Kids who start young (less than a year old) and stick with it, can very easily become wonderful swimmers, completely independent, at the age of 2. However, it doesn't work this way if they don't start until after they turn 2. When they start young, they have a better comfort level and understanding of the water. We can teach them to be safe and cautious without instilling fear, they develop skills like breath control, floating, kicking, jumping into the pool, rolling into a back float, etc. All while building strength, coordination, listening skills, and overall awareness of the water. The benefits go far beyond the pool when they start swimming at a young age. You won't have to worry about having issues bathing them, washing their hair, or getting water in their face. All of these things combined, generally lead us to a very skilled 2 yr old, cool as a cucumber, able to utilize the skills they have learned to save their life! Of course, nothing replaces adult supervision around water… but it is so much nicer to watch your child swim from a distance than to hold them as they fight you in the water. Moral of the story; it is easier for us, for you, and for them, to start your child in swim lessons when they are young!
This is normal! If you have a child that is already afraid/apprehensive about the water, starting with private lessons straight away is the way to go. We do not just immediately force them into the pool against their will… while we definitely do need to get in the pool, we try our very best to get them in on their own accord. As many of you parents know, when it's 'their idea' it tends to be a lot easier. If we sense apprehension, we don't even talk about getting in the pool yet. We have SO many fun toys to lure them in. Allowing the child to look at all the toys and throw them into the pool is a great ice breaker. It's a fun way to distract from the anxiety they may be feeling. Our goal is to throw the toys into the pool and then get in to go pick them up. Our proposal to them if they still aren't excited about getting in, is that if we go pick up our mess, then maybe we can be done! We have a lot of toys so we can definitely make this take a while. Generally, during this process, they decide they like it, and they feel safe, and then don't get out right away. Sometimes we have to uphold our end of the deal and show them that we meant what we said. And they can get out once they finished the task.
With younger students, that maybe aren't so keen on communication, or participating in the game, we use our best judgment, paired with the parent's wants for the lesson, sometimes this means we pick them up and take them in while they are crying. The truth is, every child is different, and our main goal is to build trust and not create a traumatic experience. We want them to have fun. We use our best judgment to navigate each situation with every child for the best results.
We start a new session every month. Most of our students attend class once a week. If desired, and the schedule allows, we can do twice a week swim lessons. Classes are held all year round, we plan for time off during the holidays similar to the school schedule.
By the time your child is 2, they need to start swim lessons if they haven't already. After this age, the stubbornness, the likelihood of developing a fear of water, and the chances of drowning increase. Once they are walking around everywhere, they are curious. Water poses a threat even in the smallest amount (toilet bowl, bathtub, etc.). The sooner we can instill safety skills and a love for the water into our children, the better off and safer they will be.
We accept infants as young as a month old! Babies in the womb are surrounded by liquid, they are born with the natural instinct to hold their breath. We believe the sooner this instinct is put into practice as an infant, the better. If exercised enough, this can become a skill/instinct that they will have forever.
It varies! Every child is different, not only just in age, and skill level, but also in how they learn, etc. We always suggest that parents start with the plan to do at least 3 months of lessons. Our instructor will have a better idea after the first lesson.
Based on the information you provide we’ll reach out to you with available swim time slots and our recommendation for which type of class we believe your child should start with. From there, you can pick what works best for you and your child. We’ll also send you a payment link. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR SWIMMING TIME SLOT IS NOT RESERVED UNTIL YOU’VE COMPLETED YOUR PAYMENT.
All other equipment will be provided by The Barracuda Swim Club.
When you sign up you will help us learn more about you, your kiddo(s), and your goals for joining Barracuda Swim Club. The sign up form includes important information like availability and a skills assessment. Please keep in mind that registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and your spot is not guaranteed until you’ve completed payment in Step 2.
Subscribing to monthly lessons with the Barracuda Swim Club has many perks!
Credit or Debit Card On File. Full payment for the next session will be deducted by the 7th day of each month (example: August payment will be taken by July 7th).
We need 30 days notice to cancel your membership (not renew for the next month) before any payment is taken.
In the instance that we have already charged you, and you forgot to cancel before your subscription auto renewed, we will provide a refund (minus a fee of $5 or 3% for processing) as long as it's at least 14 days before the start of the new month lessons.
Month To Month; if you have a busy, unpredictable schedule, and can't commit to coming every month, our month to month option may be better for you!
You will need to re enroll every month, about 30 days or so ahead of time
Each session is 4 weeks (4 classes) long and must be paid for in full to completely register for the swim class.
If there is a holiday in the month, we will work around it, we schedule our time off similarly to schools for all major holidays.
Sometimes a month has more than 4 weeks, we do not offer regularly scheduled lessons during the 5th week of the month, we will always communicate specific dates for the session.
You will need to re enroll every month, about 30 days or so ahead of time.
Preferred method of payment will be credit/debit card payment via square invoice. The Square platform ensures security with your online payment. Other payment arrangements can be made for cash or check however your class spot will not be guaranteed until payment has been collected.
Please adhere to all rules set forth by the facility (Locomotion Fitness)
This includes but not limited to, No food or Drink (closed container with clear liquids OK) allowed in the pool area
**Students are not permitted to go in the Hot Tub Before or After Swim Lessons, Students are not permitted to be in the pool until their class is in session.
There is a family changing room - a designated family size bathroom - for all swimmers to get changed before and after lessons. If you would like to use the shower to rinse off after lessons there is a shower located in the pool room next to the sauna.
There are men and women's locker rooms, children 6 years and older capable of getting dressed on their own (and responsibly, no shenanigans in the locker rooms) are welcome to use their designated locker room (boys go to men's room, girls go to women's room).
Thank you for being respectful of this policy set in place by the Locomotion Fitness Center.
There are blue lockers with sea creatures painted on them, located in the hallway to the right before entering the pool room. you are welcome to store you/your child's things in there during lessons.
If you leave anything in the pool area, usually Gracie will pick it up and keep it until the next time you visit! Anything left in any other area of the gym (locker/family changing area) will be picked up by staff and put in the lost and found. Check these places for any lost items.
We accept credit and debit card payments via Square invoice. This can easily be done online through a payment link or we can take payment over the phone. For membership holders, your card will need to be on file for payment each month. Please see 'How does the membership work?' to see scheduled dates for automatic payment.
The easiest way to get ahold of us to notify of absence would be via Barracuda Swim Club page and Facebook messenger, or by texting Faith at (406-591-3634).
If a class is canceled on behalf of Barracuda Swim club, a makeup will be offered. Class Absences on your behalf will not warrant a refund*. Makeup lessons are offered on a case-by-case bases for missed classes, at owner's (Faith) discretion*. We do not offer makeup lesson (or compensation) for no call no shows (this includes notifying us of absence too close to scheduled class time). In the event of a family emergency, or a sick child, etc. We will need to be notified 6 hours or more before the scheduled class time in order to be eligible for a makeup class. For absences due to other things like scheduled vacation or any other reason, a week's notice or more is preferable so that we can plan accordingly. Please speak with Faith directly regarding any class absences, makeups, etc.
In the instance that one of your children (out of multiple that do lessons) is unable to attend their lesson but the others can, we prefer the student(s) that are present swim the full amount of time.
For example, if you have 2 kids, doing a 20 minute Private one after the other. One of your kids has a conflicting event and can't make it for one of the lessons, the student that is available to come to lessons will swim the full 40 minutes. If you have more than 2 kids, the extra time will be divided among them.
There is a family changing room - a designated family-size bathroom - for all swimmers to get changed before and after lessons. If you would like to use the shower to rinse off after lessons there is a shower located in the pool room next to the sauna.
There are men's and women's locker rooms, and children 6 years and older capable of getting dressed on their own (and responsibly, no shenanigans in the locker rooms) are welcome to use their designated locker room (boys go to men's room, girls go to women's room).
Thank you for being respectful of this policy set in place by the Locomotion Fitness Center.
There are blue lockers with sea creatures painted on them, located in the hallway to the right before entering the pool room. you are welcome to store you/your child's things in there during lessons.
If you leave anything in the pool area, usually Gracie will pick it up and keep it until the next time you visit! Anything left in any other area of the gym (locker/family changing area) will be picked up by staff and put in the lost and found. Check these places for any lost items.
After we've determined the best timeslot for you and your kiddo(s) we'll send you a payment link.
NOTE: YOUR SWIMMING TIME SLOT IS NOT RESERVED UNTIL YOU’VE COMPLETED YOUR PAYMENT.
We’ll do our very best to get back to you within 7-10 business days.
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