Where barriers are explored and broken . . . Celebrating all levels of victories and achievements! 8555 N. Cedar Avenue • Fresno, CA 93720 • 559-432-6292 A non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization since 1985               We are excited to share information about our school, philosophy and programs with you. Children are our school's primary focus. We specialize in lessons to teach young children how to swim and be safe in the water as well as focusing on more swimming skills. SwimAmerica offers infant through adult lessons. We teach with the most effective method known, using a progression developed by this nation's top swim coaches. Our goal is to teach you child to swim quickly and proficiently. Students advance at their own pace from water adaptation at Station 1 to very advanced swimming skills at Station 10. All coaches are CPR and First Aid certified by SwimAmerica, a national program of the American Swimming Coaches Association. SwimAmerica offers year-round sessions as well as Summer Swim Camps.     SWIMAMERICA SWIM LESSONS AND STROKE SCHOOL SwimAmerica Swim School at Break the Barriers, Inc. SPRING 2009 SESSION For SUMMER 2009 SESSION, CLICK HERE     SWIMAMERICA SPRING SESSION SCHEDULE - April 13 - May 16, 2009     SwimAmerica swimming lessons are booked on a session schedule and not on a monthly basis. We divide the year into 3 swim sessions. We do this for consistency by assigning your child one coach for their entire session. On occasion schedules may change, but as a rule we don't want your child to see more than two different coaches within their swim session and we work hard to achieve this. Your child will have a substitute coach if their coach is ill. In order to uphold the integrity of our classes, we cannot accommodate make-ups. Please attend every class and be prompt. Tardiness is very disruptive in a swim class setting. We appreciate the positive impact you have in your child's aquatic development!           PAYMENT     Prices are listed below for each class type. Session fees must be paid at time of registration. Fees are non-refundable as coaches are hired and pool space is reserved based on this registration. Payment options can be requested through the director Lori Klatt on a per family basis ie: swimming more than once a week or more than one or two siblings participating in the session.           SPRING SESSION FEES     SwimAmerica Registration One time fee $25 Mondays 5 weekly group lessons $61.25 Tuesdays 5 weekly group lessonss $61.25 Wednesdays 5 weekly group lessons $61.25 Thursdays 5 weekly group lessons $61.25 Fridays 5 weekly group lessons $61.25 Saturdays 5 weekly group lessons $61.25 Stroke School 2 days per week $61.25 Private Lessons 5 private lessons - M,T,W,Th,F or S $150           SUIT SIZING CHART FOR NEW SWIMMERS     Suit Size: 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 Chest 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 Boys/Girls Waist 18 20 22 24 25 28 30 32 34 36 38 Hips 21 23 25 27 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 Junior/Misses           3/4 5/6 7/8 9/10 11/12 13/14 Girls Dresses 3-4 5 6 8 10 12 14                   FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS     How do I know if my child needs swim lessons? Preschool children need swim lessons to learn safety skills and all other beginning aspects of learning how to swim including air exchange, floating and kicking. Other skills like swimming to the wall will be taught. School age children need swim lessons to learn to swim on top of the water. Children tire quickly underwater. Trying to sustain underwater swimming may even cause drowning! Learning a good freestyle stroke with proper air exchange will help your child build confidence in the water and may save their life! How long will it take to learn to swim? This depends on your child's age and level of fitness. It may take 2 or more sessions of eight lessons each for preschoolers to learn the basic skills of floating, kicking returning to the wall and rolling over on their back to breathe, float and rest. Older students that have mastered the first skills of breathing, floating and kicking will learn more rapidly. If your child has not been in the water since last summer, they may have regressed a little and will catch back up quickly. What are SwimAmerica swim lessons? SwimAmerica offers infant through adult lessons. We teach with the most effective method known, using a progression developed by this nation's top swim coaches. Our goal is to teach your child to swim quickly and proficiently. Students advance at their own pace from water adaptation at Station 1 to very advanced swimming skills at Station 10. All coaches are certified by SwimAmerica, a national program of the American Swimming Coaches Association. Why do you have students wear SwimAmerica suits? SwimAmerica suits are part of the technical equipment we use to help your child learn to swim quickly. The suit materials hold less than 1% water and are designed to shed water. May "fashion suits" for girls or "loose fitting boxer style" suits for boys retain a lot of water, making ti harder for your child to learn. The SwimAmerica suit is included with your first set of lessons. Boys suits are thigh length jammers as worn in the Olympics! Suits are not available in infant sizes. Infants to three year olds receive a reusable baby diaper that they are required to wear. Swim caps are also important equipment to help maintain proper head position. What is the role of the swimming coach and what is the role of the parent? The coach will direct the activity and the parent will carry it out with the child (in infant section)> In preschool classes, the child will transition to the coach carry out the activity with the child. Can my child wear goggles? Your child may wear goggles. We have special goggles made for tiny faces that fit 2 year olds on up. They are available on deck and from the site supervisor. What are the potential hazards in swimming lessons for smaller children? Hyponatrenia is the most overlooked avoidable hazard for small children learning to swim. When you child begins holding his/her breath it can be very exciting, however, parents need to be very cautious and limit submersions to 5 times for 5 seconds or less in a 24 hour period. We follow the 5 for less than 5 rule to prevent hyponatremia which is an imbalance in electrolytes in the bloodstream of the child. It is rare, yet possible, due to ingestion of large amounts of water by the child. Because it is extremely serious, and convulsions and death are possible, we need to be extremely conservative and follow the "no more that five for five" rule above. This is within the CNCA guidelines for immersions. Due to the small body size and blood volume of the child, it may not take a tremendous amount of ingested water to create this condition and care is needed. PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS and follow the 5 for less than 5 rule. Usually by the time a child is 3 years old, they will be able to more effectively control their breathing with minimal ingestion of water and a longer swimming period can be tolerated. Each child is unique and must be monitored individually and closely. Bowl Movements in the water? All children age 3 and under are required to wear reusable cloth swim diapers. Paper diapers including paper swim diapers are not acceptable. Diapers must fit snugly on the waist and leg openings. Diapers can be purchased at Babies R US and will also be available from your SwimAmerica site supervisor. Cloth swim diapers are designed to be worn with nothing under them. In the event that your child has a bowel movement, you will be able to feel it through the diaper and please exit the pool immediately. This will keep the water clean for all swimmers. If your child does have an accident with leakage into the pool, please notify your instructor at once so the pool can be sanitized. Questions??? If at any time you have questions, please see the site supervisor on deck or ask your coach during class. We've taught thousands of children to swim in Fresno since 1985 and want this to be a wonderful experience that will last a lifetime for you and your child!           Break The Barriers • 8555 N. Cedar Avenue • Fresno, CA 93720 (P) 559-432-6292 (F) 559-432-5995 A non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization since 1985 About Us    Programs    Barrier Breakers     FAQ     Calendar    BTB Store    News    Fundraising    Contact Us    Home     © Break The Barriers, Inc.