This is a common question asked by many parents. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question. Your child's progress will be dependent upon various factors. Some of the things that will affect your child's progress are his previous experiences in the water, her eagerness to learn, his level of fear, her age and motor skill development, and the number of lessons he takes per week. Sea Star instructors are trained to evaluate each child's ability and to push him or her at a rate that is acceptable and comfortable for each child.

Our program is designed for year-round swim lessons. The warm water and indoor facility lend nicely to this program. Within just a few lessons you will see progress for your child. Be patient and have realistic goals for your children. Do not expect a non-swimmer to learn to swim in a single six week session. Instead, celebrate the milestones achieved as your child makes his or her way through the journey of learning how to swim.

No. Our lessons are self-progressive, with each child being at various stages within each of our levels. When your child begins lessons with us, she may be moderately more or less advanced than the other children in her class. As mentioned above, every child progresses at a different rate.

Our new payment plan, monthly billing, should make it more simple for clients to enter into and remain in swim lessons.

Report cards are issued in 1 week before the next session is avalible to enroll in during the school year, and at the end of each session in the summer.

If your child has graduated from his level, your instructor will designate this on his report card. Please bring the report card to the front desk to find a new class time for your child's new level. Many times classes will advance as a group and a schedule change is not necessary. If your child advances before a scheduled report card week, your instructor will notify both you, the parent, and our front desk staff so that a class change can be made.

Do not expect your child to advance levels every month. Our levels span a wide variety of skills that are typically not learned in just 4 or even 8 weeks.

Important note regarding report cards: 
To ensure the most current information on report cards, they will be filled out by your child's instructor on report card day in the last 5 minutes of class. If your child is not present on report card day and you would like a report card, please notify the front desk and they will have the instructor fill out a report card for your child. Please do not ask for a report card after your child has been gone for more than 3-4 weeks. Our instructors teach a large number of students and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of report cards after a great length of time.  

If we cancel a class due to inclement weather (lightning directly above our facility), an accident in the pool, equipment malfunctions, or teacher illness, we will schedule a make-up lesson. Make-ups may take place on a Saturday near the end of a session.

You are responsible for attending each of the classes you have registered for. If you are unable to attend a lesson, we will not provide a make-up, but we will offer you a free Family Swim Pass to be used on any Friday evening between 6 and 8 pm for free swim.

Please, for the health and safety of our other clients and our instructors, do not bring sick children to swim lessons. Also, please wait a minimum of 24 hours after diarrhea before bringing a child to class.

Drop Policy:

We understand that situations out of your control may arise in the middle of a swim session. Broken bones, severe illnesses, and other factors affecting schedules do occur. During the school year, we will allow you to drop in such a case. We must be given at least 30 days written notice of your withdrawal from class. No credit will be issued for classes missed before notification of your decision to discontinue. During the summer months, all tuition paid is non-refundable, and non-transferable.  

Our instructors keep the same schedules every week. This aids the learning process for your child. When a student becomes comfortable with an instructor, the student becomes more receptive to learning new techniques. For this reason, we strive to keep consistency in our staff and their schedules. Your child will likely develop a bond with his or her instructor. This, and watching a child reach swimming milestones are the rewarding parts of our jobs!

From time to time our instructors do become ill or have personal issues arise that cause them to miss class. We work hard to schedule substitute instructors on those occasions. When possible, we ask the instructors to leave notes on each class so the substitute will know what your child is working on as well as any quirky extras that your child may be familiar and comfortable with. Please give your child's substitute a chance. You may be surprised at his or her slightly different techniques and their ability to help your child overcome obstacles that had previously been a cause for struggle. We cannot issue refunds or credits in the event that your child refuses to swim with a substitute instructor.

A bathing suit and a towel are the basic necessities for class. Children that are not 100% potty trained will also need a swim diaper (Little Swimmers disposable swim diapers are available at Target, Wal-Mart, and most grocery stores.) Please tie back long hair, as it has a tendency to hinder swimming (breathing especially.) Goggles are not recommended for children that are not lap-swimmers. Beginners have a tendency to develop an unhealthy dependency on goggles. We would hate to see a child that has gained progress in swim lessons fall into a pool and forget his skills because he isn't familiar with swimming without goggles.

When you enter the front door, you will see a table with a check-in book to your right. Please check your child in (classes are listed by time and by instructor) and look for notes next to your account. Next to the check-in book are buckets filled with tags for each instructor. Locate your instructor's tag and give this to your child to bring into class. The restrooms and changing rooms are located past the check-in table and to the left. We advise that you encourage your child to use the restroom before class so that he doesn't miss any class time if the urge hits him during his lesson.

Once your child has changed for class, proceed to the viewing room. Each child will line up in the corral leading to the pool entrance door (on the left of the viewing area.) When it is time for class to begin, the deck supervisor or an instructor will come let the children into the pool area. The tag your child is holding will help her instructor identify her as their student. You may then sit back, watch the class, and enjoy!

When class is over your child will be instructed to leave through the exit door to the right of the viewing area. Praise your child for a job well done, dry him off, and then stop by the treasure box on your way out for a special treat! Continue to talk with your child about what he learned during swim class throughout the week, so that he looks forward to his next class.

It is common to see tears during the first few swim lessons. There are a number of reasons or combinations of reasons that children cry during swim class. Just like the first day of school, many children will experience separation anxiety. Another reason your child may be crying is because of a fear of water or of the new environment or instructor. In both of these instances, assure your child that he will be safe and that you will be nearby. Hand your child over to the deck supervisor or the instructor with a smile on your face. Do not linger in the hopes that the tears will subside if you stay just a little longer. In most cases, the tears will build up because the anxiety of you leaving will also begin to build. Our instructors are trained in what to do with a crying child. Trust that your child is in good hands with us, and let your child see that you trust his instructor. In difficult cases, it may be best to stay out of your child's line of sight for the first few lessons. Usually, the saying, "out of sight, out of mind" proves to be quite true.

We typically see children stop crying after their third lesson, however, some may cry for a few lessons longer than this. We recommend giving your child one session to adapt to the new environment. Pulling your child from swim lessons may make it more difficult to return in the future. Also, responding to tears by allowing your child to leave class early or skip a day of lessons, only reinforces the crying. We are certain that if you give us one full session, we will instill a love for the water in your child. And please remember, many children cry at the introduction to swim lessons; it brings us great joy to see those children succeed in the end!

We don't know, but we are glad to have you with us now! Do all of your friends a favor and tell them about us too. If they mention that you referred them, you will receive a $25 credit on your account to be used toward your next swim or gym session. Just make sure that you tell them not to forget to let us know that you sent them.