Swimming can provide lifelong enjoyment and increase an individual’s safety around the water. It’s never too late to learn to swim, nor is there really an age that is too young to be exposed to the water. Parent & Me style swim lessons are available for babies as young as three months old.
When choosing a swim school, it’s important to find a professional program that fits with your needs, supports productive learning, and promotes safety. After all, a good experience in the water prepares you and your children for a lifetime of fun in the water, while a negative one can result in fears and insecurities that are unnecessary. Here are the most important areas to research while looking for your swim program.
Professionalism
Professional swim programs will have clearly defined objectives, schedules, and pricing structures so that clients can make the best decisions for their unique needs. These programs should have progressive class structures, and they should have the ability to accommodate people of all ages and abilities.
Instructor Training and Credentials
Swim instructors should be certified by a nationally recognized organization, such as the United States Swim School Association, on water safety and the best techniques for teaching swim skills. Before enrolling in a swim school, talk with the organization about their swim instructors’ certifications and the school’s swim instructor training programs.
Class Assignments
Group classes should be based upon objective skill levels, meaning each group should have participants with similar abilities. When researching a swim school, discuss the criteria for determining class placement.
Class Size
Just as group classes should have progressive assignments, they should also have reasonable class sizes. For safety’s sake, always ask about the student-to-instructor ratio for group and semi-private lessons before enrolling your children in group classes.
Class Structure
Not every student has the same needs, and often times those needs will change and progress over time. Find a swim schools that has a variety of class structures, such as individual lessons, semi-private lessons, and group classes. That way, you have the option of taking individual lessons to work on a specific skill outside of your group class if you need to.
Attention to Safety
Safety should be a primary concern for a high-quality swim school. This means that certified lifeguards should be on duty whenever students are in the pool, staff should be trained in first aid and CPR, and rules should be enforced that promote safety around the pool.
Ready to enroll in swim lessons? Register for classes on our website.
