Registering for Infant WaterPlay or Preschool Learn to Swim

Question My Daughter is turning 3 soon and I was not sure whether she should be in the Preschool Learn to Swim or Infant WaterPlay? She swims with a swimming ring indendant from me – but the pool is one depth and too deep to do too much. When we go to other pools at her depth, she just hops right in and shows off. What are your thoughts? I have measured her and she is 80cm from toes to chin. I am not sure about her getting into the pool without me straight away which is why I have gone for the Infant WaterPlay.

Answer Given your daughter’s experience in swimming and confidence I would recommend putting her into the Preschool classes without you in the water. As you have a couple of weeks till she would start you can prepare her for going in alone, build it up as something special big girls who are ‘3’ do without Mum in the pool. You will be right beside her at the steps for as long as needed and she will be just like her big brother, swimming with the big kids! The teachers are great at taking it slowly for little ones who are not sure about being alone in the pool, but I think from what you have said that she will be just fine and probably surprise you.

In our experience many older children rely on their mum or dad too much when in the water with them instead of learning to be more independent. Parents also sometimes have difficulty letting their swimmer be independent when in the water together. We do have swimmers without your daughter’s experience starting in the Bubblefish sessions.

 

Question Will it be possible to swap from Infant WaterPlay to Preschool & School Age Learn to Swim mid-block if my daughter progresses well?

Answer Our swimmers make fantastic progress during our blocks and we are continually evaluating their ability and looking for swimmers who have achieved all the skills at their current level and are ready to move on. It is not always possible to move the swimmer into a different class midblock becasue our classes are always full, but we will extend the swimmers within their existing class to begin building skills from the next level and they will move on as soon as a place becomes available at a suitable time.

 

Question Do we have to come to an assessment prior to our swimming lessons?

Answer No. We place the swimmers inot classes based upon your description of their ability. Our 1st lesson of each block is used to evaluate the appropriateness of the classes for each of the swimmers. If we feel any swimmer would be better placed in a different class we will discuss this with you. This includes changing from Infant WaterPlay to Preschool & School Age Learn to Swim, and from Preschool & School Age Learn to Swim to Infant WaterPlay, or changing classes within the same programme.

 

Question I have registered my son and daughter into a 1 week but I cant fit in, now that I'm working. Am I able to change to the 10 week block?

Answer Changing blocks before Enrolment Closes is fine. Priority is given to those paid, not those registered, so providing payment is received before Enrolments close and there are still spaces available a change is no problem.

 

Question Just one query regarding whether I have put my daughter in a challenging enough class - I put in Starfish float yet she happily kicks with a board also and a bit of dog paddle.
She has done 3 (I think) blocks with Wakatipu Swim School) and also had 6 lessons with another swim school in Christchurch this year. Will they be evaluated and possibly moved or do they stay in the same group right from enrollment.

Answer Regarding placement of your daughter, I will use the certificate records from last season and your information to place her in what I hope will be an appropriate class. However, we do get it wrong sometimes especially at the start of the season, so the first lessons are used for evaluation and if we need to move her to a more suitable class will ring you in the first week to discuss. If you don’t hear from me and you think the class wasn’t quite right, you can assume her class is ok and perhaps other swimmers are being moved or call me to confirm.

Question My son is 3.6 but quite short. How deep is the pool as I am worried that he wont be able to stand on the bottom of the pool. He’s very excited but I can’t do the Infant WaterPlay with him as have a 1 year old as well.

Answer Your son will be fine to join our beginner class. We do at times have swimmers who are not very tall so they work from the safety of the steps and with the support of the teachers, from the noodles too. We will talk to you after the first lesson if there are any problems. Please do call us if you have any concerns after the first lesson.

 

Payment Questions

Question Can I pay by Visa?

Answer Sorry, we are not currently set up to accept Visa payments.

Question Can I pay by Cheque?

Answer Sorry, cheque payment is not an option due to the increased cost and administration time involved in handling them.

Question What are your bank details for online deposits?

Answer Online payment to account 12-3405-0006666-000. Include swimmer’s name and start date with all transactions.

 

Question How can I make payments with cash?

Answer During the season, there is a secure fee box at the poolside for fees, alternatively you can pass your fees to the Director of Swimming. Please put all fees into an envelope with your swimmer’s name(s) and the block they are registered for. During pre-season or at times when the pool is not an option, please make arrangements with Director.

 

Registering for Lessons

Question I would like to book my daughter (aged 4 3/4 ) into swim lessons starting next holidays. She is very comfortable in the water, and is happy to be in the water without me. Can you help?

Answer We can certainly book your daughter into our classes. You need to register online – go to www.wakatipuswimschool.co.nz/gettingstarted.htm and scroll down to Register for Preschool & School Age Lessons. If you could note on the registration any preferences you have, it will increase the likelihood of getting a class time which works with your family schedule.

 

Question I've just been looking on your website and notice that you have infant waterplay classes. I was just wondering at what age it is recommended that infants start these?

Answer We start our infants at 6 months with the parent in the water. We are aiming to show you how to teach your baby and provide you with lots of fun activities you can safely do with your child in the pool. It is generally accepted by aquatics professionals that babies should not swim in public pools before the age of 6months as their immune system isn't fully developed. Prior to 6 months, there are heaps of water familarisation activities you can do with your infant in the bath so when they do get into a pool they are comfortable with being in water. Check out Swimming NZ for loads of ideas.

 

Question Could i just check with you what the  adult:child ratio is for the Frog group please?

Answer The ratio is 1:5 in our Frog groups.  Due to having year round access to swimming now, we are finding our swimmers are progressing much faster and becoming Frogs or Crabs before they are 5, which is awesome for their ability, but does put them into slightly larger groups. If you are concerned about the size of the group, or you feel she is not making progress because of the group size, please give me a call to discuss further.  Then I’ll speak to your daughter's teacher and come back to you with a plan.

 

What to Wear

Question My daughter feels the cold. Can she wear her wetsuit to the lessons?

Answer The water is warm and wetsuits are not encouraged because they inhibit free arm movement and provide a false sense of buoyancy. For the comfort and benefit of your daughter, do bring her wetsuit which we can resort to if the air temperature causes her to feel cold.

 

Unanswered Questions?

Do you have a question which is not answered here? Send your questions to us and we will get back to you within 24hrs. Email to questions@wakatipuswimschool.co.nz