Interview with Holly from Swim Kids Calgary

Oct 9, 2019

6 min read

One of my most popular posts talks about swimming lessons in Calgary. As a follow up to that post, I talked about my experience with Swim Kids Calgary and how I think they are THE swimming lessons that every child needs.

The Swim Kids Calgary program is designed to teach kids how to safely enjoy the water by giving them the skills they need to independently respond in any situation, be it planned or accidental. With this training parents can enjoy the water, knowing that their kids are prepared for every eventuality.

Since my first posts, I’ve had a TON of questions from people wanting to know all about them, their cost, location etc. so I thought, who better to answer these questions than the woman who runs Swim Kids Calgary?

Swim Kids Calgary

What drove you to start Swim Kids Calgary?

Many years ago a friend emailed me a video of a little boy that had fallen into his backyard pool. He simply rolled over, floated (for what seemed like eternity!), and waited for an adult to pick him up. I showed this to my mother and we both cried. I had 2 boys at the time, a 2yr old and a brand new baby. That summer was beyond stressful. We live in a lake community in Calgary and it was a hot summer. We visited the lake 2-3 times a week. As I watched my son dripping in sweat because I wouldn’t let him take his life jacket off while building a sand castle, I knew there had to be a way to allow him to have fun and for me to keep my sanity. The video kept returning to my mind. I worked tirelessly to get someone to come to Calgary and teach my boys what I had seen in the video. I talked with like minded friends and had a list of families that were willing to participate in lessons if an instructor would come. No one would come. I was heartbroken. In my desperation, I told my story to everyone. I thought if I could get more families maybe someone would care about our kids as much as we did. While at a play date I was trying to convince a firefighter friend how great these lessons would be. He was silent for a moment and then told me of a call where his unit responded to a child drowning. I can not adequately express the feelings I had as he spoke. My heart was heavy and my mind was still; I could not fathom the events he was describing. He finished his story saying “Someone has to do something.” I went home that evening and told my husband that I was going to be the ‘someone’. That if no one would care about my kids, I would be the one to care for them. The road was hard and has had many bumps and hills along the way but I will forever be grateful for the path that I am on today.

How did you develop the Swim Kids program?

I originally trained with an organization in the US. It didn’t take me long to realize that there are some major differences when teaching kids with backyard pools and kids in Calgary; some of which have not touched water before their lessons with me! Unfortunately I did not have the flexibility or support needed to truly cater the lessons to my Calgary students. It took some time but I was able to branch out and become my own entity. I will forever be grateful for the training I received but I know that the program I offer today far exceeds what I was trained to do. I still feel like I am learning & improving with each student that I teach. I have continued my education through Early Childhood courses and online study. Teaching children is a continual process that requires constant upgrading of techniques and strategies. Swimming is no exception to this. In order to offer the best possible lessons the Swim Kids program will forever be evolving to include best practices for everyone involved.

Miss Ashley and Miss Holly

One of the questions I get asked the most after telling people about these lessons is: How much are they? And why does it cost that much? What would your answer to those people be?

This one comes down to simple math. The question of “Why does it cost so much?” comes as a direct comparison to traditional swim lessons. I can tell you countless stories of families that have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on swim lessons. Add to this the THOUSANDS of hours spent at the pool, sometimes repeating the same class multiple times and the investment is significant. Some stories are successful, and this makes me very happy. The majority however are filled with frustration and dissatisfaction. This should never be the case. Traditional methods of teaching swim lessons have trained parents of what the process should look like. Teaching group lessons once a week where one child is crying for their mom and another is distracting or disturbing the other kids is an impossible situation. I have sympathy for every swimming instructor that has ever had to deal with a class like this.

The Swim Kids program is fundamentally different in every way. Swim Kids lessons are taught by Coaches that are specifically trained to understand child development and water safety. Individually these skills are important, together they are invaluable. Pairing swim instruction with behavioural sciences means that each child will successfully complete the program with a full understanding of water safety. Once water safety has been achieved adding swimming movements is a welcome bonus to increase each child’s enjoyment of the water. Having said all this, here is the math:Traditional group lessons once each week for 30mins each day: $88 for 10wks Traditional private lessons once each week for 30mins each day: $475 for 10wks**There is no guarantee for any of the skills taught and additional payment is required should your child need more time to grasp the skills being taught.

Swim Kids lessons 4x each week for 10mins each day: $495 for 5wks **100% guarantee for water safety skills with no request for additional payment should more time be required to grasp the skills being taught.

What is it that drives you to continue running the lessons?

I love what I do. I can’t express how lucky I feel that I get to love my job so much! I wish everyone could find something that makes them happy to wake up each morning. Teaching little kids these valuable skills is so rewarding for me. I have been teaching for 11yrs and I still get excited each time a child floats for the first time. I love that I get to laugh (and cry) with the parents as we watch their kids grow to be confident little swimmers in the water! I get to meet amazing families and work with incredible children every day. It doesn’t get any better than this!

How many hours a day/days a week/weeks a year do you spend in the pool?

So many! I’m in the water four days a week for approximately six hours each day. I also jump in on Friday mornings for practice swims and will even take my kids swimming on the weekends. This puts me at almost 105 hours each month and well over 1000 hours every year. One thing I’ve learned is that when you are in the water that much your fingers don’t get wrinkly! I don’t know the science behind it but I can tell you that I don’t ‘prune up’ anymore when I go swimming.

If people are interested in becoming an instructor, what qualifications do they need and how can they get started?

Anyone interested in becoming a Swim Kids Coach should start by submitting a resume. I do my best to set up phone calls and web interviews as soon as possible to discuss the details of the training. A swimming background is not required, but can prove beneficial.

The training covers every aspect of the program, from what to teach and exactly how to teach it. Trainees spend a minimum of 2hrs in the water with me each day and complete academic study outside of pool time. Candidates are selected on a variety of criteria and no one should feel discouraged because of lack of water experience. Resumes are accepted at: holly@swimkidscalgary.ca.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Water safety is so much more than swim lessons. Pools, lakes & oceans all require respect. Educating children about the various water types and safety expectations is critical. There is a time & place for life jackets and there should also be lots of time to practice without relying on flotation devices. Please understand that there will never be a replacement for adult supervision. No child will ever be drown-proof but with proper instruction we can make everyone a lot safer.

Click here for more information on Swim Kids Calgary and here for a list of swimming options in Calgary. If you’d like to sign up for lessons or talk with Holly about being an instructor you can contact her here.