We are a family-run swim business located in Boise, Idaho that has been serving families from all over the Treasure Valley for more than 15 years. We are passionate about educating children and adults of all ages about water safety, basic swimming skills, and stroke development in a safe, positive, encouraging, and FUN environment. We teach small classes in a warm, heated pool with excellent, motivated teachers who work very hard to ensure that children learn how to really SWIM!



Class Options

This year we are offering THREE different types of lessons:

1. Semi-Private Lessons

2. Family Group Lessons

3. Mommy & Me Lessons


Description of Types of Lessons

Semi- Private Lessons: 15-minute lessons for 1 or 2 students who are the same level.  There will be 2 of these classes taking place in the pool at the same time on separate sets of stairs, each with their own teacher.  The cost is $80 per week, for four 15-minute lessons Monday - Thursday.  These lessons CAN be shared with ONE other student for the same price; no additional cost.  MAX of 2 students and they must be the same level (beginner, intermediate or advanced). Families purchasing multiple 15-minute lessons in one week will be scheduled back-to-back as much as possible. For a description of levels, please scroll to the bottom of this page.

Family Group Lessons: Families (or friends) will purchase 15-minute increments of time (you can purchase 15-minutes, 30-minutes, 45-minutes or 1 hour depending on your needs) so that all of their children can swim together regardless of level. These classes can be used for a private lesson (just like the description above) or a small grouping of various levels within the same family/friend group.  For example, a family with a 4-year-old beginner, a 6-year-old beginner and a 9-year-old intermediate could purchase a 30-minute class time.  They could also bring their child’s best friend who is a 10-year old intermediate and all 4 children could swim for the full 30 minutes.  Both a teacher and an assistant teacher will be in the water and take turns working with each group. The is cost is $110 per four 15-minute lessons TOTAL regardless of how many kids or ages are in the pool (four 30-minute lessons = $220, four 45-minute lessons =  $330, etc). There are restrictions and guidelines to how many total people and levels can be in a certain time slot.  Please scroll down to read those guidelines so you know if you need a 15-min, 30-min or longer time slot. 

Mommy & Me Lessons: These are classes for children 6 months to 3 years old.  An adult is required to be in the pool with them.  That adult can me mom, dad or any trusted individual, and adults can switch off nights.  This class always runs for TWO WEEKS, Mon - Thurs for 30 minutes each night. The cost is $90. 


Family Group Lessons Restrictions & Guidelines

 15-minute Time Slot

  • For a single child as a private lesson.
  • For 2 children who are the same level (both beginners, both intermediates, etc)
  • No more than 2 children allowed

30-minute Time Slot

  • For 3 to 4 children in the same family, multiple levels allowed.  
  • An assistant teacher would be in the pool as well
  • No more than 4 children allowed

45-minute Time Slot

  • For a group of 4+ (no more than 6 allowed in the pool at one time)
  • Multiple levels allowed 
  • An assistant teacher would be in the pool as well. 


FAQ’s

Q: Can I share the time with a friend instead of only within my family?

A: Yes, but you need to arrive in ONE vehicle.  At the very most, two vehicles could be allowed if it’s not possible to fit into one. Additionally, for Semi-Private lessons, no more than 2 children may share a time slot and they must be the same level (See the description of levels below).


Q: Can I sign one child up for 30 minutes of a semi-private lesson instead of 15?

A: You can, but for younger children, ages 3 - 6, we highly discourage doing more than 15 minutes of a 1-on-1 private lesson. Children's attention spans are short.  We can get soooooo much done in 15 minutes, and a 30-minute lesson would turn into a lot of play time and not a lot of additional instruction.  It would be MUCH more effective to sign up for 2 weeks of 15-minute lessons than to sign up for 1 week of 30-minute lessons. Older children or more advanced swimmers may find a 30 minute lesson beneficial. 


Q: What if my kids are really different ages?  Can they still swim together if they are the same level?

A: Yes!  No worries if your kids are 10 and 3 years old and both beginners.  Grouping by ability is much more important than age and we will vary our teaching technique to meet each child in an age-appropriate way.  In a family group lesson, you are even welcome, as an adult, to hop in and take lessons too!

 

Q: What if my family doesn’t fit into any of the scenarios above?

A: Please email us at cathyslilfish@gmail.com prior to registration day and Cathy or Cindy will reach out to you to figure out the best solution.

 

Q: Can I sign up for more than 1 week or more than 1 two-week session?

A: Absolutely!



DESCRIPTION OF LEVELS

At Cathy's School for Lil' Fish, we use just 4 levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Mommy & Me.  Rather than teaching to a strict curriculum, we meet each child where they are at and teach to the individual, so there will be a range of ages and abilities within each level. Please read the descriptions below to determine what level(s) your child(ren) are!  If you have questions, please email us at cathyslilfish@gmail.com

Mommy and Me: 
For 6 mos - 3 years old. Once children turn 3 they can attend a Semi-Private class or do Mommy & Me depending on what you think is best for your child. An adult is required to get into the pool with the child. In this class we cover floating on tummy and back, blowing bubbles, holding breath and going under the water, kicking on tummy and back, safe entry & exit, water orientation skills, self-propulsion, leveling off from a vertical and log rolling.

Beginner:  
  • Students may or may not be able to do SOME independent swimming, but they CANNOT swim 5 yards (width of the pool) completely independently with their face in the water.
  • Students cannot swim with their face in the water, take a breath, put their face in and continue swimming without assistance. 
  • Students cannot perform a 10-second back float without assistance

Intermediate: 
  • Students CAN swim 5 yards (the width of the pool) independently, but they CANNOT swim the length of the pool (15 yards) and are not comfortable in water.
  • Students can swim independently, take a breath without assistance, and put their heads back in to continue swimming.  They may be lifting their head to breathe or rolling to their backs, but have not mastered rotary breathing (breathing to the side).
  • Students can back float for 10 seconds, but have not mastered strokes on their back.

Advanced: 
  • For children ages 5 - 15 
  • This class is for students who can comfortably swim 1 - 2 lengths of the pool (20 yards) on both tummy and back. Advanced classes focus on development and perfection of front crawl, back crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and butterfly. It also focuses on building endurance. Although levels 4-6 have some different objectives, they can be taught simultaneously because they build upon each other. For example, level 4 requires that a student learn the breaststroke and be able to swim 25 yards. Level 5 requires that you refine the breaststroke and be able to swim 50 yards. Level 6 requires that you perfect the breaststroke and be able to swim 500 yards.





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