FAQs
Our Most Common Questions:
Visit our Parent Portal here! After creating a password with the email address you provided, you can view your enrolled classes, access payment history, and schedule makeups.
You are allowed to do one makeup class each month regardless of the number of classes missed. We track student absences to ensure each student only receives one makeup for a missed class per month.
You will receive an email and/or text message if we are forced to close the pool unexpectedly. We try to make a phone call to each parent, but this is not always feasible. We will also post an announcement on our Facebook page. If the pool is closed unexpectedly, the next month’s tuition will be prorated accordingly.
You can always check with the front desk or ask a deck manager how your student is doing and what skill they are working on. Often there are a few things you can do at home to help your student progress faster.
Except for November and December, each student will receive four lessons per monthly billing cycle. Occasionally the calendar will not cooperate and the first few days of the following month will be used to complete the billing cycle for the previous month. November and December will be prorated based on the number of weeks we are open (usually 3 weeks in November and 2 weeks in December).
Scheduling Questions
Life doesn’t always line up neatly. We’ll prorate your first payment according to how many classes your child will attend that month based off your registration date.
Make-up lessons are offered Friday afternoons from 5pm to 7pm. These lessons are offered on a first-come first-served basis, and you must register for them by phone or in person at the front desk. Spaces are limited. Each student has the option to do a Friday make-up lesson ONLY ONCE PER MONTH, regardless of the number of classes missed.
In the event that more than four lessons are missed during a session due to extenuating circumstances, Fish Factory Swim School will review each situation on an individual basis, as long as advance notice has been provided.
For a medical emergency (surgery or cast), we will offer an ‘in-house’ credit on your account that you can use when you are ready to return. Unfortunately, we cannot hold your spot in your class, so we will have to drop your swimmer from classes.
We understand that schedules can change, but in order to maintain our 3 to 1 student to teacher ratio all class changes must be made before the first of the month. These changes must be made in person at Fish Factory or over the phone. Schedule changes made on or after the 1st will result in a $25 change fee per student per class. This does not apply to a change initiated by a Fish Factory Swim School staff member.
A withdrawal form MUST be completed and submitted to Fish Factory Swim School on or before the 15th of the month before you wish to withdraw (i.e. December 15th to withdraw starting January 1). Withdrawal forms will be available at the front desk of Fish Factory Swim School. WRITTEN WITHDRAWAL NOTICE MUST BE SUBMITTED, NO VERBAL WITHDRAWALS ARE ACCEPTED. Should you withdraw without written notice, you will be charged an early withdrawal fee of $50 per swimmer.
Lesson Experience Questions
Your child will need a snug swimsuit, goggles and a towel. We recommend swim caps for swimmers with long hair who are learning bilateral breathing. We don’t allow swim shirts or scuba masks/goggles as they hinder progression. Upon registration, you’ll receive an email with detailed instructions about what to bring on your first day.
While we do our best to accommodate teacher requests, we also think it’s valuable for kids to be able to swim comfortable with different teachers.
Whether your child is apprehensive about their first lesson or has had a bad experience with the pool before, we will be patient and empathetic to their feelings. Swimming lessons can be trying for both parent and child. It is never easy to see your child upset, however, we have been teaching swimming for a LONG time. There’s nothing we haven’t seen or experienced when it comes to kids in the pool. The best thing you can do as a parent is let our skilled instructors work with your child and be there with a big hug and lots of praise when your child is finished. We work to establish a safe, trusting relationship with each new swimmer we encounter, and we are very successful. The level of trust you extend to our teachers will allow your child to experience that same trust.
All children under the age of 3 need to be double-diapered to prevent accidents in the pool. This means that children will wear a disposable swim diaper covered by a reusable swim diaper. Reusable swim diapers have snug fitting elastic on the waist and legs, which aids in containment. These diapers can be purchased at places like Buy Buy Baby, Amazon.com and Target. We also carry reusable diapers in our swim shop.
We ask that parents stay in the observation area during lessons for several reasons. Our deck is narrow and our deck managers need to be able to move around the pool area freely during lessons for safety reasons. Children also engage in their lessons more readily if they aren’t distracted by their parents on the pool deck. If your child is nervous about their lesson, we ask you to be patient and let us work our magic. It can take time to develop a trusting bond between teacher and student, but we’ve never met a kid we couldn’t win over.
Reference Documents
FFSS Waivers 2025 Billing Calendar CDC Concussion Information Sheet