No, we do not offer trial classes. Learning to swim is a process so we ask families to commit to the process to create a safer and smarter swimmer. We welcome families to visit our facility before signing up, so we can show you around and welcome you to our swimming family.
No, we do not make anyone sign a contract. We are confident that our program, staff and facility will keep you coming back.
If your child is sick, it's best to keep them home. For group classes, we allow one make-up per session if advance notice is given. You will have 30 days to use your make-up token. For private lessons, we ask for 12 hours notice to reschedule at no charge. Repeatedly rescheduled private lessons or very little advance notice, will incur a $20 cancellation fee.
Children who are not potty trained need TWO snug fitting swim diapers, and a towel.
Since we live in Florida where swimming is the leading cause of death for children under 4, we believe in getting children swimming as quickly and lovingly as we can. By starting with four consecutive days of private lessons for non swimmers 2 and older, we can get them safer and smarter in the pool more quickly than a program that has you coming once a week for months on end. After the initial week of private lessons, then you can get into a schedule of swimming 1, 2, or 3 times per week.
Once your swimmer has the basics and has completed the AquaChampion Private Lessons, we recommend swimming anywhere from 1 to 3 times per week. Like any new skill you learn, the more you do it, the better you'll be.
We teach many children who don't speak English as a first language. For that matter, we teach lots of babies who are too young to speak. Children learn through repetition and love and encouragement, which we can convey no matter what language you speak.
If your child is under two, we want you in the pool with us. This way we can teach you and your child simultaneously. For children over two, they are ready to make that separation without you to really reach that next stepping stone in their swimming development. There will be some emotions during the initial swimming lessons without you, which is completely normal and met with lots of love and encouragement.
Your child will most likely cry at some point in their learning to swim journey. This is a normal reaction to a new situation, people and experience. Please give us a few days of lessons to create that bond with your swimmer and trust the process. Once we've created a happy swimmer, they cry when they have to get out of the pool.
Since 1953 our teaching philosophy has been not just about survival swimming, but creating a swimmer that truly loves the water and the sport! Our focus is not on getting a swimmer to "backfloat" but learning how to swim back to the wall and climb out. For our younger swimmers and families drowning prevention education is our main goal; we emphasize breath control, kicking and wall play. When swimmers are ready, we start releasing them early so that they learn how to propel themselves back to wall. We start by teaching the foundations of freestyle, so by the time you graduate your swimmer will have the proper technique for all four competitive strokes.
YES! Whether you are an adult learning to swim for the first time, looking to improve your fitness or a triathlete wanting stroke technique; we have a program for you! Our AquaChampion private lessons are designed to be customized for the individual needs of the swimmer. Learning to swim as an adult can be intimidating! We provide a safe space for adults to express their fears, while building their confidence in and out of the water.
Since 1953, when our program started on Fort Lauderdale Beach, we have been loving swimming in the Florida sunshine. The fresh air, natural Vitamin D and open space make our swimmers and families feel at home. Our pools are easy to heat and chill so that we can maintain the perfect temperatures year round! And who wants to be stuck inside a noisy, smelly indoor pool?!?
NOW! AquaChamps provides year round swimming so that anytime is a good time to start swimming! Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 4, and Florida leads in drownings. Living in South Florida means that swimming is not optional, it's a necessary life saving skill that every child should acquire! We start babies as early 3 months in our Mini-Mudskipper classes with the parent in the pool.
No, we no longer offer private home lessons. If you do have someone coming to your home, please make sure that they are licensed and insured for you, your home and your swimmer’s safety. It has always been our experience that private lessons and group classes at our facility are more productive and effective than lessons done at your home.
We swim in rain, we are wet anyway. If there is lightning in the area, your private lesson will be rescheduled and your group class will be issued a make up token. We are lucky that we don't have many days when this is an issue. We take advantage of being in sunny South Florida and enjoying fresh air rather than a smelly indoor facility.
Absolutely not! No one is "drown proof" and no swim school can "drown proof" anyone! Drowning prevention is all about layers of protection and swimming lessons is one of those important layers. Layers of protection include: 1) door lock above child height, chimes on doors when opened, 2) pool fence, or some type of pool barrier, 3) swimming lessons, and 4) knowing CPR.
AquaChamps Swim School has an extensive training program that entails 40-60 hours of in water training; as well as classroom learning during the training period. Our trainees shadow seasoned coaches and the owners to learn hands on technique in every level of program. Our Training Program is designed to ensure consistency in every level so that our swimmers receive the best instruction possible. Our coaches are all CPR, First Aid & AED certified; several of our staff are also Lifeguard certified.
We hope that you and your child have a lifetime of swimming together! In our group classes, we generally move swimmers 2 years and up into swimming independently. The group classes provide your swimmer with the opportunity to learn from other children while encouraging positive social & physical development.
Absolutely not.
No. Swimming is a process…your consistency and commitment along with our professional coaching staff will help to make your child a safer, smarter swimmer.
We believe in taking a gentle, caring approach when learning to swim. We do not teach through, what we believe to be traumatic approaches, like forced back floating or total submersion. The goal is to create a swimmer that not only loves the water, but understands there are limits. Our emphasis is on teaching swimmers to jump in, turn around and go back to the wall. Since we come from a competitive swimming background, it is important to us that your child learns the proper swimming technique at an early age. We emphasize teaching our swimmers to begin learning how to kick and use their arms to swim back to the wall. We also pride ourselves in making the parents an active part of the learning process. After all, parents are the ones responsible for their child’s survival; survival should not be left up to the child alone.
Learning to swim is a process, which is why we recommend starting as young as three months of age and swimming year-round. Becoming comfortable in the water is the first step in this process. Then with consistent practice proficiency will follow.
