in a class!
We totally understand the anxiety people face trying a new activity with their newborns. We recommend the article below to help ease any worries. Additionally, YOU will want to be ready to get into the water. We find that most of all, your child will sense your emotions and reflect those, so if you are calm and ready, your child will also be calm and ready. Julie specializes in babies. She has over 20 years experience teaching thousands of babies, many as young as two weeks old. Our pool is kept warm, 92 degrees, and our lessons short, 30 minutes, all to make this the best possible experience for the babies.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/may/27/healthandwellbeing.features
brief excerpt from the article in the above link:
Tiny Splashes
When two-year-old Elizabeth Jelley fell into the family swimming pool she managed to right herself, swim to the edge and hold on to the side. She spent about four minutes alone in the 4ft-deep pool while her mother, Amanda, was searching for her. Amanda, from Merseyside, found Elizabeth clinging to the side of the pool and calling her. She is convinced her toddler survived because of the swimming lessons she had had since she was eight months old....
What should I bring?
In addition to the required diapers, a towel for everyone going into the pool, and a snack for afterwards.
Swimmers under the age of three and a half, or swimmers who are not fully potty-trained, must wear two reusable swim diapers (at the same time), from one of the approved brands, more info will be available during registration, (cloth diaper covers are not acceptable). Please do NOT use diapers that adjust for size, "one size", etc. , (typically have multiple snaps all over the diaper), these are not reliable and although sometimes advertised as "swim" diapers are more appropriate as cloth diaper covers.
What will my child learn?
First and foremost, your child will be learning how to make safe choices around and in water. We teach safety from day 1 to make sure it is developed as a habit, and to make it easier for you to enforce when you go to other pools, rules are already established and expected. At all levels they will learn various swim skills at different degrees, how to rest, float, kick, breathe and various strokes. Each lesson throughout the swimester will build on the previous. Classes are customized to fit the individual skill levels of all enrolled students.
What is your teaching style?
We teach through love and positive reinforcement, games and challenges. Each activity has a special kid-friendly name that encourages excitement about each activity.
What is your Make-Up and Missed Class Policy?
You should think of your weekly time as you would a university class, or other paid sports class. You pay per session and are expected to show up at a certain day and time, and if you miss class, you miss class. Special accommodations can not be made for individual circumstances. No need to contact us if you plan to miss a group class.
For our private classes, a minimum of 24 hours notice of the missed lesson is required and makeup lessons are restricted to a maximum of 1 lesson per month AND 2 per Swimester. The advanced notice must be received in the manner discussed in the agreements you sign during enrollment.
What is your Late Arrival Policy?
If you are more than 10 minutes late to a group class, or 15 minutes to a private class, you may be asked not to participate and forfeit the class. When you arrive, please see the instructor on the pool deck, or in the facility, immediately to inquire about whether or not it is appropriate for you to attend the lesson.
If you are late to a group lessons, you will likely be allowed in the pool. However, occasionally this will prove too disruptive to the lesson and so it may not be allowed. The instructor may not have individual time to give you to "catch" you up on what you missed, so please just join in and do the best you can.
If you are late to a private lesson, the instructor may choose not to have the class if you miss more than half of your alloted time.
We reserve the right to use the forfeited pool time however we see fit which may mean offering the empty pool time to another child, for any reason, based on the instructor's sole discretion.
What if my child is sick?
Swimming actually has so many amazing qualities, one of which is an increased immune system. Congestion is often cleared through swimming.
However, If your child has diarrhea or had a sickness-related vomitting (not spit-up) or has had diarrhea in the past 24 hours, you are asked to keep your child home, as we cannot afford a fecal matter pool closure.
Additionally, if a doctor has informed you that your child has a contagious disease or infection, please keep them away for the doctor recommended time frame.
Be sure to let us know what is going on so that we can work with you on possible options if your absence will be exceptionally long (more than two to three weeks) and if you will miss the remainder of the swimester, do let us know.
Please join us at open swim when you can!
When will they be “drown-proofed”?
No person is EVER drowned-proof. Anything can happen at any time, we need to always be on our guard around water. Children must ALWAYS be supervised in and around water. We teach children how to rest if they tire out, where to find safe spots in the pool and what it feels like to 'accidentally go swimming', but parent vigilance is always of critical importance. Constant supervision is the most important way to keep your child safe in and around water.
How many kids in each class?
It depends on the level. Typically, baby classes are capped at 6, toddler at 5 and little kid/independent swimmers at 3, but this is subject to change at any time and at our discretion depending on what we feel is necessary for optimal class participation and comfort for each level. If you have concerns about the number of children in your class, please let us know. We may be able to move you to a lower enrolled class if there is space available.
What is your Refund Policy?
When you register, please commit to swim for at least 1 swimester. During the registration process, the full missed class and cancellation policy is discussed, please read through carefully. You are required to agree to it to enroll and we will follow policy regardless of the circumstances.
Any cancellation, at any time, for any reason, is charged a fee of some sort and is based on the schedule that you will agree to (and print for your personal records) during registration. At any time within the swimester, if the date and time is no longer working for you and we are able to accommodate, given our class maximums, a switch to an open class of the same level, we will do so free of charge.
Sometimes things open up as the swimester progresses, and we will keep you on a list if you do want to make a switch.