A:    Children can begin swim lessons as early as eight months old.  It is recommended that young children start out in the Parent and Me class.

Q:    Is there an age limit for the Parent and Me class?

A:    The Parent and Me class works best for children between 8 months and two years old.  Children over two excel much faster in private lessons, so we do not recommend Parent and Me classes for them.

Q:    Does Sue's Swim School accept credit card payments?

A:    No, at this time we only accept personal checks, money orders, or cashier's checks.  There is a $10.00 fee for all returned personal checks.

Q:    How long can my child stay in swim lessons? 

A:    A child can stay in lessons for as little as one session, and as long as the entire season.  As long as payment for the next session is received prior to the end of the current session, a student may keep their time slot for as long as they like.  CANCELLATION POLICY:  We need a one week advanced written notice (one week prior to the last scheduled lesson) to give up your time or you will be expected to pay for one extra week of lessons.   Please DO NOT e-mail your cancellation to us; cancellations should be made pool side.

Q:    Can I drop my child off for lessons, and return to pick them up later?

A:    No, parents/guardians are asked to stay on the premises while their child is having their lesson in case a problem may arise. 

Q:    Are swim lessons cancelled if it rains?

A:    No, lessons continue rain or shine.  The pool is kept at a comfortable 90 degrees.  The only time lessons are canceled is in the event of a thunder storm, and the lesson would be canceled at pool side.

Q:    Are the children given any rewards for mastering a skill?

A:    At the end of every successful session children are offered their choice of a hand stamp or a balloon to reward their cooperation in the lesson.  In addition, praise and rides on floatation equipment are given spontaneously for reaching milestones during the learning process.

Q:    Do you provide references from current or prior clients?

A:    Yes!  References can be seen by checking our reference page.  Contact information is available upon request.

Q:    How long is a swim session?

A:    Eight (8) lessons equals one session.  Eight lessons, attending three days a week, is 2 1/2 weeks.  Eight lessons, attending two days per week, is four weeks.

Q:    I've heard that your school throws kids in the water, and pushes kids underwater while they are crying.  Is this true?  It seems cruel.

A:    No, it is not true.  We would never throw a child into the water, or push them under.  Our instructors are trained to gently place their hand on the back of the child's head merely to assist in proper positioning and technique.  We do not surprise children by pushing their face in the water; we prepare them by counting to three so that they do not get water up their nose.   If a child is crying, it is important to teach them to "turn it off" by the count of three.  If we do not put their faces in the water at the count of three, then we are only teaching them to cry at the count of three.

Q:    My child tells me he doesn't want to take swim lessons, should I listen to him, or put him in lessons anyway?

A:    Put your child in lessons anyway.  Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in Contra Costa County for children under the age of five!  Children who have had swimming lessons have a respect for water, they know they have limitations, they understand that work involved with swimming, and they know there are rules that go with swimming. 

Q:    My child keeps crying during her lessons, should I discontinue lessons?

A:    No.  Although a crying child can be embarrassing for the parent, it is not a reason to pull your child out of lessons.  A child crying during swimming lessons is not a traumatizing experience.  The reason for the crying is to push mom and dad's buttons.  If a child is smart enough to know how to push buttons, then they are smart enough to acquire life saving skills.  A traumatizing experience is a near drowning.  This does stay in a child's memory, and the parents!  Drowning would be more embarrassing than crying, as it is a preventable accident. 

Q:    It's too cold outside, won't my child catch a cold by swimming?

A:    NO.  A cold is a virus.  You can not catch a cold by swimming, or by being cold.  Swimming will not make a cold worse, because swimming can not make a virus more severe.  You can not catch a virus from pool water.

Q:    If my child is ill can we make up our missed lessons?

A:    No, the instructors are paid whether the child is here or not. 

Q:    Will my child be able to start lessons anytime, or will we be put on a waiting list?

A:    We do occasionally have a waiting list, but please don't let this discourage you.  People on the list generally get into lessons sooner than they expect.  The reason we do have a waiting list is because once you are in our program you can stay as long as you'd like as long as you pay at the beginning of every eight lessons.  Therefore, once all of our schedules are full, we have to wait until we get a  one week written notice that someone is giving up their time before filling the slot from the waiting list.  Eventually we get to everyone.  If you are placed on the waiting list, please feel free to call back anytime to check on your status on the list.

Q:    Why should I put my child in PRIVATE lessons?

A:     It has been proven over and over that lower student  to teacher ratio is the best situation for learning. Therefore, one student to one instructor is the optimal for learning. A private 15 minute lesson is 15 minutes with an instructor. A group lesson for a half hour with four students is 71/2 minutes per student with the instructor .  Also with swimming there is a safety factor. Any time we hear of drowning occurring during lessons , it is usually during a group lesson.

Q:    Why do we not allow goggles and fins?   

A:    Children need to understand what limitations they have as swimmers without the aids. Children who learn with goggles think they can’t  swim without goggles. The fins give a false sense of their true swimming ability. If a child accidentally falls into water, he or she needs to be able to depend on their skills learned and not panic because they are without goggles and fins.     

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If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Sue via email.