Well it is May, 2020 and we should be well into our swim season in Florida, but as we are all faced with the unexpected issues that COVID-19 has brought, swim season took a back burner. 
But as we know, teaching our children to swim is life saving and can only be halted for so long.  With the economy reopening, we wanted to take the time to tell you about procedures we do and do not do so you as a parent can make your own free choice of whether or not our swim school works for you as it remains our priority to be the best swim school in St. Pete, and the only way to do this is by having your trust. 

The best way to do this is to understand how classes will be conducted and our facility as it relates to up to date CDC guidelines

1.  Our swimming pool is outdoor.  Thus, a safer environment that will kill COVID-19 virus.  We do have a large tree that covers the majority of the area we use for our parent and child classes that blocks harmful rays, though depending on class time this may be exposed.
2. We only allow 3 children plus 1 teacher in the class. 
3. The main class area is a 28ft x 21ft area giving plenty of room for children to spread out, keep about 6ft difference between each other (we won’t be slamming someone against a wall J).
4. We do NOT disinfect our toys or mats.  This is important for us to be honest about.  We personally are not alarmed by COVID-19 after reviewing medical research but we do respect every parent’s decision and we will not “fake” a protocol to earn your business.  Our mats are kept in a chlorinated pool, as are all toys.  From what the CDC says, such items should be disinfected by the sun anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 seconds.  We purposely have a salt water pool to minimize harmful chemicals and as a family, we do not use hand sanitizers, excessive hand washing, or harmful chemicals in our home (aside from toilets).  We tend to use white vinegar to disinfectant many areas of our home.  Again, full transparency is important to us.  We recognize our procedures may not suffice to the standards of some parents who are extremely concerned with the virus and we do not want to have any confusion prior to those parents starting classes.  Thus, explaining what we will and will not do can help prevent and upsets as parents will know not to enroll their child if these procedures are below their requirements.

Lastly, though we as a business and family are not very worried about COVID-19, we may be able to consider a few minor adjustments if parents have additional comments and suggestions.  For example, if a parent would like the teacher to wear a mask during the class, or if a parent does not want the teacher to touch their child during class (teachers have a doll on hand and they show positions while holding a doll and generally correct positions by touching the child or repositioning a parent’s hand on the child), or maintaining 6 ft distance.  We are open to considering other adjustments but please discuss them before booking your class so we can decide it is something we feel comfortable with or not. 

While we may have differences in opinions and follow different expert research on the matter, we hope you can appreciate our honesty with you and respecting your decisions.  If you would like any further clarity please do not hesitate to contact us.  Please note, our chemicals are properly balanced and equipment is brand new and very functional J

Thank you,
Maria and WTSS Team!