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FAQ's
General Information
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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
You may enroll in 15, 30, or 45 minute private or semi-private lesson
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.
Swimmers are perpetually enrolled and will continue in our program until you give us written notice that you would like to discontinue.
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.
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.
We require swimmers ages 0-3 or an older child who are 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-$35.
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.
Our Programs
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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
• Caregivers will learn safety in the home and around aquatic environments
• Techniques to help tolerate water on the face and head - homework at bathtime
• Breath holding while submerging, front gliding, back floating, rollovers
• Propelling to the wall, holding on, hand walking and climbing out to safety
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
• Floating comfortably with face in the water
• Gliding independently for 5-10 feet
• Independent back floating
Please use our “find the right class level”(https://www.aquabilitieswithjennifer.com/aqua-swim-levels) tool to help you find the best class to enroll in. Your child will be evaluated during their 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 head start to group classes. If we have availability, you may be able to schedule a quick dip during one of our group classes to help determine to best level.
Aquabilities with Jennifer offers swimming lessons to children and adults with all ages and abilities. Our professional instructors have helped many swimmers gain function, increased mobility and safety in and around the water.
We offer a lightly competitive swim team for our more advanced swimmers at our Dobbs Ferry and Somers locations. You may choose to practice one or two times per week.
We offer weekly AquaRefine and Preteam classes in Somers, White Plains, Dobbs Ferry and Whitehall locations for swimmers learning the fundamentals of competitive swimming.
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.
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 (mailto:aquabilitieswithjennifer@gmail.com)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.
• We educate people on secure barriers around bodies of water .
• We offer swimming lessons for all children and caregivers which includes water safety education .
• We promote wearing U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets or personal flotation devices (PFDs).
• We require responsible and vigilant adult supervision such as lifeguards and water watchers .
• We remind that no one should ever swim alone.
• We teach that all teens and adults should learn CPR .
No other parent should endure the tragedy of losing a child to drowning Please help us spread the word that Drowning is Preventable!
Tuition and Billing
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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.
Group lessons are billed at a flat rate each month whether we swim 3, 4, or 5 times per month. It all equates to approximately 4 times per month at the end of the year. Private lessons are billed the number of times per month that we are in session.
Days Off and Missed Classes
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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(javascript:void(0))
Click here for the Riverdale swim calendar(javascript:void(0))
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 be issued a makeup token on your account (1 per month) as long as you report the absence through our portal in advance. Instructions will be emailed to you on how you may schedule a make-up lesson in a class with availability via the clients portal.
You may redeem your token as long as you are currently enrolled in our program and there is a space avaialbe in a class at the swimmer's level. Please understand that makeups are given as a courtesy and are not guaranteed.
Makeup tokens expire 3 months from the date of the absence. All makeups 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.
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
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.
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.
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. You will be charged the daily rate for this added class. Swim-ins are reserved for currently enrolled swimmers only.
Frequently asked questions
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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.
If you would like to withdraw from private lessons, you must give 7 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 7 days notice or transfer to a group class, no cancellation fee will be charged. Refunds will not be issued.
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