Frequently Asked Questions

To register for swim lessons, please click here and fill out our online registration. Once you have submitted the registration form, we will contact you to schedule classes and match you with a qualified instructor.

Florida Swim Company follows the American Red Cross guidelines and starts lessons at 6 months old and up. Swimming has tremendous positive effects on an infant’s physical and mental development.

We recommend continuing lessons until you are comfortable with your child’s skill level. The more lessons your child takes, the stronger and safer swimmer he or she will become. Every child learns at a different rate, but the average 3 year old child with little to no fear of the water takes 12-18 lessons to learn how to swim. Our younger students and those with a fear of the water will take a little more time to learn and that’s ok!

There is no “one size fits all” swim program and our program is completely customized to the student’s individual need.

The student’s progress is determined by desire, attitude, level of fear, and confidence. Some students take to the water quickly and others are much more hesitant – either is completely normal. Remember the student is learning a new skill, and with learning anything new, this can be frustrating at times – please have patience! The most important thing – never compare the student’s progress to another. All students are different and our instructors are here to push them, but we need to allow them to learn at their own pace.

YES! Fear may pop up during any swim lesson, especially in the first few lessons. This is absolutely normal! Remember, when learning a new skill, children may get frustrated, scared, or just not feel up to swimming that day – this is where the tears are coming from. Our instructors will never do anything that will hurt your child and your child’s safety always comes first!

We do not offer any swim guarantees for a few reasons. We have found that when certain “quotas” need to be hit in a set amount of lessons, this causes swim instructors’ teaching style to become overly aggressive. Every student is different – some students learn by being pushed, while other students are hindered and will actually back-track if they are overly pushed. We ask the swim instructor to use their best judgement based on the child’s personality and characteristics, to choose which style of teaching would work best for each student.
A few factors contribute to a student’s learning speed: amount of practice (homework) outside of swim lessons, level of fear of the water and if they have been reliant on any sort of floatation device to swim in the past.

We have found that students who practice their swimming skills outside of swim lessons tend to learn to swim at a faster rate. Just like learning anything new, the more a student practices, the faster they will achieve the skill.
Every child may have some fear towards the water, but some students take a little longer to become confident putting their faces under the water. This is a HUGE deal to them and we ask for your utmost patience while your child is trying to reach this goal. They WILL get there!
If your child has been using any type of floatation device (puddle jumpers, floaties, ect) it may take a little longer to correct his or her body positioning in the water and get them to swim properly. Puddle jumpers teach children to swim in a vertical position – this is also referred to as a “drowning position.” Once this device is removed, the child will try to swim vertically and will not be able to – our job is to teach a child to swim horizontally so they will be able to make forward motion to safety. PLEASE discontinue use of all floatation devices once your child is enrolled; by continuing to use these devices during swim lessons will greatly hinder their progress.

Because quality and safety are our number 1 concern, the owners of Florida Swim Company personally travel Florida meeting and screening all instructors and lifeguards in person. The application process is extremely competitive and Florida Swim Company is very selective in hiring new instructors. We will not let “just anyone” teach children how to swim. The instructors are required to have numerous certifications and years of experience – we also expect them to display a degree of professionalism, as well as enthusiasm, in their teachings. Specific certifications of each instructor can be found in their online biography.
Some of these certifications include:
• CPR, First Aid, Administering Emergency Oxygen and AED
• Lifeguarding
• Water Safety Instructor (WSI) or equivalent 40+ hours of training course
• Special Needs Education
• All instructors must pass a background check
• Continuing education
We are active in national and international swim school associations and we are constantly learning, developing and implementing new effective techniques every swim season. All instructors and lifeguards are covered under Florida Swim Company’s General and Professional Liability insurance.

As soon as possible – lesson slots fill up very quickly, particularly in the morning and evening time frames. We recommend booking lessons a month in advanced during our busy season (April-September).

The more swim lessons you purchase the more you save! Check out our Rates Page for pricing comparisons.

We never recommend pulling a student out of lessons, but if a situation arises where lessons need to be put on hold, we offer a few different options. Swim lessons and water aerobics classes may be paused and put on your account as a credit – swim lessons and water aerobics classes expire 1 year from the date of purchase. Private lifeguards may be rescheduled, at no charge.

Your satisfaction is very important to us. If you are not satisfied with your swim lessons, you may switch out your swim instructor by contacting the office at 833-235-7946 or Office@FloridaSwimCompany.com. If after your second lesson with a new instructor you are still unhappy, we will refund the remaining lessons. A 20% processing fee may be applied to refunds for swim lessons, water aerobics classes and private lifeguards.

For children under the age of three, you are more than welcome to be in the pool with the instructor, as long as this is not a distraction towards the child’s progress. You DO NOT have to be in the pool and may watch from the pool deck or inside your home.

All non-weather-related cancellations require a 24-hour notice to the instructor or office, otherwise the lesson is forfeited. Weather related cancellations will be made at the instructor’s discretion. You will be given your instructor’s personal contact information if you need to get a hold of them at any time. Lessons cancelled due to weather will be rescheduled at no charge. If a lesson has already begun and needs to stopped, due to weather, the remaining lesson time will be added to your remaining lessons.