Policies
Cancelation Policy
Cancellations for any reason other than sickness require 48-hours notice.
Sickness-related cancelations during non-flu season [May 15 to Sep 31] require 24 hours notice to reschedule.
Sickness-related cancelations during flu-season [Oct 1 to May 14] require 6 hours notice to reschedule. 2 reschedules during each flu season using this 6-24 hour sickness allowed; additional allowed using the 24 hour notice. To use the 6-24 hour flu season reschedule option, email SerenitySwimming@gmail.com.
Swim lessons should be made a priority and skipping them is disruptive to your child’s progress. There is a limited amount of space available, and demand outpaces availability so please be considerate. Therefore, excessive cancelations or rescheduling will result in consultation with management. If excessive use continues you will be charged cancelation/rescheduling fees at $20/ lesson and risk both deprioritized, and/or refused service to make room for a more consistent client.
The sickness policies are in alignment with other children and swim lesson program cancelations. We do this notice time because it is rare for us to be able to fill the spot at the last moment and we still have a responsibility to pay the swim instructor. Excessive cancelations will result in consultation with management. If excessive cancelations continues between the standard cancelation and sickness cancelation times you will be charged cancelation/rescheduling fees at $20/ lesson and risk both deprioritized, and/or refused service to make room for a more consistent client.
For sickness- related cancelations under the times listed above, no rescheduling will occur but letting us know you won't attend is helpful (otherwise we are concerned about you). Do not come to swim lessons contagious (strep throat, pink eye, etc). Our instructors are in close contact with your children and often face-to-face providing instruction making transmission a likely risk. If a child informs an instructor they have something contagious, they will return the child to the parent and the lesson will end with no reschedule. There will be a $100 penalty the first time this happens and the second time, we will no longer teach the family swim lessons. Our instructors health is important to Serenity Swimming. Likewise, we care about your child's health and instructors will not teach if they are contagious.
When using the Hood College pool, if there is a pool closure, we will notify you as soon as possible and the lesson will be canceled/ credit back in your account rebook. The Hood College pool and pool deck close for 30 minutes after the last observed lightning strike.
No show lessons will be charged in full and no lesson will occur. A no show is defined as not showing up after:
· 20 minutes for a 30 minute lesson
· 30 minutes for a 45 minute lesson
· 40 minutes for a 60 minute lesson
Prior/ during/ after Lesson
· Use the bathroom prior to lessons. If child asks to use the bathroom during lesson, we will have them do so. Fecal release into pool results in that lesson’s cancelation and cleaning fee. Peeing in a pool results in poor air quality and is not acceptable.
· No full meal or upsetting foods prior to lesson to help prevent vomit. Vomit will result in lesson cancelation and cleaning fee.
· Encourage your child to do their best. Do not tell your child they don't have to try. Their best that day might be playing with toys, just getting in the water, or a single quality lap of a stroke- and that is okay and a victory. We will adjust their lesson as needed when we see they are tired/ etc. Remember, in real world swimming, they might be tired and so this helps them prepare for that. We all have those days, but we still want them to try their best. Trying is how they improve and become swimmers.
· Parents/ children/ guests need to stay out of pool, away from pool handrail, blocking aisle, no running and non disruptive.
· Once lesson ends, student needs to exit the pool.
· Only 1 swimmer at a time with instructor. This is for the safety of the swimmer. Exceptions are determined by the instructor with management approval.
Conduct
This is mostly for parents/ adults. Children and special need adults are still learning to process their emotions, thoughts and feelings and we understand that.
· Children and special need adults are still learning and we understand that. We want to teach children to respect their teachers, but also understand they are children and developing their emotional regulation skills. We keep swim lessons fun and playful, so don’t stress too much- if they cross a line, we will address/ let you know. We are asking them to do new and sometimes challenging things (ie: underwater) and they process and express this in different ways and that is okay. Unless its safety concerns of themselves, instructor or others, we will continue to teach them.
· Safety: Safety is the number 1 priority. If instructor feels a situation is becoming unsafe, the instructor has the right to discontinue the lesson and/or future lessons.
· Families that are disruptive to lessons, staff, others nearby, not following booking procedures, facility, etc will not be tolerated. When at Hood College, please do not approach lifeguards, coaches, or other instructors- they are focused. Lessons will be discontinued.
· Kindness and Respect are required. Be kind to instructors (words and actions), community members (only book when you will attend, follow any notes on website), lifeguards, and other pool patrons (noise level, sharing space, leaving alone stuff that isn’t yours, etc).
· The main form of communication is email (SerenitySwimming@gmail.com). We will send text if there is any last minute communication and you can do the same (we will see emails just as fast). If we think you are driving and need urgent info (pool closure), we will call. Please no phone calls- noisy pool environment, working atypical hours, being wet, and needing to check information before having an answer.
· Being pushy to instructors or management is not acceptable. We understand you want what's best for you child but we are interested in what's best for you child AND all other children in Frederick.
· Consequences: not following policies will result in lessons not permitted to continuing. Unless its very serious, we will give 1 warning via email. If you cannot agree to changes, we will not continue swim lessons.
· Why are we so strict on this section? The number 1 reason swim instructors stop teaching is not being respected. We don’t want to lose talented instructors. Our instructors have caring hearts which make them great swim instructors, but not for handling less than kind parents.
Packages/ Refunds
· Simply purchasing a package does not mean availability at your desired day/time.
· When you book, you will receive an email with the date/ time. If you do not receive it within 5 minutes (it is normally almost immediate) please check if the booking went through (if you didn't, email us and we can check). The day before the lesson, you will receive a reminder email.
· When booking, you are selecting a specific day and time. It is not reoccurring. To have the same booking the following week or month, you need to book it again.
· Because the pool availability changes frequently, we only release 1 month of lessons at a time (except in Summer).
· If you would like to see if your availability matches what is either currently open for that month or expected the next month before booking, please reach out to SerenitySwimming@gmail.com.
· Packages purchased before May 1, 2024 are valid for 12 months. Packages purchased after May 1, 2024 are valid 6 months. If you have a medical reason and need an extension, please contact SerenitySwimming@gmail.com.
· Packages/ lessons/ account can be shared among a household (parent/ children), but not others.
· Lessons are scheduled based on instructor and pool availability with current (within last 1 month on non FCPS holiday days) students receiving the priority. If a specific day/time is needed, it is encouraged to not delay booking once the schedule is released.
· If not a current client, you will need to wait until current families book. But we will welcome you back before a new family.
· We cannot change lessons into other sizes- this includes both entire packages and for a specific lesson day.
· Only purchase the package size that you are committed to using. If you are unsure, book the single package size. If you have a busy schedule that limits when you are available, please use the single package.
· Any refund has a $45 admin fee to cover time and processing fees.*
· If we issue a refund, you will not be able to receive services from Serenity Swimming in the future.*
· Refund will be prorated based on the amount of lessons used at the single package cost level (discounts received for larger packages will be removed).
· If you have reached your goals and have package credits remaining, we would be happy to transfer the credits to a community family unable to afford some lessons (we have connections that will help select a family).
* Refunds issued for medical reasons or military deployment/ relocation with documentation will only have actual processing fee (varies by package) and will be able to return in future.
General pool rules
· All standard and posted pool rules. Including but not limited to no running, no glass, no open cuts, no peeing in the pool etc.
Curious why there is a pool rule? Just ask your instructor! Understanding the why's sometimes helps!
Summer specific rules
All pools
- If we arrive early, if you are ready, we will start (and finish early). If not, we will gladly wait till your scheduled start time. If we arrive late, we will stay late and provide your full lesson time.
- Pool closures not related to thunderstorms (equipment, unbalanced pools, bodily fluids, air quality, etc) must follow the cancelation policy. Once the instructor is in route, closures not related to thunderstorms will be charged and not rescheduled.
Private pool
- We will arrive +/- 15 min of your lesson. The booking system sets a 30 min commute time but we maybe very nearby, or furthest possible from you. Our goal is about 5 min prior for an on time start. If you have a tight schedule before or after, please let us know.
- Please have your pool open, balanced chemicals, robots removed (or at least turned off and in the corner), and inflatables removed.
- Please keep siblings/ etc out of the pool during lessons so the child can focus.
- Instructors have everything we need for a safe and effective lesson.
Community pool families
- You are responsible for the instructor entry into the pool and any fees. Please know and follow your community’s rules regarding guest and 3rd party instructors. If we are asked to stop teaching a lesson we will not reschedule that lesson; for future lessons, we will attempt to use a different pool but their might be time/ instructor change.
- Our goal is an on time start. Please be prepared to meet us 5 minutes early at the entrance of the pool so we can get ready to be in the water at the start time. However, because we are driving from other lessons, we might arrive up to 15 min late. If we arrive late, we will stay late and provide your full lesson time.
- Only sign up for lessons when the pool is open, not on safety breaks, etc.
- Expect to meet us at the pool entrance. For pools that have multiple families with lessons, we will typically let you know if we will meet at entrance or pool side.
- At the end of lesson, we will always bring your child back to you. This is so everyone has clear knowledge of who is responsible for the child. Relatedly, we cannot leave your child unattended after the lesson this includes letting them walk or bike home (this includes teenagers).