We actually do make promises at SCSC. We promise that your child will receive an excellent lesson and if you feel that they haven’t, we ask that you come talk to a manager. We promise to provide a warm, comfortable environment, because we believe that is the 
only way to learn. We promise to address any issues in a timely manner and find a solution that will hopefully make everyone happy. We promise to welcome any student, no matter their physical, mental, or emotional needs. We promise to always provide the most up-to-date techniques and information about aquatic education. And we promise to provide swimming lessons & drowning prevention education to anyone who wants or needs it, no matter their financial status. When you come to SCSC, we want you to feel confident that you have chosen the most caring, educated, & safest program possible for your children. Our program is built around trust, hard work, and perseverance.
However, we will not promise parents that we will not challenge or push their child. We will not promise our students that they do not have to do something if that something is required to be a successful swimmer. We will not make promises to our students that they can passively sit on the steps every week and not participate. We will not promise our students that they will never have to learn a skill.These are the promises we will not make.
That may sound harsh, but there are good reasons behind this. Everyone gets scared at times. Sometimes that fear is justified, but often it is due to the unknown and the best way to overcome it is to face it head-on. Every day we meet kids that are scared to swim. Some of them have had a 
bad experience in the water previously and others just have an innate fear. Parents bring them to us so we can teach them the skills they need to overcome those fears and to help them become comfortable, confident swimmers. But often the parents will ask us to make promises. They will ask us to tell their child’s teacher to not push them or to not make them jump or put their eyes in. By making these promises, we might as well not even enroll the student. All it does is limit them and prevent them from growing. Hesitant children need to be challenged and pushed out of their comfort zone in a safe and loving environment, just like confident children need to be taught boundaries. It’s not always pretty, but with hard work and perseverance we can help children overcome their fears.
Our instructors are highly trained. They receive between 40-65 hours of in-water training, along with CPR and First Aid certification, specialty training in class & time management, child development, special needs, and other specific aquatics training. They are also selected for their character and personality, as well as how they interact with children. So when our instructors challenge and push their students, it’s because they care and they want to see them succeed. And when a parent makes a promise that we cannot keep, it makes it very difficult to achieve that success.
So if your child is struggling with fear, anxiety, or is just hesitant about a skill, please talk to their instructor, the Deck Supervisor, or a manager. We want to work with you. Just because we won’t make a promise to not challenge them, doesn’t mean we can’t find a better way to do it!