Frequently Asked Questions

If you are unsure of which class to sign up for, we recommend that your child take our free swim assessment before choosing a class. Please call our office at 303-254-6920 or email us to schedule: info@bluedolphinswimschool.com

Please call our office 303-254-6920 or email us to schedule:  info@bluedolphinswimschool.com

It is our goal for every child to be comfortable in the water.  If your child has long hair, it can be a distraction during lessons.  It is best to either have hair pulled back, or to wear a swim cap.  If your child refuses to use a swim cap, give it time.  Have the instructor attempt to put on the cap; however, we will not push the issue.  Just keep the hair pulled back and we will keep trying with the swim cap.

We do prefer that children wear goggles.  This assists in the child’s comfort with opening their eyes when submerged in the water.  However, if your child is under the age of 2, we do not push them to wear goggles.  The instructor will work with your child to get them comfortable with wearing goggles.

Graduation week (also called “Celebration Week!”) allows parents and students to review how far their child has progressed. Students move up levels if they have secured all necessary skills, and will receive fun rewards such as a sticker, a prize from the treasure chest, and a graduation ribbon. Please stop by the front desk if your child has graduated to a different level.

In the first month we establish trust, comfort in our environment, and consistency in the skills being taught.  The second month the child applies and blends the skills with confidence.  In our 20+ years of teaching lessons, we have found the first 2 months to be the most crucial time to develop swimming skills.  The 2-month requirement does not end your lessons; you are booked in a perpetual lesson.

Our customers take lessons until cancellation is received via e-mail by the 27th of the month to end lessons at the end of the current month.  This is opposed to the session schedule by which most recreation centers and many other swim programs run.  You do not need to call the office to reschedule monthly, quarterly, or on our session breaks.  You keep your lesson’s day and time until you change it or cancel it.

We need to be notified either by phone, email, or in person by the 27th of the month to stop lessons at the end of the month.  (For example, if you want to cancel lessons for November; we need to be notified by October 27th)

We do accommodate makeup lessons; BDSS requires notice 6 hours before the scheduled class for an absence to be excused. After the missed class, a makeup token will be generated for the student. The token must be used within 45 days of the absence.  We do ask that parents use the Customer Portal to view and enroll in possible makeup lessons. If you stop lessons, any remaining makeup tokens must be used within 30 days of the drop date. A makeup lesson can be canceled and the token credited back if the cancellation is 24 hours or more before the makeup lesson. Makeups canceled within 24 hours of the lesson will result in a lost token.

Our instructors are scheduled with back-to-back lessons and will be able to take the student for the remainder of the time left in the student’s lesson.  The instructor will notify the parent of the amount of time left in the lesson.

Please contact the office via personal visit, phone, or email to request changes in your schedule, with 15 days notice.  Changes are made to lessons based on availability.  We do not guarantee timeslots to families.

All of our teachers go through an extensive hiring process and training period at BDSS. They are all extremely qualified in teaching children how to swim and be safe in the water. All instructors utilize the swim teaching method developed by the owner, Stacy Young. We understand that you may have specific requests and we will do our best to meet those needs. However, we cannot control events that may occur in our teacher’s lives that may require them to change their schedules occasionally and/or move on to other careers. If your child’s teacher needs to change, we will make the transition as smooth as possible.

If it is a holiday that we are scheduled to be closed, you are not charged for these dates, as we pro-rate lessons each month based on the number of scheduled lessons (except for Elite, which only prorates for May and December). For snow and weather closures, a makeup token will be issued and we will do our best to assist families in rescheduling the lesson.

Swimming is the most natural exercise for infants because they live in a warm water environment through gestation and it feels natural for the infant to continue their relationship with water. Infants learn to hold their breath through command and repetition, increasing blood flow and oxygen to vital organs in the body. Swimming is also a great bonding activity for both parent and child and is one of the few exercises that benefits us throughout our lifetime.

If your child is not potty trained through the night, they will be required to wear a Happy Nappy swim diaper. When using disposable swim diapers, the synthetic fibers break down into the pool and interfere with our pool filtration system. Additionally, disposable diapers do not have a tight enough fit around the leg opening, creating a risk for fecal matter to escape. Fecal accidents in the pool require a 12-hour closure, which adversely affects our customers and our business. Please help us keep our pool clean!

Please stick to the B.R.A.T diet to reduce the chances of your child’s stomach getting upset. The child should only eat “B.R.A.T” items 2 hours prior to the lesson time. Please, no acidic foods or milk products before lessons!

○ Bananas
○ Rice
○ Applesauce
○ Toast

One or more of the following situations could be occurring with your child:

• Separation anxiety
• Fear
• Loss or lack of control
• Tired or hungry
• Illness

Most children go through a period of crying, especially when they begin swimming lessons.  All of our instructors are trained in handling a crying and anxious child.  Do not feel uncomfortable if your child is crying.  Be confident in our method and that our instructors are able to handle the situation professionally.

• Be consistent – do not swap or change lesson times in the first 2 months
• Be early – show up 10-15 minutes before your lesson time
• Be firm – explain that swimming is about safety
• Be positive – be upbeat about swimming (it’s FUN!)

Blue Dolphin Swim School strives for consistency in teachers; however, we cannot guarantee that any student will remain with the same instructor for any amount of time.  The consistency in our program lies in the method we teach, not the teacher.  Obviously, each teacher has their own personality and certain personalities work better with others.  If there is a personality conflict, please let the office staff know and the office can assist with teacher changes.  We do our best to inform our families about teacher changes; however, we do reserve the right to make teacher changes at any time without notice based on company needs. If your child is anxious about having a different teacher, be positive and let your child know the new teacher is going to help them just like their other teacher.

We ask that new families observe lessons before signing up to ensure the program is the right fit for the student.  Once you commit to our program, we commit to your child, and we will do everything we can to help your child to work through any emotional or technical issues they may be having.  It takes time to build trust, so please allow us the opportunity to establish a relationship and create the comfort needed to build a happy and comfortable swimmer. For this reason, we ask that all new families make a 2-month commitment to the program.

We have found students learn best when they are not distracted by parents sitting on deck or standing by the pool. Parents should wait in the designated areas, but are of course welcome to observe the class from the large lobby windows.