FACTS





	Frequently asked questions What is your schedule and availability? Our schedules change as our needs and student's schedule change therfore we do not post it on the web site. We have students entering and leaving our program year ‘round, so after we assess your child’s level and your preferred day/time and start date, the office will check to see our availability with the teachers best suited to your child’s personality and level and schedule you requested. We will get back to you with class options via e-mail. To inquire about what we have open please submit and wait list. Even though you submit a wait list, you may not have to wait. We are adding classes on demand all the time even mid session so if you happen to match an open spot you can be enrolled right away. What should I bring to swim class? Infants and all children under the age of 3 years (even is they are potty trained) will need non disposable swim diapers. If hugggies Little Swimmer are worn to class the teacher can not allow you into class (these diapers clog filter system). Sunscreen must be applied 30 minutes before class ( it can burn the eyes is not dry). Goggles are a great idea only if your child is in an intermediate or advanced class as they can be a distraction if used at a young beg level. Please remember to mark your name on all personal items as we are not responsible for lost items. Warm clothes ie: robes and large towel are a must in the Fall/Winter sessions. We supply kickboard, underwater tools and toys for play time. How long is each swim lesson? Lessons are: 15 minutes for private 30 minutes for private and semi private Group lessons (4 students) for 1 hour A second class can be added for an additional fee. In our experience, 15 minutes for new students that have fear or are under the age of 4 do best in a private then progress to a 30-minute semi private lesson once baisc water safety skills are mastered. If lessons are longer than 30 minutes, we would run the risk of losing the child's attention so most of the hour classes are intermediate/advanced groups or baby classes with songs and movement to keep them occupied. After you watch the first lesson, you will see that this length of time is right for your child and that a 15 minute private sounds short but one on one is a good block of time. Class time and ratios are perfect for young students learning new skills, especially when learning how to swim. As swimming is a combination of fine motor skills, static movements and coordination. Children's attention spans are highly variable and range from 3 to 5 minutes per year of age in young children, to a maximum of around 20 minutes in adults. Most seasoned educators and psychologists agree that the ability to focus one's attention on a task while learning a new skill is crucial for the achievement of one's goals. Parent Waiting Area: We ask that parents watch their child's lesson from our parent waiting area. To have a parent waiting area is very standard at all swim schools and swim teams. We find that have a parent area eliminates distractions and makes for a more positive learning environment. Please supervise siblings you bring to lessons when they are not in the pool. A parent or responsible adult is required to be present for all sessions incase of emergency. At the Seven Hills location all parents are to remain outside the black gates during the Summer Sessions. When the dome is over the pool parents and siblings are to reman out of the dome during class. Parents are welcome to come in the dome for the last class of the session to cheer on the students success! During cold class days parents are welcme to come in at playtime to dress students into warm clothes before they exit. How do I change my day or time? We understand that life has schedule changes. Once you know that you will need to make a change please send a requests to change days or times by e-mail to the office so that we may have record of the request and send you a list of options. If a spot is immediately available you may move over mid session. If there is nothing open that matches your request we will place you on our waiting list and will do our best to make the changes as soon as openings become available. What kind of training and certification do your instructors have? Our instructors go through our own Little Dipper Swim School instructor certification, which entails about 40 hours of training. Our Director, Joy Lindsey, has over 30 years experience in teaching swim lessons to all ages. She developed and oversees our L.D certification program. All of our instructors are Lifeguard, CPR, and First Aid certified and some even have their teaching credential, and many of them are Little Dipper Swim School graduate swimmers and have children currently enrolled into the program. We have teachers meetings once a session to go over abilties, levels and additional training session for staff. What is the best age to begin lessons? There are so many benefits from enrolling infants into swimming, that includes develpment of motor skills, confidence and it stimulates coordination and balance. We do start babies in our program at the age of 3 months (15 pounds) once or twice a week. Of course any age is the right age to get started! We welcome babies-adults and structure our classes so that the basics are taught and good habits formed then build on skills level after level. How long will it take for my child to learn how to swim? This is almost impossible to answer as there are so many factors involved such as the age of the child when they start, the comfort of your child in water, and expectations are different family to family as what is to be considered "learning to swim". Most of our families stay until their child reaches Shark level and have mastered all four strokes. Other families just want the basiscs learned. Since we are year round we only introduce new skills once foundations are established and mastered. We do not rush to the next skill as this forms bad habits and does not build a firm foundation. By swimming year round, you insure a consistent routine and a foundation for your swimmer so that they have a solid hold on strokes and learn to respect the water. Since drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death in children under the age of 3, getting an early start will help in the barriers of protection, including fencing or covering your pool, locking doors/windows that lead to the pool, and learning CPR. Instructor Requests? At Little Dipper Swim School, some of our students and many of our parents become fond of particular instructors. We love our instructors too! We will continue to make decisions regarding where instructors are placed based on our effort to provide the best quality swimming experience possible for everyone. We are aware that different students respond to different teaching personalities. We will always try to respond to these requests. We will never guarantee a instructor and we will always reserve the right to change instructors if other considerations require it. Please remember that our teachers are people too and they do get ill or have schedules that change due to school, second jobs and personal family schedules (many are Moms). If a teacher is to fill in or take over a shift they are all able to do so and have been updated on each and every students skills and detailed notes from the past teacher. We also know that a swimmer that has the chance to have a few different teachers are a more well rounded swimmer in the long run as all of us have different specialites and skills that we excell in. What are my payment options? All of our students have two payment options, once a month auto deduction or paying in full. We accept Visa/Master Card credit/debit cards, and checks. All accounts will be automatically debited on or a few days after the charge date on the web site and session schedule. If you wish to drop from lessons we do need to have 30 days written notice given to the office at littledipperswimschool@yahoo.com. If 30 days notice prior to the start of the next session is not given to the office via e-mail you will be automatically enrolled into the next session in yor same class day and time. The 30 days notice dates are also listed on the session schedule. If you are enrolled mid session the fee is pro rated. What about holidays? Dates that the school will be closed is listed on the web site and session schedule if we are closed for a break that break is not apart of your session tuition. We are not closed for Holiday's that fall on Monday. Please check session schedule for dates that we are closed. Make Up Lessons? Makeups are not scheduled through the office. However we do make exceptions for extended illness such as broken arm, surgeries etc.. if this is the case an you will miss class for more than a week please e-mail the office. We have a "parent makeup ran system" in place that is at each pool site. We understand that things do pop up from time to time making it hard to attend class. So we do have a parent ran makeup system posted at each pool. Please use this system! Parents sign out if they know they will miss class allowing for another student that matches the level, age and schedule to sign in and attend in their place. Please note that the office or the teachers do not schedule makeups on this sheet. If the office enrolls you into a makeup class it is into a shift that has a gap. Teachers will e-mail makeup class times and days if we have had to cancell your class due to issues beyond our control like lightning, thunder or pool related issues that would effect the quality of the classes. Are private lessons better than group lessons? At Little Dipper Swim School our semi private lessons are one instructor/ two student ratio, private lessons are one on one ratio, group lessons range on ratios depending on level and age. Semi private and group lessons are perfect for the swimmer that is not timid of the water since childeren tend to learn from one another and rotate turns. Private lessons are perfect for the child that needs a little more individualized attention and instruction. Private lessons are perfect for the anxious swimmer, young swimmer (parent is not able to get in the water, sepcial needs and adults. Private lessons are 15 min or 30 min once a week, a second class can be added for an extra fee. Should parent's be visable during class time? If the child is constantly asking for "Mommy or Daddy" throughout the lesson and if the teacher is having trouble getting the students full attention, it is generally best to have the parent "out of sight and out of mind" until the child begins to bond with and trust the teacher. Often, if the child thinks there is a sympathetic person close by who will "save them" from their "plight", they will likely become melodramatic and emotionally distressed. We want parents to watch the entire lesson, but often prefer that they hide whenever their child becomes distracted by the possibility that Mom or Dad might bail them out of their situation. If a teacher does ask you to be out of sight please know why and then you can slowly come back as the issue lessens. We are here for the long haul so please do not feel alone or embarrased if your child cries on class. We are here to give you advice and tips that have proven to work over time. Please contact the office so it is not infront of the child and we can assist you. We have seen it all and can help you step by step through the process. I have a question but don't see an answer for it. Who should I contact? The best way to get a fast answer is to e-mail the office. E-mail is check more than the recorder so please use the e-mail system as we often work from home or iphones on location at other pools or late at night. if you do not have access to e-mail please call the office and leave a voice message that you do not have access to e-mail to need a call back.


	littledipperswimschool@yahoo.com (925) 932-5861 office line (925) 932-5329 fax line

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