Frequently Asked Questions
Being in the business of private swimming lessons for so long, you begin to run into a bunch of the same questions and concerns. This page should address most, if not all of your questions! If you have a question that is not on here you can submit a new question and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
FAQ
Do I have to have access to a pool?
Yes, and it must be a private pool, such as your home or community pool. A community pool is a pool located in private neighborhoods or apartment complexes. Private swim lessons cannot be done in a public pool.
How long does it take to learn?
Every child is different, which is why private swim lessons are the best! You get a custom class tailored to your child’s level regardless of their age. It typically takes a child that is 2.5 years old or more about 12 lessons to get to the point where if the child falls in the pool they would be able to turn around and swim to the wall. That being said, all kids are different and some kids learn this skill even faster and some a little slower.
Is there anything I can do at home to prepare my child for the lessons?
Yes! You can and should work on getting them comfortable in the water by doing these 3 things before beginning swim lessons.
What is the best age to begin swimming lessons?
18 months to 3 years old, but it is NEVER too late to learn to swim! You can read my blog post on "Why swimming lessons are so important," for more information. Prior to this age you can begin to work on these 3 skills at home. The first two can be started as soon as you bring your baby home from the hospital! If you work on these skills from a young age your baby will be so comfortable in the water you can even begin lessons MUCH sooner (at 8-12 months).
Should I use floaties?
A child should NEVER be unaccompanied in the pool. Even after learning to swim constant supervision is necessary in and around the pool. Floaties should not be worn unless you are in an open water situation. Floaties hinder the child's progress, and can even make a child regress in the progress they have already made. Get in the pool with the child if they are going to swim outside of lessons, rather than using floaties for days that your instructor is not swimming with them.
Why is it better to learn without goggles?
If a child falls in the pool they are not going to be conveniently wearing goggles when this happens. It is necessary to learn the essential swimming skills without goggles for this reason. If the damage of using goggles has been done already by another swim instructor or swim school (yes, unfortunately some swim schools actually advise or even require parents to buy goggles because it is easier to teach going underwater with goggles) then it may be necessary to continue the use of goggles. Your Kitty Swimmers instructor will know when this is necessary. To learn more about this please click here.
Is crying normal?
Yes, learning to swim is scary for children. Particularly if they have never been underwater prior to taking swimming lessons. Water is a new and unfamiliar world to them, where they can't breathe. Anything unknown is scary to any human, but imagine a child that you can't rationally explain things to. To make for smoother lessons please work on the 3 things outlined in this blog post prior to beginning lessons. However, crying should not be viewed as a barrier to learning to swim. Once they learn to swim it won't be scary anymore and the crying will stop.
Do you recommend Infant Self Rescue (ISR) classes?
ISR classes are very intense and the children do not retain the ability to perform the "self-rescue" for very long after ISR "graduation". In addition to this, ISR instills a fear of being under water in these children, which makes it very difficult to teach them to swim once they have received ISR training. I do not recommend these lessons to anyone. If the damage from these lessons has already been done. It is possible to undo, but it is a stressful process for everyone involved. To learn more, please read my article where I go into great detail on this subject.