Frequently Asked Questions

During the spring and summer months we also offer “Mini – Quarters”, where we consolidate the 8 weeks into a two week time period.  Mini-Quarter classes are taught Monday – Thursday for two consecutive weeks. We do this to accommodate families that vacation or have multiple activities planned for their children. Mini Quarter classes are offered during the morning hours between the hours of 9:30 – noon. All classes are ½ hour in length and include a low teacher to student ratio of 4 swimmers to one teacher.

Can a child really learn to swim coming to class once each week?  YES! In fact 90% of our students swim once each week on a year round basis. Swimming is comparable to piano, karate, dance, or any other type of lesson in which your child may be engaged where retention of skills is necessary to indicate progress. Our program is structured this way for many reasons. First, if your child is fearful of the water, they have a week to “recover” from the lesson. If they are required to attend every day, they dig their feet in and it is difficult to accomplish new skills until they relax. This usually happens by about the sixth day. When you come once a week, usually by the third class they realize “Wow, Mom and Dad are very serious about lessons and they mean business”. Then they relax, allowing more effective learning to take place.  If they love the water, they anticipate their swim day and look forward to it each week. Children who swim once a week on a consistent year round basis tend to retain skills better and swim more fluidly and confidently through the water than those who do not. 

What if my child cries?  At Sea Star, our teachers have to make an immediate assessment about why a child is crying. Are they crying because they are strong willed?  Because of a parent attachment? Is there a real fear involved? Once this assessment is made, we incorporate the following values into the class: PACE, PATTERN, and COMPASSION. Pace means that we endeavor to give each child in the class equal attention and time. Pattern means there is a definite learning pattern that we want to complete in each class. Compassion means that we want to allow them to validate their feelings by giving them limited choices into the decision making of what will happen in class. For example, a teacher might ask, “Suzie, do you want to go underwater two times or three times today?” The fact is that in order to learn to swim the student must learn how to submerge. We will go underwater, but she can decide how many times today. 

But what if my child is REALLY UPSET?  Often, a child is very adamant about the fact that they do not want to go to class. What we find is that parents who are very INTENTIONAL about coming to class will ALWAYS have positive results. Swim lessons are different from any other type of lesson in which your child will engage. The child realizes quickly that water is a suffocating liquid, and this suffocating liquid surrounds his/her head.  As a result, REAL FEAR comes into play. Once again, limiting your child's choices can help a great deal. Example: “Johnny, you can either put your suit on in the car or at the pool,” helps Johnny once again realize that you are intentional about him/her learning to swim, but you are still giving him limited control over some issues.

How do I enroll?  Classes are filled on a first come, first served basis. Payment in full is required at the time of enrollment.  We do offer a priority sign-up period the week prior to open enrollment for any student who is currently enrolled in a quarter. We arrange classes according to your convenience. For example, if you have a 7 year old beginner and you want her to swim on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00, we try to look for classes who have other 7 year old beginners at the same time. We attempt to group swimmers together by age and ability level. Payment in full is required at the time of sign-up. We accept cash, check, and Visa or Master card.   For all policies, please click on our “New Student Information” section. 

How can my swimmer advance beyond the lesson program? At Sea Star, your child's success and achievement of goals are very important to us.  We offer a variety of classes that enable your child to climb “up the ladder”. Click on the "Curriculum" section for more details. For information about MTSC, visit www.middletennesseeswimclub.com

Can adults learn to swim?  Absolutely!  We encourage adults to enroll in private lessons, since they tend to have individual concerns about the water. Sea Star specializes in teaching adults who are extremely fearful. Call the office at (615) 822-8800 to arrange a lesson.  We have a number of clients who have successfully overcome their fears and apprehensions, and we can refer you to them for questions and moral support.  These individuals understand what you might be thinking (mainly because they've "been there and done that"), and they will be happy to discuss with you their triumph over “water phobia”!

TOP