*Please remember, we are guests at John Jay, and not members. With the exception of those attending John Jay as a student or are affiliated with the school in any way, no one may enter the building without being scheduled for a lesson. Penguin City Swim clients are not permitted on any other floors above the lobby and may not use any of the equipment in the gym or sit in the lobby. Clients of Penguin City Swim may arrive 15 minutes prior to a lesson and must leave no later than 15-20 minutes after the lesson. Any other appointments unrelated to a class must be arranged in advance with management or office team so that a visitor's name can be registered with the security desk.
We truly expect our swimmers to attend every lesson in which the student is registered. Swimming is a discipline where we teach technique by that requires a student to be committed. Swimmers who do not attend lessons on a regular basis will quickly fall behind, and not build the necessary skills and strength needed to succeed and move to a higher level. Students or their guardians are expected to notify us in the event they will be absent from class. The ONLY acceptable excused absences are illness, injury, observance of a religious holiday, or family emergency.
Clients may cancel season registrations up until 7 days before the season begins. All season cancellations within 7 days of the start of the season will incur a 5% penalty fee. Penalty fee will be waived for any issues related to moving out of area and health matters.
In those unfortunate occurrences where more than one day is needed for a medical cancellation we allow extended absences.
Clients are eligible for a refund due to a student moving 15 miles or more away from any one of our locations. Just shoot us an email to us with some type of documentation so we can process it for you.
There may be times when we need to use a substitute instructor. It is not our policy to allow make up classes under these circumstances, All of our instructors are extraordinarily qualified and we always stand prepared to fulfill your expectation of you or your child having a swimming lesson during their time slot.
We schedule our instructors to teach on a consistent basis. That is in the best interest of the instructor, the swimmer and the family. Absences are unplanned and our instructors have a strong record of attendance.
It is Penguin City Swim's policy to have photo ID pictures of all students and caregivers/parents. Please feel free to upload your own picture on to your Jackrabbit profile or we will do it at poolside. These pictures are kept private and remain in our database.
A Note for Families Considering Penguin City Swim
We love teaching kids to swim, and we want every child who joins us to have a great experience in the water. Part of that is being upfront about what we do and what we don't.
Penguin City Swim is a standard swim school. We offer group and private swim lessons, and we're glad to welcome children with disabilities, including children with autism, who can take part in our regular lessons. Where small adjustments help a child participate, we're happy to make them.
What we're not is an adaptive or therapy program. We don't provide one-to-one behavioral support, specialized adaptive aquatics, or a dedicated aide in the water — that's true for every family, not just some. If your child needs that kind of support to participate safely, we're not the right place, and we'd rather tell you honestly than have your child in a setting that isn't built for them. Those programs are staffed by professionals trained specifically for that work, and your child deserves that expertise.
Before lessons begin, please tell us about your child's needs. Our instructors and Aquatics Lead will look at fit individually, child by child. If our standard lessons aren't the right setting, we'll let you know directly, and we'd encourage you to seek out a specialized program that can give your child what they need.
