Policies

We offer makeup classes for those times that you must cancel swimming due to other commitments or illnesses. We encourage families to select a day and time for lessons that they can attend consistently, but we understand that there may be occasions when this is not possible.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

To acquire and use a makeup class, you must mark absent prior to the missed class. In the interest of avoiding disappointment, we have listed our guidelines for makeup classes below:

·         Makeup lessons have no transferable monetary value (e.g., banked makeup lessons cannot pay for future lessons).

o    The monetary value was in the lesson that still went ahead in your child’s absence.

·         Makeup classes are not guaranteed, as they are subject to both your and our availability.

·         You only receive an opportunity to make up a missed class if you have marked your absence on your portal prior to missing the class. By pre-marking absences, you create opportunities for others to make up missed classes.

·         All makeups for missed lessons remain on your account and never expire.

·         You need to be registered in the program to use your makeup lessons.

·         They can be booked no more than 6 days in advance.

·         They are not transferable between siblings or locations.

·         If your child needs to be away for an extended period due to illness or other reasons, the following options are also available: 

o    Hold your place in the program (ask our crew for details).

·         Withdraw from the program and be placed on a waitlist.

The illness policy we had during COVID is still in place. If our teachers observe swimmers with a runny nose or a cough, in the interest of keeping everyone safe, the Shift Leader may ask the swimmer to be removed from the lesson. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A reminder to keep children home if they are sick. Remember, we offer unlimited makeup classes. 

Please see our FAQ: What if my child misses a class?

We do not allow any staff who are sick or unwell to work. We will cancel a class if a healthy, qualified substitute teacher is not available. 

We follow all provincial and municipal guidelines around masking. These may change, so please refer to the Government of Alberta website for current guidelines.

From time to time we have important information to share with you.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

We primarily communicate these updates through emails, phone calls, or text, so we appreciate you providing us with an email address you check on a regular basis and the best cell number to reach you on. 

Credits or makeups will be applied to accounts for emergency closures depending on the situation.

Program fees for the next season are due two weeks before the end of the current season to secure your child’s current day/time in the program.​​​​​​​

If fees are not paid by the due date, your child’s position cannot be guaranteed and will be forfeited.

Payments can be made online or in person if the location permits.

Credits & Refunds

In the event of canceling a child’s place in the program, the remaining credit will be held toward future lessons. The credit will be calculated and prorated from the time of notification.

As a rule, no refunds will be given. In extenuating circumstances, management may authorize a refund. The refund will be calculated from the time of notification and will include a cancellation fee equal to one lesson when notification of cancellation is less than 48 hours.

Credit definition: A credit is a balance that stays on a family’s file to pay for future lessons or True Blue merchandise. It does not expire, it does not deplete, and it can be used at any time in the future for any member of their family.

Refund definition: A refund is returning fees not used by a customer at their request.  These must be reviewed and approved by management on a case-by-case basis.

Price Change

At True Blue, we are committed to ensuring we offer excellent value for the time and money you invest with us. From time to time, our prices may increase. This is usually done annually.

Click here to see our Annual Calendar.

The Parent Portal is your one-stop shop to manage your swimming journey with us. Through the Portal, you can: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

·         Mark absences

·         Book makeups

·         Make payments

·         Access our annual calendar for important dates

·         Update your contact details

If you experience any issues using or accessing the Portal, please email support@trueblueswim.ca and include a screenshot of the issue.

Once in the program, if you need to move to a different time due to maternity leave, starting school, or other life changes, we suggest you speak to us about going on a waitlist as soon as possible. Below, we’ve listed the process we follow to ensure our current customers are accommodated where possible, and new customers are contacted in order.

Day of Deadline

Customers who have not registered by paying their fees for the upcoming season are removed from the program.

Swimmer Promotions

The management team reviews all lessons to ensure every swimmer is in the appropriate class. Some swimmers are automatically promoted within the same day/time. If your child is promoted within that half hour, your Progress Leader will notify you at the first lesson of the next season.

Current Customer Moves

We look to accommodate customers who had to cancel because they required a different day/time.

New Customers Booked from Waitlist

The last step is to offer any remaining places to families on our waitlist. If you (or a friend) are on our waitlist, please do not call asking for an update. We understand that there is a high demand to enroll in the program and our team are focused on working through the waitlist in a systematic order.

Celebrating every child’s success is a key part of our program. Here is what you can expect to see as they progress:

Lollipops

On average, it takes approximately twelve lessons between certificates. To recognize each milestone in a language most kids speak, when they receive their certificate, every child in our Learning Lake program receives a lollipop.

If your child is in our Learning Lake program and your preference is that your child is offered a sticker instead of a lollipop when it’s time to celebrate, simply let your Progress Leader know and they will make a note on your child’s file.

Stickers

In our Preparation Pond program, when a child receives a certificate, they will receive a Bubbles sticker.

Goggle Licence

Up until Level 4 in our Learning Lake program, we place a major focus on learning to swim without goggles. This is because when children get into difficulty in deep water, they rarely have goggles on. Once they complete Level 4 and are independent in deep water, children receive their own ‘goggle licence’. This is our fun way of rewarding them with a ‘licence’ to now wear goggles in their lesson.

Figurines

Each character represents an important stage in the True Blue journey. When a child completes a stage, they will receive a figurine of that character. For example, when the child completes Level 2 of Familiarization, they will receive their certificate, a lollipop (or sticker), and a figurine of Quackers. These figurines are like a “trophy” for our swimmer’s hard work. Please take special care of them, as there is a cost to replace them if lost or broken.

1 KM Medal & Certificate

As part of the Graduation stage of our program, when children complete their 1km swim they receive their unique True Blue medal.

3 KM Trophy & Certificate

Graduates receive a trophy when they complete their 3km swim and a Certificate of achievement at the Graduation Night.

We’re committed to ensuring every celebration with your child as they progress through to Graduation is memorable.

Safety is our number one value. The water is our classroom, which adds another level of potential danger to each lesson. We love that our swimmers get excited in their lessons, and we know that ‘kids being kids’ will explore boundaries — and sometimes behave outside of those boundaries. To keep our classroom safe for the teacher and all its swimmers (and to ensure you get maximum value for the money invested), we make our expectations clear.

These expectations are primarily based on respect for others and themselves.

For example:

·         Swimmers must follow the teacher’s instructions.

·         Swimmers must keep their hands to themselves.

·         Swimmers must not be disrespectful to another swimmer.

·         Swimmers must give their best efforts in the class.

We use the four-step process outlined below to keep our lessons safe for everyone.

Step 1. Teacher/Swimmer Alignment

If the teacher observes behavior that is outside of what we expect, the teacher will gently remind the child of our expectations.

For more serious indiscretions, the issue may be escalated immediately to the Progress Leader on the pool deck.

Step 2. Progress Leader Intervention

If the Progress Leader believes the teacher is having difficulty influencing the swimmer to behave appropriately during the lesson, they will offer support. This may involve coaching the teacher or communicating with the swimmer.

Step 3. Parent Awareness and Alignment

If this approach does not work, the Progress Leader will follow up with the swimmer’s parent/guardian to get their support.

Step 4. Temporary Removal from the Lesson

If there is no positive response from the child, the Progress Leader will request permission to remove the swimmer and temporarily put them on the edge.

In rare examples where this does not lead to the desired positive outcome, the Progress Leader will discuss removing the swimmer and putting them in private lessons (paid using credits on file) until they meet expectations. At that point, options to integrate the swimmer back into a group lesson can be explored.

Our preferred way to share feedback is at your weekly lesson with your Progress Leader or a member of the True Blue Crew.

Every season we send out a one-question survey via our partnership with Ask Nicely.

We appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey each season to ensure your experience is a great one.

We love feedback and receiving a low score gives us an important opportunity to identify and rectify any issues.

If you rate us a 9 or 10/10, we share this feedback with the entire True Blue crew. The testimonials you see on our website come from our favorite comments on Ask Nicely.

If you rate us an 8/10 or lower, a member of the True Blue crew will be in contact with you to listen to the feedback and put a plan in place to make it right.

As part of our ‘conflict of interest’ policy our staff are unable to accept any gifts of monetary value, including gift cards. While we appreciate the thoughtfulness and generosity, avoiding perceived favoritism is important to us.

We pride ourselves on giving awesome value for the time and money you invest at True Blue. Our staff are always grateful and love to receive thank you notes and drawings from the children. They make it onto the “fun” board in the staffroom as a reminder of how much we love what we do.

Permission must be obtained from Management before photographs/videos can be taken.

For the safety of our swimmers, cell phone use is not allowed in the changerooms.