About SwimAmerica

For our Youth lessons, we require that your child be 3 or older as of the first month of his or her lessons.  Our Teen lessons are for students age 13 – 17, and students 18 and over should register for Adult lessons.

Our registration is open, so you may register at any time you see an opening that fits your schedule.  To register, you will create an account where you will enter your contact, student and payment information.  You will then chose your class day and time for lessons which begin on the date specified.  Many of our students attend twice a week to see more rapid progress.  In our Youth program we teach all ages and skill levels at every lesson, so you just need to find an opening that works with your schedule.  Our lessons are perpetual, meaning that your swimmer will automatically be enrolled in his or her weekly lesson time each month.  Lesson fees are paid monthly – your credit card on file will be debited for that month’s fees on the 1st of each month that your child is enrolled. Monthly rates are prorated to reflect the actual number of classes in the month, taking into account facility closures and holidays.

Lesson fees are charged monthly on the 1st of each month at a rate of $35 per 35 minute class for Youth, Teen and Adult lessons. So, for example, if your child has lessons on a Monday, and there are 4 Mondays where lessons are scheduled in that month, the fee will be $140. You will pay for your first month (or pro rated portion, if you start after the first week of the month) at registration, and then going forward, on the 1st of each month of enrollment the credit card on your account will be charged for that month’s fees.

On your child’s first day of class, we make a thorough assessment of each child’s skills so that they are placed in the appropriate “station.” Our stations are taught in small groups of no more than 3 students to one coach.  You can expect your child to spend a lot of time learning proper breathing techniques both on-land and in the water the first few days of class. Good breathing is the KEY to good swimming. A child who has not learned how to breathe properly tires more quickly in the water. We will spend a lot of time working on bobs and other breathing exercises at all of our SwimAmerica stations.

SwimAmerica lessons are a series of stations of skill development and stroke progression. Once a child masters the skills and “advancement goals” of each level, they “moveup” to the next station and begin working on more advanced skills. This way, each student progresses at their own rate – which we believe is the best way to keep kids motivated to succeed. The Deck Supervisors do on-going evaluations of each swimmer and advances students as soon as they are ready for the next challenge.

This varies greatly depending on each child’s age, athleticism and natural comfort level in the water. It may take a few weeks or more for a very young child to progress beyond Station 1. We will NOT advance a child before they have mastered the skills of their first station. Remember, proper breathing is the key to successful swimming! On average, it takes a preschooler 20 or more lessons to advance to station 3. On the other hand, some preschoolers will advance much more quickly – it all depends on the individual child!

Make sure your child comes to class ready to learn, with a snug-fitting, comfortable bathing suit, towel, etc. Please avoid swim shirts, as they interfere with good stroke technique. Talk with your child about the advancement goals required at their station, and encourage them to do their very best. Don’t push, but praise them for their efforts. Please remain in the bleachers above the pool or out in the lobby during your child’s lessons. They are in good hands. Parents on deck can distract both coaches and students from the job of learning to swim. Your help with this is appreciated.

Many preschoolers have trouble adjusting to any new situation. We will be as patient as we need to be. Let us handle it. Your child will eventually adjust and we will help them by gently pushing them along the way.

To avoid disruption to your child’s progress, we strongly encourage parents to make every effort to have their child attend their regularly scheduled lesson.  We do recognize, however, that there are times that lessons need to be missed.  Our policy with regard to make up lessons is that each student who provides a minimum of 24 hours notice of an absence is entitled to one make up lesson every 30 days.  Parents mark their child’s absence and book make up lessons through their accounts on the Parent Portal.  All makeup lessons must be taken within 30 days of the absence.  The idea with this make up system is that the students are basically swapping open spots.  As your create an opening by marking your child absent, you can do a make up in a class that another child had to cancel.  As a result, make ups aren’t available when a child is a no-show without notice.  Special consideration is always given in the event of medical emergencies – please email us directly in those situations.

You may send an email to info@swimamericamidtn.com and we will respond as quickly as possible. We must stay focused on teaching during lessons, but they will be happy to contact you at your convenience.

To cancel your registration, we must receive written notice of your intent to cancel no later than the 15^th of the month prior to the effective date.   Your swimmer will continue to be enrolled in his or her class until the end of the month in which we receive your notice, and we do not offer refunds for missed classes. The automatic debit of your credit card will be discontinued and your class registration will be cancelled effective the last day of the month in which we receive notice.