FAQ'S
WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
We need 2 week notice of cancellation for you to receive a full refund for your lesson.
WHAT AGE DO YOU START TEACHING LESSONS IN YOUR PROGRAM?
We teach your choice of private or group lessons for 4 year olds and up at all levels of ability. We welcome teaching private lessons only to 3 year olds if they are ready and willing to start taking lessons. We do not recommend starting your 3 year old if they are scared or anxious to be in the water without their parents. We believe it is important that learning to swim be a positive experience and if they are not ready and willing participants, it is probably best to find a mommy and me group designed to work with both the parent and child together in the water.
HOW DO YOU PLACE KIDS IN GROUPS?
We place kids in groups based on age and ability, according to our number chart from our swim level guide.
WILL MY CHILD BENEFIT MORE WITH GROUP OR PRIVATE LESSONS?
Every child is different and learns differently in various settings. Sometimes a child needs to see another child do a task as motivation for them to progress. Sometimes a child is easily distracted and does best with one on one attention. It's best to leave this decision up to parents who best know their child's personality. The only exception is when a child is a real beginner and somewhat frightened or scared in the water. In this case it is always better to have a private instructor giving their sole attention to this child and reassuring him or her that they are in safe hands. Also, we only do privates with 3 year olds who are ready and willing to take lessons.
HOW MANY SWIMMERS ARE IN EACH GROUP?
Our groups are 3-4 swimmers.
IF I SIGN MY CHILD UP FOR MULTIPLE WEEKS OF LESSONS, HOW DO YOU PLACE THEM IN THE APPROPRIATE GROUP CONSIDERING THEIR IMPROVEMENTS? We have been teaching and organizing swim lessons for the past 15 years and are very familiar with how kids progress from one skill level to the next and will sign them up appropriately. We also watch your child at the end of each week and reevaluate their progress.
HOW DO I SIGN UP MY CHILD UP FOR LESSONS?
Registrations are made online. Please review our Summer Schedule and Swim Level Guide prior to registering. If there is a problem with the availability of the dates and times you request, we will email you to reschedule. If you have any questions you can call our voicemail at (415) 259-9512 or email us at paul@paulbirichaquatics.com
WHO ARE YOUR INSTRUCTORS?
Our instructors are all former or current athletes who have been taught and coached by Mark Anderson and Paul Birich over the years and have been specifically trained to teach lessons for Paul Birich Aquatics.
CAN I REQUEST A SPECIFIC TEACHER?
Yes, we welcome requests and will do our best to fulfill those requests. However, we can not guarantee any requests due to a teacher’s changing schedules, availabilities and other requests made for them during the same time periods.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS FOR MY CHILD’S SWIM LESSONS?
There are 4 levels of swimmers we classify. All kids are different and improve at different rates. The following is a general overview of the goals we will have for your child’s ability level:
1. Beginners – It is our goal to get your child comfortable in the water. To be able to put their head under water and blow bubbles comfortably.
2. Advanced Beginners – It is our goal to get your child water safe. To be able to doggy paddle and tread water while getting a breath of air on their own.
3. Intermediate – It is our goal to teach your child how to swim with proper stroke and breathing.
4. Advanced – It is our goal to teach your child all the strokes and to improve their techniques.