Swimming is a life skill everyone needs, especially us Kiwis living in a country surrounded by water. Many of our activities involve water, and as a result, we are responsible for both knowing ourselves and teaching our kids how to protect our safety.
Swimming is excellent for the mind since it raises self-esteem, attitude, and confidence. Early swimming lessons will lessen a child's apprehension of the water, making swimming pools and beaches much less stressful for you and them.
Every child's first swimming lesson and swim school experience help shape their future attitude toward water. This is why choosing the ideal swim school is critical to guaranteeing your child has fun and a rewarding first swimming experience. You might wonder, why can't I just go to swim schools near me? Well, it is not as simple as signing up for any swimming program available at your local pool. Before enrolling your child in swimming lessons, you must consider some essential factors to help maximise your child's learning process. Given the variety of swim schools available, here are some of the top considerations for choosing the best swim school to launch your child's swimming adventure.
Safety
One of your primary concerns when choosing a swim school for your child should be safety. Swimming can be enjoyable, but it also poses a risk to safety if the proper precautions are not taken. For this reason, you should look for a school that has significantly invested in water safety and other security measures.
Look for swim schools that emphasise water safety during the lessons and throughout a child's life. Although public pools are entertaining and convenient options for summer swimming lessons, these sessions frequently concentrate on just getting to the pool's edge. Any swim school should aim to provide kids with all the knowledge and abilities they need to swim safely and confidently for the rest of their lives.
Being safe in and near the water requires a combination of ability and supervision. We protect ourselves and our children's safety by always keeping an eye on them near water and giving them the knowledge and skills to do so. Learning to swim provides kids more self-assurance and equips them with the instincts to keep themselves safe should the need arise.
Class Ratio
Find out the student-to-instructor ratio for each class. Balance is the primary consideration when determining the ideal class size. A class size of two to five students per teacher is optimal for beginner swimming lessons. Small class sizes allow instructors to deliver better instruction and closely monitor their students. Inquire about the other programs the swim school offers because they may have different class sizes at different times that would better suit your and your child's requirements.
Research offline and online
Asking around should be one of your first steps if you consider enrolling your child in a swim school. Ask any parent you may know who has children currently enrolled in swimming lessons about their experiences. You can learn a lot about a swim school and its instructors by digging online. Look at the reviews for swim schools on review sites and social media. To better grasp the kind of facility it is, read both the positive and negative feedback.
Instructors
Observe one of the swimming instructor's classes to evaluate their rapport with the students currently enrolled in the class. Inquire about the course and the instructors from any parent keeping an eye on their children. Once you verify the instructor's credentials and experience, assess whether their personalities are a suitable match for your child.
When deciding which instructor is suitable for your child, take into account the following:
- Does your child prefer an energetic or a gentle instructor?
- Do you want the instructor to be strict or more forgiving?
- How does the instructor communicate with his students?
Each student has a unique personality type. Some children will attend their first lesson and fall in love. In contrast, some others will initially be more hesitant and eventually come to appreciate it. While some students prefer more regimented instruction, others prefer less constrained teaching methods. This means that an instructor who behaves similarly to them can significantly impact how they learn.
Our swim instructors are also great at diverting attention, and having fun while learning to swim is the first step for every new child. We put their comfort and happiness in the water before our expectations of their becoming proficient swimmers.
Facility
Children require an atmosphere that nurtures learning. When evaluating a swim school, look for potential distractions that can make swim lessons challenging. Swim schools that can provide custom-designed facilities and various learning areas will undoubtedly have an advantage over those that take a "one size fits all" approach. Additionally, find out the temperature of the water as warmer water will provide newborns and young children with a more pleasant learning environment.
Program
As your child improves their technique and builds self-confidence, you want a curriculum to allow growth. Examine the swim school's levels since some don't accommodate all ages and experience levels. Examine your child's possibilities for moving on to the next level, as well. Find out if instructors will evaluate your kid at regular intervals, such as during school breaks, or if they can advance at any moment.
Pricing
Everyone seeks good value. Learn how much money you need to start and finish your child's swimming lessons. There shouldn't be any hidden fees. Determine whether you can pay as you go or if contracts are required.
Why Fulton Swim School?
Here at Fulton Swim School, safety is our number one priority. We have systems in place to ensure that everyone can learn safely and confidently in any of our swim school locations. We use the "Do the Five" technique at Fulton Swim School to educate our students on the five most crucial things to keep in mind when they are near the water and before they start swimming. These are: always being supervised, learning to swim, looking out for risks, never swimming alone, and learning how to assist others. We’ve published another article to elaborate on this.
We offer lessons for children as young as three months old and as old as adults. Our swimming lessons are structured, so everyone begins swimming at the appropriate level for their swimming abilities, not necessarily their age. In this manner, they won't think swimming is too challenging. As your child gets older or their swimming skill improves, we adjust to ensure they learn the best ways to keep themselves safe in the water. We teach water safety skills, including water acclimatisation and respect for it, developing confidence in secure entries and exits, breath control, survival swimming strokes, floating, mobility, and refining standard strokes so students can cover greater distances more efficiently.
Our goal is to maintain small class sizes. We keep a small class size of 5 students per instructor. This is lower than the industry standard, allowing our instructors to focus on their students and ensure rapid success. We also cater to customised adult swimming lessons, coaching, long distance swimming, or a fitness program for a certain role (e.g., police officer) that requires a certain degree of swimming, so please get in touch with us directly to make arrangements.
Fulton Swim School is proud to have a fantastic team of highly qualified instructors eager to share their knowledge and expertise. We have designed our curriculum to ensure every student’s continuous improvement during their time with us. We recognize the significance of the rapport between a teacher, student, and parent. This is why after every swimming lesson, our instructors will have 5 minutes available to speak to parents and students about their progress and other matters.
We view swimming as a life skill and believe that reinforcing skills year-round is the key to consistent and continuous improvement. As such, our program at Fulton Swim School is offered year-round, including during school breaks. By operating in this manner, we effectively allow you to sign up at any time of the year and withdraw anytime, providing the flexibility we all need in this day and age. As a result, you are not obligated to take lessons for an entire year. Running all year long also allows us to keep essential teachers and staff personnel, ensuring you always have access to the most highly qualified employees.
We're passionate about making swimming instruction fun for all students. Since our facilities are utilised for swim lessons only, you can rest assured that your child will have little to no distractions. All our pools are maintained to a constant 32 degrees, guaranteeing that all swimmers are always comfortable. To ensure that swimmers are safe, we avoid utilising the harsh chemicals used widely at bigger public pools and swim schools.
Finally, we only accept direct debit payments, ensuring that our resources are allocated as intended. This helps our staff and customers ensure that your child benefits fully from their classes.
Visit our website or stop by the pool to speak with us if you need more information on choosing the best swim school for your child.
