FAQ

The best part about private lessons is that they are tailored to you/your child! At the beginning of the first lesson I will ask you about your goals, motivations, and prior experiences with swimming. We will  work together on foundational skills needed by every swimmer, of every skill level. Foundational skills include water safety, breath control, positioning, and propulsion. As we work on these skills, I continue assessing the swimmer's strengths, comfort, and learning style to incorporate into my personalized lesson plan for you/your child.   

Anyone 6+ months or older can take swim lessons. Babies, children, and adults of all ages and abilities are welcome! Water fun is for everyone. Children who are not yet fully potty trained are required to wear a swim diaper. Please note that children age 3 years and under often feel more comfortable with a parent in the water, so I ask that parents be mindful of that possibility and come prepared. 

Lessons are scheduled via the registration form. Availability is dependent on location and instructor schedule openings. Register here.

Swim confidence is different for each individual so there's no standard time-frame to swimming independently with confidence. You may be able to get a good estimate of the time frame  based on the swimmer's learning trajectory in other areas like monkey bars, riding a bike, or learning another skill-based sport or activity. Some people need a week of back-to-back lessons to gain or refresh their skills, some need lessons for a whole summer or more. A few contributing factors are prior experiences in and emotions about the water, prior swim lesson experience, physical abilities and inclinations, learning styles, access to pools and time to practice skills between lessons. While progress may be different for each swimmer, regular practice is the consistent factor in gaining confidence in swim or any skill!

Swimming with confidence is a big milestone! It is a complex set of skills. The time or number of lessons you will take to reach that milestone varies from person to person. Some adults and children master basic swim skills in as few as three lessons, while others are still working towards those after eight or twelve. Here are a few of the factors to consider:

-Previous experience with water and/or unfamiliar adults--does the swimmer have any fears about water, pools, or working closely with strangers?

-Have they had previous swim lessons and what was their experience?

-How developed are their gross motor skills? Their ability to listen and follow multi-part instructions?

-How do they take instruction and corrective feedback?

-Do they have any extra challenges or strengths that apply to swimming?

-Motivation--was learning to swim their idea? Can they see the benefits of learning this skill? Or are they here because someone else wants them to learn?

Here are some specific questions that can help you to guesstimate the right number of lessons:

1) Can the swimmer already comfortably submerge face/ears/head?

2) Do they tend to listen and take direction well?

3) Do they pick up other complex motor skills quickly?

4) Do they want to learn to swim?

5) Have they consistently been in a puddle jumper or a similar floatation device?

If the answer to the first four questions is 'yes' and the puddle jumper is 'no', they will more likely get the basic in four to six lessons. If one or more of the answers is 'no' and/or the puddler jumper is a 'yes', they will probably be closer to 8 or more lessons. This is a very rough, general guess and is in no way intended as a guarantee. Like learning to read, swimming is a highly individual milestone. I generally recommend starting with four lessons, and seeing how skills progress during that time. Also, please keep in mind that I am always happy for parents to learn how to practice the skills that I am teaching, so that they can continue teaching their child after lessons end. Parents are always welcome to be in the water with us during lessons to learn hands-on, what and how to practice. If you have additional questions about your situation, please feel free to reach out via email, text, or call.   

Personal floatation devices (PFDs) are a blessing and curse! They are absolutely critical for boating and water sports. They are not a substitute for adult supervision and should not be used as such in open water or pools. At the pool, children who cannot swim confidently in all depths, should be within arm's length of a supervising adult, regardless of floatation devices. All children should have a supervising adult at the pool at all times, regardless of swim skill level. The supervising adult should be watching without distractions. 

In addition, some floatation devices actually impede children's natural understanding of their own buoyancy. For that reason, I generally prefer to support children in the water as they learn to swim or use floats that support natural positioning as the child practices a skill. For more information on proper use of PFDs, see Additional Resources. 

Lessons are held at your personal residential or neighborhood pools or that of your family member, friend, or neighbor. Areas covered include anywhere within 20 minutes of the intersection of Hwy 124/332. This includes parts of Braselton, Hoschton, Jefferson, Winder, Pendergrass, Talmo, Jackson County, Barrow County, parts of Hall County and parts of Gwinnett County and neighboring areas. For locations more than 10 min from Hwy 124/332, a $10 per lesson travel fee will apply. For locations outside the 15 minute travel radius, a minimum booking of 4 students in a block (whether sibling group, back-to-back private, or parent-and-me group) is required for an instructor to travel to your location. Travel to a location is never guaranteed until confirmed with instructor, please fill out a registration form, or email, text, or call to make a request.

Flexible scheduling is available Monday through Thursday, all lesson times are based on instructor availability and scheduled on a first-come basis. Classes are scheduled as a four lesson package for all lesson types. Friday and Saturday are reserved for make-up classes for weather cancellations only or rare instructor emergencies. All classes are by appointment only. Please fill out the registration form to schedule. You will receive an email confirmation of date and time before your first session. 

Please arrive 5-10 minutes before your lesson time.  This will allow you time to settle, put on goggles, swim diapers if needed, and be ready to enter the water when instructed. Lessons are scheduled back-to-back. If you arrive late, you will not get that lesson time back. Please be on time to get the most out of lessons!

Make up classes are guaranteed for instructor cancellations due to weather or other instructor emergencies. All other make up classes are at the discretion of the instructor and require a rescheduling fee of $20. Please reach out via email, text, or call to make arrangements. 

We will continue to swim in the rain, but not in the thunder and lightening (with or without rain). In the case that there is thunder or other dangerous weather, your instructor will end the sesssion and reschedule at no cost to you.

If you have access to a pool, then swimsuits, goggles, and a towel are all that the swimmer will need to participate in lessons. Children who are not yet fully potty trained are required to wear a disposable swim diaper, a cloth diaper cover (aka reusable swim diaper), and a swimsuit. 

Accepted payments include cash, check, Zelle or PayPal. Payment with cash or check can be made on the first day of class prior to the start of class or beforehand via Zelle or Paypal. Additional payment information will be sent in your registration confirmation email. Click here to register.

You must be present during your child’s swim lesson. This is for the safety of both your child and the instructor. This is also the best way for you to learn how to continue practicing your child's swim skills! Please be mindful to minimize distractions for your learning child as our lesson time is short.  

Your instructor is certified through The American Red Cross in Water Safety Instruction (WSI), and Pediatric and Adult CPR/AED and First Aid.  Lessons with Liesl LLC is insured through CPH Insurance.