What ability level is my child? Watch these short video clips to help you decide:
Can I request a specific time for swim lessons? Yes, when you register, there is a spot to indicate time preferences. If you give us 3 or 4 time slots, then we can make sure your child is with kids the same age and ability level. Our primary scheduling priority is to closely match swimmers’ abilities to maximize their learning experience. Siblings are guaranteed to be in the same or adjacent time slots. Any additional flexibility that the schedule affords will be used to satisfy your time preferences to the best of our abilities.
Will my kids be at the same time? We always try to get siblings at the same time, and guarantee that siblings are at least back-to-back.
Can I request to be with a friend? Yes! There is a comment section when you register and you can indicate this request. We can't always guarantee it, but we work very hard to meet these requests and can usually make it happen.
When will I find out my swim time? Swim lesson times will be emailed at least one week prior to the start of the session.
How old must my swimmer be to begin lessons? We start lessons at age three. All children must be potty trained. There is no upper age limit. Many preteens and teens get a strong workout in the advanced classes.
Does the parent get in the water? No. Parents can relax poolside while our qualified instructors teach.
How often do lesson meet? One session meets Monday through Friday for two weeks or three weeks. Each lesson is 30 minutes long.
What is the class size? Ages 3 and 4 have a four to one swimmer to teacher ratio. Older kids have five or six kids per class, with carefully matched ages and ability levels to maximize the learning environment.
Is the pool cold? Our pool temperature is 88 degrees (plenty warm for those little ones!)
What about goggles? We want each swimmer to be able to swim and be safe without goggles. We prefer that swimmers not wear goggles when learning to swim. When a swimmer can pull touch breath the length of the pool alone, we don’t mind if they wear goggles. We maintain our chlorine levels such that stingy eyes should not be a factor. If your child has particular eye sensitivity and requires goggles, please communicate that to the teacher.
How many sessions should we do? Each kid progresses at his or her own rate, but swimmers benefit greatly from multiple sessions.
Will my child go off the diving board? It has been our policy to take children off of the diving board once they have reached a certain level in their progression. We do this so they can experience what it feels like to fall into deep water, and provide them with the skills necessary to survive in an accident situation (such as falling off of a boat or a dock). However, If your child is afraid of heights, has ear problems, or you think jumping off of the diving board would impede his or her learning ability –please tell us! We think jumping off of the diving board is a valid learning tool, and can be lots of fun, but it is by no means a mandatory component of our swimming program. 3 and 4 year olds will be given the choice. If you would like to ensure that your child does go off of the board, please tell us. All communications regarding the diving board should be done discretely, by taking the instructor aside at the onset of class, or via email to BGCCpool@gmail.com
Did my child move down a level because he/she is in a location that he/she has been in before? We pay special attention to grouping swimmers together who have similar abilities. Therefore, the location in the pool does not correspond to a given “level” or ability. During any given time slot, the swimmers in the pool may have different abilities than those of another time slot. To most efficiently utilize pool space, classes of varying abilities can be in any given location in the pool. One half hour might have more advanced kids, and all the classes shift shallower; another half hour might have more beginners, and all the classes shift deeper. The take home message is this: a change in the location of your child’s swim class does not reflect a change to a “higher” or “lower” class.
Parking: Parking for swim lessons is available in the gravel parking area parallel to Meridian and. Please be respectful of our member only parking area. Children should be escorted to the pool and must stay on the path. Be respectful of the golfers. Walk quietly and keep your children safe.
What is the cancellation policy? Since we hand-make our schedules, stability in scheduling helps us maximize the learning experience for each of our swimmers. The following policy is in place to encourage stability.
Once a session is full, $30 cancellation or change fee.
The week before a session, $50 cancellation or change fee.
With questions regarding swim lessons, swim team or pool information please email Nick at BGCCpool@gmail.com
