Choosing your swim school – where do you begin?
So you have decided to look into swimming lessons, but what school do you choose?
Not every swimming school is the same, and they don’t all teach swimming the same way. Many theories exist on the best way to teach children swimming and that is why I would recommend you start by asking yourself – what are my expectations?
What do you want your child to experience when learning to swim?
- Do you want them to have fun – learning through play – or do you want them to just get in, focus and swim?
- Do you want your child pushed or to learn at their own pace?
- Do you want consistency of teachers?
- Do you want your child’s teachers qualified?
Starting your search often starts with a flick through the Yellow pages or Google. Other information can be found via online directories, blogs, Facebook and parenting forums – but how do you tell if the info there is accurate and up-to-date to enable you to make an educated decision?
Learning to swim is not something that is going to happen overnight. Every child learns at their own rate and even the ‘fast learners’ can take years to become safe swimmers, so being happy with your school and the teachers your child learns with is important.
Asking others about their experiences can be a great way to find out how they went personally, but as each family and child has a different experience, basing your final decision on this information is not always wise.
That is why, once you have narrowed it down to a few schools, the biggest recommendation I can give you would be to go and SEE the venue for yourself.
Ask the school if you can view the classes in progress and ask about their information and policies. You want to ensure the school is forth coming with this information prior to committing.
Other things you will want to look at and consider include:
- When you walk into the complex does it feel safe and friendly?
- Are the kids in the classes happy and learning in a supportive environment?
- Do the instructors have the current qualifications required to teach children?
- What size class will my child be in?
- Is the centre clean and warm?
- Are the activities age and developmentally appropriate?
- Is the pool maintained at a consistent temperature?
- Is the pool open to the public during swimming lessons?
- If not, is it open at other times for children to come and practice what they have learnt?
While all the above is not an exhaustive list, I hope it will help guide you through your journey as you look for a suitable swim school, because in the end, we all want the same thing – for our children to learn to swim and be safe in aquatic environments.
Alena Sarri (Aquatots Swim School)
The views and opinions expressed in this post are soley those of the original author. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of My Gungahlin.
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