The Two-Step Guide to Successfully Acclimating New Swimmers
Your swim school has started receiving new students from your competition.
They’re young, eager and want to continue swimming in Level X. Or they want to move up to Level Z. There’s just one problem- according to your school’s curriculum, they’re barely a Level Y.
You kindly tell the parents you are happy for their child to join your program but they can’t register at the same level as their last school.
And so begins the varying degree of confusion & questions from parents, and sometimes, tears from their little ones. We’ve all been there.
Now, are these parents wrong to be confused? Absolutely not.
Most parents who invest in swim lessons have done a fair amount of research on what to look for in a great swim school so when they hear their child isn’t performing at the level they were told they wonder what they got wrong.
It can be an even bigger issue for kids who are proud of their accomplishments at their last school and don’t understand why they can’t register at the same level. So how do you acknowledge their feelings while getting them signed up for the right level and not scaring them away?
No matter the situation whenever a new family signs up at our facility I like to make sure the staff is trained to use an easy two-step process called the Two E’s. I have found this process calms even the most frustrated parents and is easy to teach to swim instructors and office staff.
So what are they?
Empathy
A child’s self-esteem is often tied to their achievements both at school, as well as, their extracurricular activities so spending time talking with the parents & kids and acknowledging their feelings is invaluable.
The child needs to know the good points about the skills they have mastered and should be reassured that they can achieve success in your program.
It’s also important to listen to the parent, particularly regarding what they were told Level X meant in terms of the skill set required. Often, the skills required may differ and that brings us to the second step.
Education
Both the parent & child need to understand the skills required to graduate to a particular level may differ from your last school and that is okay. Making sure not to put down the other school, spend 5- 10 minutes educating parents on your swim program and why your method works.
Taking the time to show parents how your program differs in curriculum and instruction can provide parents with a level of reassurance and trust in your program.
If the child is only missing a couple skills needed to “level up”, let them know! This lets the child know they’re a strong, capable swimmer, as well as, letting the parent know they haven’t totally wasted their money.
Make sure to give them an average timeframe most students take to accomplish each skill and let them know what to expect in the next level. Giving parents and children an accurate understanding of how they can succeed in your program helps them get over their initial confusion and signed up for their first class.
Apply these two E’s whenever you encounter incoming students and your swim program will grow. Has your staff had a similar experience? If so, share with us and let us know how it was handled!
Interested in seeing how your curriculum could improve? Check out our Total Curriculum and see how your program could benefit.
