Many variables affect how rapidly your child will learn to swim, such as his age, comfort level in the water, whether he is in group, semi-private or private lessons, and whether your child has or will be exposed to a traumatic event in the water. Some children can learn to swim the length of the pool (25 ft) in as few as 12 private lessons, given 3 times per week for one month. However, it is important to remember that every child is different and has a different learning curve. We ask that parents look for signs of progress in every lesson.  

For the beginner, we recommend starting lessons at 2 to 3 times per week until your child is beginning to swim. At that point, she can drop down to one time per week. (A child cannot be booked in a time slot for less than one time per week).

Once your child begins lessons, it is best if he continues for one full year. By doing this you ensure consistency and a foundation of great swimming and water safety skills. We have received countless letters from parents whose children survived what could easily have been a drowning. Not only is your child learning a skill that could save his life, his confidence grows as he masters each new level. Children that continue with our program through the highest level learn to strongly swim all four competitive strokes.

This depends on why you are taking lessons. There are so many benefits from swimming with infants that include a healthier immune system, development of curiosity and independence and stimulation of coordination and balance. Where else can an infant get such great exercise? Babies are capable of learning to swim, unassisted by the age of 8 months. Since drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death in children under the age of 3, getting an early start will help in the layers of protection, including fencing your home pool, locking doors that lead to the pool, and learning CPR. If your sole purpose is to teach your child to swim as quickly as possible, then taking lessons 3 times per week at the age of 2 or 3 years old would do it. Every year thereafter becomes more difficult and takes more time because of the fear factor.

Our instructors go through our own instructor certification, which entails about 40 hours of training. Our director, Nikki Miller, has been the past chair of the US Swim School Association’s Learn-to-Swim Certification Committee, and has over 30 years experience in teaching swim lessons to all ages. She developed and oversees our certification program. Instructors are further required to obtain and keep current CPR, Lifeguard and First Aid certifications. Many of our instructors have also completed the Infant/Toddler Certification through the USSSA as well.

Our schedule changes as our needs change. We have students entering and leaving our program year-round. After we assess your child’s needs and your preferred start date, we will check our availability with the teachers best suited to your child’s personality and level.

This depends on the personality of your child. In general, you will see the most improvement in Private lessons. However, some children find lessons easier with a buddy to encourage them. Whatever type of lesson you pick is not set in stone – you can change it based on your child’s changing needs.

No, you must find your own partner. However, we have a message board in our viewing area where you can post a notice requesting a partner. Children in a Semi-Private lesson must be at similar swimming abilities. For this reason, we must assess each child to determine his/her level and whether they are suitable for a Semi-Private lesson together. 

Until a child is completely independent in the water, group lessons are limited to 4 children per instructor. Once a child no longer requires assistance to swim across the length of the pool and begins to learn the competitive strokes, class size increases to 5-6 children per instructor.

We have our own levels system. It is broken down into 10 separate levels – many more levels than the Red Cross system. This is because each time a child masters a level and “moves up”, she is applauded and sung to by our instructors and visits our treasure chest to select a toy. The sense of accomplishment a child feels when they move up to the next level builds their confidence and inspires them to continue learning. 

We provide a free in-water assessment for all potential students. Just call our front office at (661) 702-8585 and ask to make an appointment. The instructor who assesses your child will tell you his or her level as soon as the assessment is finished.

We are a complete water safety program. We begin students at any level and teach them the four competitive strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) as well as several additional strokes (sidestroke, elementary backstroke). We also teach floating in all positions, treading water, competitive starts, flip turns, diving to the bottom of the pool and safety skills. 

Bathtubs are a wonderful place to help toddlers become more comfortable with the water. Blowing bubbles and lying on their back in the floating position with water covering their ears are skills that are easily practiced in the family tub. We also encourage you to take advantage of our Open Swim times. Your instructor can give you more ideas at your child’s lesson.

When your child is enrolled in lessons at Academy Swim Club it automatically entitles him or her plus one parent to the use of our pool during our Open Swim times at no additional charge. This is an excellent opportunity to increase your child’s exposure to the water, allow him or her to practice skills they learned during their regular lesson and just have fun in the water! This becomes especially important during the winter months when there is no opportunity to swim in outdoor pools.

Our pool is kept at 90° to 92°F. By keeping the temperature like bathwater, children do not have to adjust to the water when they first get in; learning can begin immediately. Our pool is also completely indoors. This means it is comfortable to swim in during the winter and there is no risk of sunburn during the summer.

That depends. In general we discourage children from using goggles until we are sure they are comfortable opening their eyes under water and have mastered their safety skills. Allowing a child to become dependent on goggles is risky. If he were to unexpectedly fall into a body of water it is unlikely he would be wearing his goggles. You do not want your child to believe he can’t swim simply because he is not wearing goggles and water gets in his eyes.  

Separation anxiety and fear of the water are two of the most common reasons for crying during lessons. Typically crying will stop by the 4^th lesson when a child develops a bond of trust and confidence with her instructor. Sometimes it takes longer and it is important to remember that each child progresses at a different pace. Stay calm and reassuring when you bring your child to the instructor, then leave to watch from the viewing area. We recommend that you do not pull your child out of the pool halfway through the lesson. This only reinforces the crying behavior and makes the next lesson that much more difficult. Stopping lessons all together can be even more detrimental because it allows time for the child’s fears to grow even stronger.   Talk to your child’s instructor, the deck supervisor or the office staff if crying persists longer than you are comfortable with. Over the years we’ve developed a number of ideas to help children feel at ease in the water and, together, we will find a way to overcome your child’s anxiety. Often, the loudest criers grow to enjoy swimming the most! 

At the end of every lesson your child’s instructor will take a few minutes to discuss your child’s progress with you. They will let you know what skills he excelled at, what areas still need some work and why. In this way, you will know exactly what the instructor is looking for before he or she moves your child up to the next level. If you do not feel that your instructor is explaining this to you, ask him or her for more details. You can also speak to the deck supervisor or the office staff. The number one goal for every member of our staff is making sure your child learns to swim – for life!

Oils on the skin bond with chlorine in the water to form chloramine. Chloramine – not chlorine – is responsible for the burning eyes and itchy skin most people associate with pool water. Both of these conditions can be greatly reduced, for your child and all the other swimmers in the pool, by simply taking a soap shower before entering the water.

No. Your child will be more comfortable if they shower directly before entering the pool. 

In general, the pressure inside the ears is sufficient to keep water from going too deeply into the ear canal. Our water is also chlorinated and likely cleaner than bathwater. If you have a specific concern, please contact your pediatrician.

It is not necessary to put off swim lessons because your child has tubes in her ears. Make sure that you inform your instructor on the first day of lessons (and any time you have a substitute or new instructor) that your child has tubes in her ears and indicate it on your registration form. We will take the simple precaution of not allowing your child to dive to the bottom of the deeper end of the pool where the pressure could force water deeper into the ear canal. At the front desk we also sell “Ear Putty”, a type of moldable earplug, and other devices to help keep water out of the ears.

 

We learn a lot! We do have fun in these classes and we do sing, but our babies go under water and swim shortly after beginning lessons. The added joy is the bonding and playing with your baby, meeting other parents, learning about your baby’s development and watching your baby relish and learn in the water environment.

The first month of our Parent & Me program is called Infant Survival. This class is held twice per week. You must attend Infant Survival before moving on to Baby Swim. The 8 lessons follow a set program designed to teach you, the parent, all the skills you will want to teach your child. In these classes the parents are our students – not the babies. Do not feel that you must perform the skills taught in each class at that time. It is up to you to determine when you are comfortable teaching these skills to your baby. Our instructors are there to guide and support you as you and your child enjoy discovering the aquatic life.

Baby Swim is the second phase of our Parent & Me classes. This is your opportunity to practice all the skills learned during Infant Survival. An instructor is always present to lead the class, offer suggestions and answer questions. You and your child may attend Baby Swim for as long as you desire until your child turns 3 years old.  We feel that one of the best aspects of Baby Swim is the opportunity to observe parents and their babies that have been swimming longer. It is inspiring to see a one-year-old jump into the pool on his own, or a six-month-old swim from one parent to the other.

It is perfectly safe to put your baby underwater, assuming there are no unusual medical circumstances. We begin by submerging babies no more than a few seconds at a time and no more than 3 times per class until we are certain they have developed breath control and are not swallowing the water. As always, if you have a specific concern, please consult your pediatrician.  

Absolutely! Babies love it when both parents are able to get in the pool with them.   Grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. are more than welcome to accompany the baby as well. 

Yes! There are always at least 2 lifeguards and one party host at every birthday party. One lifeguard is on the deck and one lifeguard is in the water leading games and playing with the children. The party host ensures the event goes off without a hitch.

Our fees are as low as $68 per month, with group lessons once per week. We offer a discount for additional siblings and booking more than one lesson per week. Your best bet is to consult with our office staff, who will work within your budget to get you signed up in classes best suited to your needs. Remember, our fees include a warm water indoor pool, plus open swim times for our students to practice with a parent, and our lesson guarantee. If you are not happy with any lesson for any reason, let us know that day and we will give you a bonus lesson for free!

We have two types of enrollment. “Term Enrollment” means that you pay for all of your lessons at once. “Continuous Enrollment” means that you are charged on a monthly basis.

Term Booking allows students to become eligible for makeups for a small fee as long as they notify us before their lesson on makeups@swim4life.com 

With "Term Booking" your credit card or checking account is not automatically charged. However, if you sign up this way you do not receive any "Free" make-ups and you will be charged if you need to move your lesson day or time. Also, we do not have a way to automatically inform you when it is your last lesson. Because we have an exit date in our system for you, if you wanted to sign up for more lessons, you may find that your spot has been sold to another customer.

 

Your time slot is reserved for you until you tell us you would like to cancel. You receive  one (1) free make-up lesson each month, as long as you can give 24 hour notice.  You may change your lesson day and time to accommodate your schedule without being charged for the move (once every 3 months). We only ask that if you choose to cancel lessons you notify us before we bill for those lessons so that we may have the opportunity to book another student in that time slot. This allows us to provide a stable schedule for our instructors.