What safety procedures do you have in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable illnesses?

• We require all swimmers to fill out an AquaFamily Contagion Exposure Survey each day before their lesson. To save time on deck, please click the link below:

How long and how frequent are group lessons?

Group swimming lessons are typically held one time per week.
AquaTots, AquaBasics, and AquaDevelop level classes are 30 minutes
AquaRefine and Preteam classes are 45 minutes
Swim Team practices for 1 hour either once, twice or 3 times per week

How long are private (1:1) and semiprivate (2:1) lessons

You may enroll in 15, 30, or 45 minute private or semi-private lesson

Do I have to wait for the beginning of a month in order to enroll?

Our programs are on a rolling admission so you may register at any time. If you enroll mid-month, we will prorate you for the remainder of the current month.

How long are the sessions?

Swimmers are perpetually enrolled and will continue in our program until you give us written notice that you would like to discontinue.

How will I know when my child is ready to move to a higher level swim class?

Swimmers are evaluated on a weekly basis. Instructors will promote swimmers who fulfill all of the criteria within their swim level. Many classes will progress and advance to a higher level together so you may be able to keep your same swim time. We will either notify you on deck or by email if we feel it is best for your swimmer to change classes.

Do all swimmers need to wear a swim cap?

To help keep our pools clean, all swimmers are required to wear a swim cap in the water. We do make exceptions for swimmers who are hypersensitive as we do not want this to get in the way of learning. A variety of comfortable caps including soft cloth and long hair caps may be purchased on deck.

What is your swim bottom policy for children under 3 or who are not 100% toilet trained?

We require swimmers ages 0-3 or an older child who is not 100% toilet trained to wear a Happy Nappy swim bottom. The Happy Nappy does not look like a diaper at all and is made of thick, comfortable neoprene material which prevents any solid waste from getting into the pool. If your child has had diarrhea in the past 24 hours, please keep them home. We will issue you a makeup token for when they are well. Happy Nappies do not protect against liquid feces and the pool will need to be closed for cleaning if this should leak into the water. It is required that each swimmer be measured by our staff, prior to purchase to ensure the best possible fit. This is a snug fitting swim bottom to ensure the containment of waste. We stock sizes up to 3T and can order larger sizes if requested in advance. The Happy Nappy swim bottom, jammer or girls swim suit may be purchased on deck for $15-$25. If you wish to have your child wear a disposable swim diaper under the Happy Nappy, please be sure to tuck it completely inside the band to avoid fecal leakage. Please do not wear a regular diaper in the pool as it can swell and explode. *If a swimmer is not wearing a properly fitted Happy Nappy swim bottom and an accident occurs, a fee of $150 will be billed to the family for pool cleaning. You will not be charged the cleanup fee if your child is wearing a properly fitted Happy Nappy swim bottom. This is just a little added insurance for you.

Do you offer classes for babies and how old can they start?

Our Aquatot class is ideal of children 8 weeks - 4 years with a caregiver in the water

• Gentle and FUN approach to water safety and survival

What is your AquaFast Track Program?

This program is especially designed for AquaBasics swimmers to move to independent swimming skills quickly. These lessons typically produce independent swimming skills faster than group lessons due to the concentrated instruction and personalized approach. Once independent skills are achieved, swimmers will move to our AquaDevelop group class. This is achieved during a series of 15-minute private lessons focusing on: ​

• Comfort with eyes and ears in the water

How do I know which level to sign my child up for?

Please use our “find the right class level” tool to help you find the best level to enrol in. Your child will be evaluated during the first class and if another level is indicated, we will let you know at that time. You may also take a private lesson to get assessed before enrolling in a group class if you are unsure or would like a headstart to group classes.

Do you offer adaptive swimming lessons for persons with special abilities?

Aquabilities with Jennifer offers adaptive swimming lessons to children and adults with special abilities. Our aquatic specialists and professional instructors have helped many swimmers gain function, increased mobility and safety in the water. We work with a wide range of ability levels including persons who have developmental delays, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, sensory integration and those on the autism spectrum. According to Autism Speaks, "Drowning remains a leading cause of death for children with autism and accounts for approximately 90 percent of deaths associated with wandering or bolting by those age 14 and younger." Being safe both in and around the water is our priority.

Do you offer Aquatic Occupational Therapy?

Aquabilities with Jennifer offers Aquatic Occupational Therapy services to children and adults with special abilities. ​Clients who are recovering from back pain, surgery, stroke, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, fibromyalgia, as well as other impairments have found great relief and recovery from therapy in the water. The freedom of movement and resistive properties of the water help our clients to gain function in their everyday lives. Our Aquatic Therapists will customize a treatment plan to our client's individual strengths and needs.
Our sessions are more than just learning survival and swimming skills in the water. Our therapeutic sessions begin when our clients walk through the door. We help with strategies for changing into the swim suit, toileting, entering the pool, showering and changing back into dry clothes are covered if indicated.

A yearly prescription from a medical doctor is necessary before beginning Occupational Therapy services. This must include a diagnosis code and “Occupational Therapy” with the recommended frequency and duration of the sessions written on the prescription. Please see more information on billing private insurance in our Tuition and Billing section of the FAQ.

Do you have a swim team?

We offer a lightly competitive swim team for our more advanced swimmers at our Whitehall location. You may choose to practice one, two or three times per week. We offer weekly AquaRefine and Preteam classes in both Putnam and Riverdale for swimmers learning the fundamentals of competitive swimming.

Do you offer classes for adults (swimming, fitness, CPR)?

As an extra layer of protection for you and your family, Aquabilities offers adult survival and rescue classes for all ability levels. For more advanced swimmers, we offer master’s classes and triathlon training. For those interested in improving their fitness, we offer AquaFit and AquaMommy prenatal classes. We also encourage all of our parents and caregivers to become CPR certified. We can form a class for groups of 4 or more. Please email us for more information or if you would like to form a group or take a private lesson.

Do you offer water safety lessons for private or community events?

Our mission at Aquabilities with Jennifer is to help as many people learn how to swim and be safe in and around the water. We offer water safety lessons, both in and out of the water, for adults and/or children of all ages in our swimming lessons, at schools, in community programs, or at your home. Lessons can be from 10 to 45 minutes in length tailored to your specific needs, audience and venue. Please E-mail us to schedule your Water Safety Lesson! Drowning is Preventable Any person can drown regardless of age, race, or swimming ability. We believe in layers of protection:

• We offer tips for prevention of drowning at the home, pool, boat, lake, river, beach or any other body of water.

Do you offer refunds for missed classes?

There will be no monetary refunds given after a class has started. Credits toward future classes are given for such circumstances as a medical emergency (a doctor's note may be requested), family emergency or at the discretion of the owner. Credits will be prorated from the time of the resolution of the request. There will be a $30 surcharge for refunds requested less than a week before the class starts.

Can you bill private insurance for Occupational Therapy sessions?

We do not participate with Medicare or Medicaid at this time. Our services may be covered as an out-of-network provider if you have this benefit with your private insurance provider. Please check with your insurance provider to see if they cover Occupational Therapy with an out-of-network provider. The codes that we typically use are 97112 and 97113. We charge $99 per code and each code is 15 minutes. We will bill you monthly for these sessions and so that you may submit invoices to your insurance company for reimbursement. ​ If your insurance provider does not reimburse for out-of-network Occupational Therapy services or the amount that you would pay is more with insurance, then you may consider enrolling in a private adaptive swimming lesson that is billed at a lesser rate. Some swimmers may benefit from our inclusion group classes. Please email us for more information.

Do you accept payment from Self Direction for adaptive swimming lessons?

We do accept payment from RCIL - Self Direction. For more information on this program, please click here. If further assistance is needed, please email us for more information.

Do you accept RSA’s from the NYCDOE for Occupational Therapy?

​Unfortunately we are unable to accept RSA’s from the NYC DOE

Where can I find the days that we are off from swimming?

We mostly follow the local public school schedule for holidays and days off. There may be a few exceptions so please click the links below to update your home calendar. Click here to the Putnam swim calendar Click here for the Riverdale swim calendar

What happens if I miss a group class (makeup policy)?

If a swimmer is under the weather or has experienced fever, diarrhea or vomiting in the past 48 hours, please stay home until the symptoms subside. If vomit or fecal matter enters the water, the pool will need to be shut down for cleaning. When you are absent from your group class, you will automatically be issued a makeup token on your account. Instructions will be emailed to you on how you may schedule a make-up lesson in a class with availability via the parent portal. You may redeem your token as long as you are currently enrolled in our program. These tokens expire 6 months from the date of the absence. All make-ups must be booked online by you. Please ensure that you receive a confirmation email before you come for your makeup. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

What happens if I miss a private lesson?

If a swimmer is under the weather or has experienced fever, diarrhea or vomiting in the past 48 hours, please stay home until he or she is well again. If vomit or fecal matter enters the water, the pool will need to be shut down for cleaning. If you will be absent from your private lesson, please provide written notice by email as soon as possible. It is appreciated if you also follow up with a phone call to the office (347) 541-7665. Please understand that our instructors rely on their hours for income and they will still be paid in your absence. Any absence notifications received less than 24hrs from the start of the lesson will be billed at the full weekly tuition rate. Any absence notifications received with more than 24hrs notice will be billed the following fee to help cover our instructor's time lost due to the cancellation: 15 minute lesson cancellation fee: $15 30 minute lesson cancellation fee: $30 45 minute lesson cancellation fee: $45

What happens if there is bad weather?

If there is a pool closure due to extreme inclement weather (snow, ice, natural disaster) or other emergency including a pandemic, you will be offered a make-up token for any classes missed that were paid for. We will notify you by email and text of this closure. Morning lessons will be determined by 7:00 am and weekday afternoon lessons will be determined by noon of that day. Please be sure to stay subscribed to our emails and opt-in to texts so that you receive these important messages. We do not offer refunds for program changes or cancellations.

What happens if we are not able to swim due to bodily fluid, fecal accident, thunder or a pool maintenance emergency?

If there is an unforeseen last minute pool closure due to bodily fluid, fecal accident, thunder or a pool maintenance emergency, a safety lesson will be taught on deck in lieu of an in-water swim lesson. This safety lesson is part of our program and is typically taught to each class in November, February, May and August. We will move this lesson up as needed if there are unforeseen circumstances. We encourage all families to stay for this life saving information. If we make it to the end of the quarter without an unforeseen cancellation, we will still be presenting this important information during the months listed above. If there is a pool closure during Preteam or Swim team, these swimmers will have a dry land workout during their scheduled time. Swimmers enrolled in Private and Semi-Private lessons will be given the option to have the safety lesson or reschedule their time.

Can I take a supplemental class during the week for extra practice?

If you are currently enrolled and would like to add a supplemental group lesson, you may drop-in to one of our scheduled classes that has availability. Please email us at least 48 hours in advance to schedule your swim-in lesson. Swim-ins are reserved for currently enrolled swimmers only.

How do I withdraw from group lessons?

If you would like to withdraw from a group class, you must give 30 days written notice via email prior to the date you would like to end to avoid a $40 early cancellation fee. If less than 30 days notice is given, we will offer you an in-house credit for the remainder of your paid tuition less the $40 cancellation fee. This credit may be applied to future lessons with us. If you provide us 30 days notice, no cancellation fee will be charged. Refunds will not be issued.

How do I withdraw from private lessons?

If you would like to withdraw from private lessons, you must give 30 days written notice via email to avoid the early cancellation charge. This fee is equivalent to one week’s class tuition. We will offer you an in-house credit for any remaining classes that you have paid for, less the early cancellation fee. This credit may be applied towards future lessons. If you provide us 30 days notice or transfer to a group class, no cancellation fee will be charged. Refunds will not be issued.