FAQ

How Young Can My Child Start Taking Swim Lessons?

We start our Otter Baby program at age 6 months. It’s never too early to teach the skills that may prevent drowning, but the best time to start lessons is when the child and the family are ready to learn.

The Otter Baby program requires an adult, which can be Mom, Dad, Nanny, or even Grandparents, Aunts, or Uncles. What’s really more important is that the primary adult is on board for it all - the classes, the changing room, getting wet, singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” 5 million times. What works for you will work for your baby. Most parents tell us this is a wonderful time with their children and some tell us it is the half-hour they get to relax and tune into their baby. When you’re ready, we’re ready.

The National Institutes of Health released a study that supports the positive impacts learning swim lessons can have on young children as well as drowning prevention. The study concludes: Participating in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning in children between the ages of 1 to 4.¹

Children who learn how to swim at a young age are reaching many developmental milestones earlier than the norm.² 

1. Arch Pediatric Med. 2009; 163(3):203-210

2. Griffith University. 2012;  Researchers surveyed 7,000 parents of children five and under, from Australia, New Zealand and the US over a three year study.)

Our classes are perpetual, we may be able to get you in a class this week. The biggest factor in children doing well in swim lessons is consistent attendance and supportive parents. Some children take longer to warm up to new experiences. 

How Long Are Individual Lessons?

Classes are 30-minutes. All of our programs are based on a steady pace of learning and skill retention.

What Happens If I Miss A Class?  |  How Do I Schedule a Make-Up Class?

You are not required to make up that lesson. While we can’t provide credit for the missed class, we can provide unlimited make-ups. 

Your child will be most successful in a consistent learning environment. While we strongly encourage you to attend your regularly scheduled swim class, we realize you may have unavoidable conflicts. If you are missing more than one lesson per month, please let our customer service staff assist you in finding a time that better suits your schedule.

To schedule a make-up lesson:

• Since this is a courtesy offering it is not an automatic function of our scheduling program, therefore we ask that you make these arrangements either in-person at our front desk, or over the phone. Sorry, make-up lessons can not be scheduled without assistance.

Important notes and reminders:

• You know your child best. If your child is sensitive to change or gets anxious, they may not get the most out of the make-up class. Make-ups will likely have a different teacher, with different students, on a different day. 
• Make-ups are based on availability and are not guaranteed.
• We can not guarantee the same teacher your child has now.
• Once scheduled, a make-up cannot be rescheduled (i.e, we do not offer make-ups for a make-up).
• We cannot offer make-up options for Lionfish, special needs classes; or back-to-back classes for our Otter Baby students.
• Make-up options do not expire.

Do Make-Up Lessons Affect Others?

The safety of your children is priority #1. It is imperative that the safety and quality of our swim lessons take priority over any scheduling needs. In that spirit, certain classes may not be available to accommodate make-ups. 

When a class accommodates a make-up student, they take on an additional child. As you know, we prefer to keep our class groups small, no more than four. Our Deck Leaders and Head Aquatics Leader will carefully consider the needs and safety of the students, the teacher, and the class as a whole before determining if adding a student for a make-up is feasible. 

Let’s help each other make our class and avoid make-ups!

Do You Offer Trial Lessons?

Little Otter does not offer trial lessons, instead, we suggest you come in for a visit and watch a class. We believe trial lessons are not fair to your child. Sometimes, it may take a few lessons before a child can adjust to a new environment.

Part of our philosophy is to love them first, then teach them to swim. We work hard to build a bond of trust between your child and their teacher.

We do, however, offer a money-back guarantee, if you are not happy during your first two months of lessons, we will refund your money. All we ask is to let us know why you are unhappy and give us the opportunity to solve the problem.

How Can I Prepare My Child for the First Class, for Every Class?

A few must-haves float to the top:

• Reusable swim diaper for everyone under the age of 3 (available to purchase on location if you need extra)
• Swimsuit
• A change of clothes
• Towel
• A bag for wet clothes
• Snack (for after class)
• A pair of goggles is a nice-to-have (we are not able to loan these due to safety measures but we do have them for sale, on location)

If you arrive swim-ready, 15 minutes before class start time should be fine. If you need to change, please arrive 20-minutes before class. Don’t forget, it's best if your child has a little time to settle down before class begins. 

It’s important for us all to remember that every child is different. Some will come to swim lessons with no inhibitions about water and ready for skills training. Others will come with some anxiety about putting their face in the water. Whatever the case, we teach each child with a gentle and encouraging approach and recognize that every child has different needs. Our goal is to challenge your child and lead them along the path of learning to swim.

How Many Classes Should I Take Each Week and How Long Will It Take For My Child To Learn To Swim?

The answer to these questions go hand-in-hand. The more frequently your child receives lessons, the more likely the skills are retained from week to week, therefore they will progress faster to the next swim level. 

All children are different. Some will come to swim lessons with no inhibitions about water and just need skills training. Other children may come with some anxiety about the water or putting their face in the water. Children learn at different paces and arrive at different levels in maturity, physical coordination, and development. Our curriculum is based on a steady pace of learning and skill retention. 

If you are scheduled for one lesson per week, you can expect 16-18 lessons before progressing to the next swim level. If you’d like to increase that pace, you can certainly schedule two or even three lessons per week! 

1 lesson per week = 16-18 weeks

2 lessons per week = 12-16 weeks

3 lessons per week = 10-14 weeks

Whatever the case, we teach each child with a gentle and encouraging approach and recognize that every child has different needs. Our goal is to challenge your child and lead them along the path of learning to swim.

When is the Best Time to Enroll?

Class enrollment is perpetual, you may start your child’s lessons anytime, as soon as we have an opening that matches your schedule! At Little Otter, we don’t believe students learn according to the calendar, thus they are able to stay with an individual teacher until they have completed the specific goals for that class.

Learn more about Our Program here. 

How Do I Enroll or Register My Child in Classes?

You must first reserve a space in class. We will guarantee your space in our program once you have completed one of the following: 

1. Registered online, after finding the right class for your child. You will then receive an email confirming you have enrolled in a class, or ...
2. Enrolled in-person at one of our locations, or ...
3. Call us directly (704-846-7946) allowing our staff to assist in enrolling your child into the class that fits your needs best.

How Will I Be Billed? 

Each family is automatically billed monthly on the first business day of each month. 

What Payment Methods Can I Use?

We accept the following:

• Debit or credit card, in-person and online

Do You Prorate Billing For Mid-month Starts?

• If you are just starting with us, the annual fee of $35, per family, is charged at the time of the first billing.

What Are Your Payment Terms?

• Payment is due upon receipt. If payment is not made on time, or payment is denied, you will be notified by an automated email, as well as an email from our business manager alerting you to the problem and allowing 5-7 days to remedy the issue. After the 7th day, a $10 late fee will be assessed to the account holder. 
• If the account holder does not provide a new method of payment, or otherwise correct the payment problem within 15 days of notification the student will be dropped from the class. We understand life gets busy and promise to make every attempt to contact the family at multiple points during this process with ample notifications.

See our classes and pricing page for more details.

Are There Any Other Fees Aside From The Monthly Cost of Lessons?

• There is an annual registration fee of $35 that is charged per family, not per student. This is an annual fee and will not be due again until the same time next year.
• If you are dropping the class, this fee will not be charged to your account but will be charged again on a yearly basis when you return. 

How Do I Withdraw My Child From Classes?

• Please submit this form if you wish to withdraw your child/children from classes at either the Huntersville or Charlotte / Matthews locations. Please fill out one form per child.

How Much Notice Do I Need To Give To Withdraw My Child From Lessons?

• As much advance notice as you can give is appreciated. We apologize in advance if we were unable to catch any billings that had already been in process 30-days prior to your withdrawal. Just give us a call and we’ll make it right. 
• Please submit this form if you wish to withdraw your child/children from classes at either location. Please fill out one form per child.

See our Health and Safety page for information.