Jeff Kelly inc. - Personalized Swim Instruction

Personalized Swim Instruction© is a curriculum designed for ages four* to adult, and offers a spectrum of aquatic education from survival to swim team preparation. One of the most unique aspects of our curriculum is that even while teaching our young students the basic techniques needed for survival, we are integrating the correct techniques for competitive swimming. Our curriculum objectives are: 1) Equip students with the skills to survive in a water-related emergency; 2) Develop and refine practical safety and swimming skills, which will provide students with the self-confidence needed to safely enjoy the aquatic environment; 3) Develop strokes that have practical application outside of swim class. We are referring to the competitive swimming strokes of Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly. If the students desire to pursue competitive swimming, these advanced level classes will provide them with the fundamentals needed for a positive and successful swim team experience. Even if the students who participate in these advanced level classes do not pursue competitive swimming, they will have at least developed the correct techniques for recreational and physical fitness swimming.

* From 1987 to 2006, our minimum age requirement was three-years-old. During the enrollment process, we forewarned parents that our class environment was very structured and therefore best suited for children age four and above. However, we provided our customers with a choice to enroll their three-year-olds if they felt those children were prepared for our structured class environment and well suited for the behavior expectations. When possible, we enrolled the three-year-olds in classes with other three-year-olds. However, due to scheduling complexities, we very often enrolled three-year-olds in classes with four-year-olds, and sometimes even with five-year-olds. The maturity differential of these age groups presented the students and instructors with a variety of challenges

In 2007, we implemented special "Survival Classes" for children ages two and three with the objective of improving the experience for the students in these age groups and for our instructors. These classes were offered in a “Parent-Child Interaction” format. One parent was required to participate in the actual class. While these classes were designed to begin providing a foundation for correct technique (as detailed in the section below for Ability 1 and Ability 2), the class focus was modified to spend more time on survival-related objectives. Furthermore, the instructors modified the expectations for each student according to his\her age-related cognitive and neuromuscular abilities. The instructors taught the parents how to teach their children. By participating in these Parent-Child Interaction classes with their children, the parents were then equipped to continue this education with their children outside of class, thus continuing the preparation process. Through this entire process, our ultimate goals were to begin equipping the children with the ability to save themselves while transitioning them to work autonomously with the instructor; thus preparing them for our formal class environment (in which they could participate autonomously at age four).

From 2007 to 2010, we offered the aforementioned Survival \ Parent-Child Interaction classes. We experimented with a variety of curriculum adjustments as well as session-duration formats. Most of the customers who enrolled in these classes informed us that the classes met or exceeded their expectations. While the interest in classes for ages two and three was sufficient, enrollment was insufficient. Many parents informed us that they were simply unable to be in the water with their child because they would have other children with them at the pool. We had allocated pool time\space and instructor resources for classes that could have been allocated to our autonomous classes for which we often had students on waiting lists. Therefore, we have decided to allocate all of our available pool time\space and instructor resources to classes for students who are able to participate autonomously.

The Personalized Swim Instruction© curriculum contains six Ability Levels, referred to as “Abilities.” Our detailed curriculum stresses our philosophy regarding the importance of learning each skill correctly. Below is a general overview of our curriculum. If you would like a detailed description, please call our office at 816-942-SWIM (7946) to speak with an Enrollment Counselor. He or she can send you one of our Student Ability Reports, which itemizes the curriculum in detail.

The curriculum for our Abilities 1 through 3 focuses on survival, basic safety and the correct competitive swimming techniques for Freestyle which is sometimes referred to as the "crawl" stroke.

We teach the Freestyle stroke first because it is the most efficient method of swimming. This is not only the observation of today’s experts. An "over arm" method of swimming was observed as early as 2000 B.C. in art in an Egyptian tomb. In 1902, an Australian set a world record for 100 yards with this "over arm" method, combined with an "up and down kick" used by natives in the Solomon Islands. This combination of leg and arm movements became known as the "Australian Crawl." Athletes and coaches made huge improvements to this methodology, which became known simply as the "crawl." In addition to competing in individual strokes, early Olympic events included the "Freestyle," in which the competitors were allowed to swim the stroke of their preference. This "crawl" stroke proved to be the fastest. Consequently, all competitors chose the crawl stroke for the "Freestyle" event and thus it became known simply as the "Freestyle" stroke. Because this is the most efficient method of swimming, we have chosen to teach it as the foundation for a total swimming program.

Ability Level 1 classes are designed to instruct students in survival, basic safety and the proper neuromuscular coordination for swimming Freestyle, and for backfloating. *In Ability 1, all activities are done with total* buoyancy support from the instructor.** The goal is to enable students to eventually perform these skills without the buoyancy support of the instructor. The students are introduced to Freestyle leg movements, arm movements, breathing control and buoyancy control. Throughout each session of lessons, the students learn to assimilate these skills together to perform the Freestyle stroke with buoyancy support from the instructor. Each student also learns and recites safety rules.
Ability Level 2 classes are designed for the students to use Ability 1 skills to swim approximately three times the length of their body with no buoyancy support from the instructor. The students learn to perform a frontglide without assistance. This frontglide eventually develops in to an attempt at Freestyle as students assimilate the correct leg movements, arm movements, breathing control and buoyancy control. In addition, students are introduced to very practical survival and safety skills. These include continued work on backfloating without assistance and our self-rescue plan for short distance. In the self-rescue plan for short distance, students jump into deep water, in which they fully submerge. They learn to take a quick breath and exhale from their nose as they enter the water. They learn how to pull themselves back up to the surface, obtain a quick breath as they search for the wall, put their face in and swim Freestyle back to the wall. Many parents have told us that this skill has made a critical difference when their child(ren) have ventured too far from the pool wall or steps. The students are also introduced to practical, age-appropriate peer rescue skills.
Ability Level 3 classes are designed to refine the practical safety and swimming skills students learned in Ability 1 and Ability 2 classes, which will provide them with the self-confidence needed to safely enjoy the aquatic environment. The ultimate goal of Ability 3 is for the students to swim Freestyle for 25 meters with no buoyancy support from the instructor. To accomplish this, students learn lateral breathing, which enables them to swim longer distances. We continue to emphasize safety as students learn our self-rescue plan for long distance. In this safety plan, the students learn to roll over from Freestyle to a backfloat. While backfloating, they learn to stay calm and control their breathing rate. When they have had sufficient rest, they roll back over and continue swimming. Many parents have told us that this safety plan has given their child(ren) the self-confidence needed to feel comfortable in the water and thus enjoy going to the swimming pool.

The curriculum for Ability Levels 4, 5 and 6 is "stroke-focused". Students who have accomplished 80% of the criteria defined in our Ability 3 classes may begin learning the competitive swimming strokes of Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly.

Ability Level 4 classes introduce students to Backstroke. As the students learn the most efficient method of swimming on their back for competitive swimming, they will find that this is also a very practical and enjoyable stroke. This stroke can be used as an alternative method of swimming to safety or for general fitness swimming.

Ability Level 5 classes introduce students to competitive Breaststroke, and Ability Level 6 classes introduce students to competitive Butterfly. At the discretion of the instructor, these classes may include an introduction to the IM ("Individual Medley") and associated racing turns. The IM is a competitive swimming event in which the students swim an equal distance using all four competitive strokes.

The following stroke-focused classes are offered ONLY during Sessions 1 through 3 at our indoor facility. The majority of the students enrolled in these classes are preparing for the summer swim team season. Consequently, we have found that once the summer swim team season has begun; the demand for these classes is insufficient to dedicate valuable pool space and time to these particular classes. Therefore, we do not offer these classes during the summer because we need all of our available pool space and time to meet the demands for Ability 1 through 3 classes.

Freestyle \ Backstroke: The students will receive four classes of each stroke within our standard structure of eight 35-minute classes per session.

Breaststroke \ Butterfly: The students will receive four classes of each stroke within our standard structure of eight 35-minute classes per session. The instructor, however, will determine the amount of time spent on each stroke based on the abilities and progress of the students enrolled. The entire class time is dedicated to technique instruction, not "lap swimming." However, these classes do provide the students with endurance benefits. Specifically, the instructors implement many different "drills" designed to correct technique flaws and develop the proper techniques. These drills, in conjunction with swimming the actual strokes many times during the course of each class, will provide an element of endurance training for all of the students, most particularly for the younger ones.

These classes are available for students age 13 and older. The information detailed in the previous section is applicable here. We follow the same curriculum when teaching teens and adults. Our curriculum is uniquely designed to provide superior-quality swim instruction to every student, regardless of age. Our instructors are trained to personalize our methodical curriculum to the individual needs of each student. The major difference between our classes for children and our classes for teens and adults is that the instructors will communicate with you as adults. However, the basic process of learning to swim is the same for every human being.

As detailed in the subsequent section for Class Times, a “session” for adults consists of four 70-min classes, offered once per week; whereas a “session” for children consists of eight 35-minute classes (offered twice per week during the spring and four times per week during the summer). A “session” is simply a means of defining a date range for scheduling purposes. You may enroll in as many sessions as needed to obtain your goal. Some adults find that one session of four lessons (classes) is sufficient to accomplish their objectives. Most adults need multiple sessions to become proficient swimmers. However, you are not required to enroll in multiple sessions.

These classes are not a part of the Jeff Kelly inc. Personalized Swim Instruction© curriculum. Rather, they are a component of our Aquatic Facility Management services. Therefore, please follow this link to obtain the details: Lifeguard Certification Classes. Our Lifeguard Instructors teach the American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification curriculum. Successful completion of this course will result in a three-year American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification with a one-year CPR \ AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) Certification.

These classes are available to students 15 years of age and older, who meet specific swimming ability requirements. Employment with Jeff Kelly inc. is NOT a requirement to enroll in these classes. For more information about our Lifeguard employment opportunities, please refer to the Employment Opportunities section of this website.

Please review our curriculum to better understand our ability level system. We have designed this section to expedite the enrollment process. While you are welcome to review this with one of our enrollment counselors via telephone; we understand how difficult it is to speak on the phone with little ones tugging at your legs. Therefore, you can follow the questions below at your convenience to determine your children's ability levels, which we refer to simply as "abilities". After determining your children's abilities and determining the sessions in which you are interested; please call 816-942-SWIM (7946) and speak with one of our enrollment counselors.

Does Student have a fear of the water if it is above his/her head and he/she has NO FLOATATION DEVICE? Yes = Ability Level 1a! No = continue…
Can Student lay his/her face in the water, push away from the edge of the pool to a full extension of his/her body and remain floating in this extended position for 3 seconds? No = still Ability Level 1a! Yes = continue…
Can Student swim 3 times the length of his/her body? Correct technique is not considered here. This question is designed to determine if he/she can make it this distance when attempting to move his/her legs and arms. No = Ability Level 2a! Yes = continue…
Can Student swim “Freestyle” (sometimes referred to as the “crawl”) moving his/her legs from the hips with minimal bend in the knees? No = still Ability Level 2a! Yes = continue…
Can Student swim Freestyle at least 3 times the length of his/her body with minimal bend in the knees as just described AND with his/her elbows elevated above the hands, as opposed to the hands swinging high like a windmill? No = Ability Level 2b! Yes = continue…
Can Student swim Freestyle 10 times the length of his/her body with the coordination just described in the previous question. Breathing to the side is not considered here – just the ability to continue this coordination for a longer distance than the previous question. No = Ability Level 2c! Yes = continue…
Can Student breathe by rolling his/her head and body to the side? This is done as an individual skill with the instructor’s assistance. We are not yet asking if he/she can breathe to the side while swimming. No = Ability Level 3a! Yes = continue…
Can Student swim Freestyle 10 times the length of his/her body with minimal bend in the knees, AND with his/her elbows elevated above the hands; AND is able to consistently breathe to the side with correct timing? Breathing is performed with correct timing when the student begins to breathe as his/her arm is pulling through the water. Incorrect timing is when the arm is adjacent to the swimmer’s mouth when a breath is taken. In this case, the student is not getting sufficient air or is even pushing the water into his/her mouth. This would result in the student having to stop and pull his/her head up to breathe. (See photos below). No = Ability Level 3b! Yes = Ability Level 3d!
Correct Timing for Lateral Breathing:	Incorrect Timing for Lateral Breathing:

An evaluation by one of our instructors is required for an Ability Level rating beyond 3d. If you desire that your child(ren) learn the Backstroke, Breaststroke and/or Butterfly, you may enroll him/her in classes specific to these strokes. We refer to these classes as “stroke-focused” classes. Please understand that these stroke-focused classes will be very challenging. If you have any concerns that your child(ren) may not be ready for such a challenge, we recommend that you enroll him/her in an Ability Level 3 class, in which the entire focus will remain on Freestyle and important self-rescue and peer-rescue skills.

1. The Fun Connection: The most important thing you can do to prepare your children for a life of aquatic enjoyment is to create a solid psychological and experiential connection between water and fun. As soon as possible after birth, expose your children to water as frequently as possible via the bathtub and swimming pools. Of course, please consult your pediatrician with regard to any necessary precautions you need to take concerning the particular health status of your children. If you have any concerns about the water conditions of a particular swimming pool, do not hesitate to ask the management to show you the daily water chemistry log and/or local health department inspections. When playing with your children in the bathtub or swimming pool, have fun! We do not need to advise you to be cautious because we know that parents are innately cautious with their children, especially new parents. Without realizing it, you may be instilling an unhealthy fear of the water in your children by being overly tense when at the swimming pool. As long as you have implemented every necessary precaution to ensure your children's safety in and around the water, relax and enjoy that time with them. That joy will transfer to the child, even on a subliminal level.

2. Minimize Time with Floatation Devices: The use of reliable, secure floatation devices is critical if you are in any situation in or around water in which you are unable to devote 100% attention to your children. That being stated, we recommend that you minimize and eventually eliminate the use of floatation devices when playing with your children in a 1:1 ratio. Specifically, if you have only one child, do not use a floatation device when you are able to dedicate 100% of your attention to playing with that child in the swimming pool. If you have more than one child for whom you are responsible at the swimming pool, alternate the children's non-floatation device time to ensure the safety of all children.

3. Children's Book: An excellent resource for those children experiencing anxiety or fear, is a picture book titled, "Amanda Panda Discovers the Wonderful World of Water." This fun, educational, multi-lingual picture book was written by Jeff Kelly and published by Jeff Kelly inc. It was specifically written to help children deal with anxiety or fear of water. For detailed information and purchasing, follow this link to Amanda Panda Discovers the Wonderful World of Water.

4. Establish Expectations: Please prepare your children for our formal class environment. Specifically, prepare them for our class rules, which are listed below under Behavior Expectations.

5. Class Observation: If your children are experiencing any anxiety or fear, bring them to observe our classes at one of our facilities or your community pool (if we are teaching there). We have found that this, in combination with Jeff's children's book, is the best method for addressing anxiety and/or fear. Please call and speak with one of our enrollment counselors (816-942-7946) to obtain current class times for the appropriate ability levels of your children. Of course, this option is at no cost to you. It is extremely helpful for them to see that, though we facilitate a strict class environment, the instructors are gentle and nurturing in doing so. Furthermore, the children will observe that this strict class environment actually serves to protect them. Specifically, they will see that our behavior expectations and discipline procedures are designed to ensure their safety. Of course, as you observe the classes, you will need to dialogue with them about these points to help them establish this connection. During that dialogue, emphasize that the teacher is there to help them learn to enjoy the water.

6. Practice with Your Children: Reinforce the basic skills your children are learning in our classes by practicing these skills outside of class. As you observe the first two lessons, you will learn specific "thematic movements" and a specific routine of assimilating these movements. Please practice these thematic movements and routine with your children as often as possible. To assist you in this process, we have provided a simplified, basic list of these movements and the assimilation order. Without observing our classes, the information below will not make much sense to you. Thus, the following information is designed as a basic guide for parents who have observed our lessons. To avoid awkward sentences, we will use the feminine pronouns of she and her to represent the grammatically correct he/she and him/her pronoun combination. This section is still under construction. We will be adding photographs, and eventually streaming video for each step.

Practice the following basic neuromuscular conditioning exercises. These exercises are described when working with your child in a swimming pool. You will need to improvise in the bathtub as applicable.

Leg Movements: Dip your body into the water shoulder deep and have your child put her arms around your neck. Reach under her with your arms to hold the knees. As your child attempts to kick, try to keep her knees straight. It is better not to hold your child out to your side.

Arm Movements: Practicing on steps or at poolside: Place your child’s feet on the ground. Lean her forward at the waist. Physically assist her by taking one hand down into the water. Push the hand all the way back past the waist (as far as the arm can extend). Lift the arm out of the water with the elbow elevated higher than the hand. Finally, pull the arm forward so it is extended beyond her head. Practicing with your assistance in the pool: Place your child’s arms on your shoulders, while you hold her stomach with one hand. Use your other hand to move her arms through the motion described above.

Breathing Control: First, teach your child how to take a big breath in through her mouth, holding it for one second. Blow the air slowly from the nose. Demonstrate this many times before expecting your child to do it. As you demonstrate, exaggerate every step. Most children are only afraid to put their face in the water because it hurts when they get water in their nose. Therefore, it is very important that they blow air out of their nose instead of their mouth. Repeat this several times. Check for air by placing your finger under your child’s nose. Be sure the air is not coming from her mouth. When you are comfortable that she is doing this correctly, put your face in the water and blow air from your nose to show her how to do it with her face in the water.

Assimilating (Coordinating) the Leg Movements, Arm Movements and Breathing Control: Progressively assimilate each of these "thematic movements" together in a specific and consistent order. Place your child’s hands on your shoulders while you provide "buoyancy support" with one hand holding her stomach. Begin with breathing control. Add the leg movements followed by the arm movements. You will verbally and physically guide your child through this process.

Backfloat: Lay your child’s head on your shoulder while your body is in the water shoulder deep. Place your hand under her back or hips to give her support. Gradually, you can assist less. Do not hold her out to your side. This method does not provide the child with the feeling of security that she needs.

We encourage you to sit close enough to your child’s class to hear the instructor. In fact, at the end of the session, we will ask you to evaluate the instructor. However, please respect our knowledge and experience as professionals. We have specific requests regarding your participation:

Please do not interrupt the instructor during class. We do encourage your input. However, if you need to speak with the instructor, please approach him/her at the end of class. If you have a quick question, the instructor can answer it then. If you need to speak with the instructor at length, please ask him/her to call you. The instructor will obtain your phone number from the office and follow up with you before the next class.

Please do not approach the class and attempt to assist your child with a specific skill. If the instructor needs your assistance or would like to show you how to help your child at home with a particular skill, he/she will ask you to come to the side of the pool.

Please do not approach the class and reprimand your child. This is distracting for the instructor and other students. Please allow the instructor to handle all discipline issues during class. As you will see in our “Behavior Expectations and Discipline Procedures,” the instructor will involve you in the discipline process as appropriate. In fact, you can be most helpful by thoroughly reviewing this information with your child(ren) and providing us with your full support of the discipline procedures.

How do children most effectively learn? I have been studying this topic since 1985. There are many schools of thought on the subject. The theories range from extremely rigid learning environments to ridiculously unstructured and undisciplined environments. Like so many things in life, theories are just that - theories. Therefore, the best we can do as educators and parents is to create and select environments that we believe to be the most effective for our children.

When I began designing the Personalized Swim Instruction© curriculum in 1987, I knew very little about educational theories. I simply created the learning environment that came naturally to me. I asked myself how I best learned information and skills. I knew that I could not function in chaotic, disorganized and unstructured class settings. I liked a quiet, organized, disciplined and structured class environment. I liked consistent rules for everyone. I felt confident when I clearly understood the expectations of the teacher. Of course, I was already biased to this type of environment because it was the only thing I knew.

I was raised in an Irish-Italian-German family of nine. Before having a family, my father spent five years in the seminary studying to become a Catholic priest, followed by several years in the military. Those years in stoic, disciplined and structured settings set the precedent for raising his children. I never questioned my father’s authority. He established it absolutely! Though he was a very loving and gentle father, he had zero tolerance for misbehavior or disrespect. We only had to misbehave or be disrespectful once and we never made that mistake again.

You can imagine how difficult it is for me to adjust to some of the parenting concepts of this latest generation. I continually observe parents allowing their children to show disrespect by interrupting their conversations, "talking back" to them, and even yelling at them. Many parents believe that it is important to allow children to express themselves in this way. I firmly disagree. Many parents are afraid that if they are too strict, their children will not like them. I love my father. We have a wonderful relationship to this day. In fact, he worked for my corporation from 1997 to 2006. My father and mother never had to tell their children anything twice. They only had to look at us with "that look" and we sat up straight. We had strict rules and strict and consistent consequences if we broke the rules. There were no "second warnings" or "if I have to tell you again…"

I understand that you have a choice when selecting a swim lesson program for your child(ren). I hope that you choose to enroll in our program. We would love the opportunity to serve you. Before you make that decision, however, I feel that it is only fair that you are aware of our behavior expectations. You have probably already surmised by now that they are like my father’s expectations. You are correct. However, I understand that very few people were raised as I was. Many of our students need an adjustment period with us in which they gain an understanding and appreciation for our behavior expectations and discipline procedures.

Our behavior expectations and discipline procedures have been established to ensure the safety of our students and to create an optimal learning environment for all. We have identified specific behaviors that jeopardize these goals. Therefore, we have itemized each expectation and its rationale. One of the many benefits of our program is to prepare or reinforce the structure students must follow in school.

Should learning always be fun? I believe that the process of learning is fun and exciting. However, that does not mean it is easy, nor does it mean that we need to play games to "entertain" students into learning. We have all been to school, whether public or private. Was school always fun? Did our teachers allow us to talk while they were talking? Did they allow us to disrupt other students just so that we could have fun? Was it a legitimate excuse that we were disruptive in class because we had a hard time paying attention? I think we would all agree that the answer to these questions is no. School is not always fun and games. Structure and discipline are necessary components for learning to take place. We hope to show the students that it is "fun" to achieve their goals, and they can feel good about working hard to do so. We consider aquatic education as important as any other subject your children will learn in school.

Our expectations are as follows:

Expectation: Students are not allowed near the water until the instructor has called their names.
Rationale: Safety.

Expectation: Students are not allowed in the water until the instructor has entered the water. This is not applicable at home pools and homes associations, etc. when the pool is open to all members and the students may already be in the pool prior to their lesson time.
Rationale: Safety.

Expectation: On the first day, the instructor will assign each student a specific "seat" for the entire session. Except when performing a skill with the instructor or swimming to the instructor, the students are required to remain in their assigned seats. During the part of the lesson in which the students are required to practice techniques individually, they must stay within the area near their assigned seats.
Rationale: Safety. In addition, having an assigned seat provides the class with consistency and establishes organization. By setting a simple but feasible expectation for the child, the instructor can initiate the process of immediate, positive critique.

Expectation: While the instructor is talking or demonstrating, students are required to sit still with their hands in their lap.
Rationale: This enforces the importance of concentration and respect for authority, and prevents students from disrupting each other.

Expectation: Students are not allowed to touch other students.
Rationale: Safety. In addition, this emphasizes the importance of respect for others.

Expectation: Students are not allowed to speak to the instructor or to other students without first gaining permission from the instructor.
Rationale: This emphasizes the importance of respect for others and allows the instructor to listen to the needs of each student.

Expectation: Students are not allowed to splash or spit water.
Rationale: Safety and of course, this emphasizes the importance of respect for others.

Expectation: During the part of the lesson in which the students are required to practice techniques individually, they are not allowed to talk with other students. We realize that many of our younger students may need short breaks during this independent practice time. They will not be allowed, however, to prevent the other students from practicing.
Rationale: Justice. Each parent is paying tuition and each child has the right to have the best possible opportunity to learn.

Our discipline procedures are very straightforward. We expect that students will adhere to the behavior expectations listed above. On the first day of class, the instructor will inform the students of these behavior expectations. On the second day of class, the instructor will review these expectations. If a student does not adhere to these expectations, we will consistently enforce the discipline procedures below. The instructors are trained to be gentle, but firm. We understand that children are excited to be in the water and this excitement can make it difficult to concentrate. We also understand that some children have special needs. However, we cannot allow any student for any reason to compromise his/her own safety and the safety of the other students. We also cannot allow any student to disrupt the other students’ opportunities to learn.

To avoid awkward sentences, we will use the feminine pronouns of she and her to represent the grammatically correct he/she and him/her pronoun combination.

1. We educate the student that she has not adhered to the behavior expectation by reviewing the expectation with her.

2. We provide one kind, but firm warning that if this happens again, she will have to sit out of the pool for two minutes.

3. If the student violates the expectation again, the instructor will follow through with the warning by sitting her out of the pool for two minutes. The instructor will also inform the student that if she fails to adhere to the expectation a third time, she will be removed from the water for five minutes.

4. If the student violates the expectation a third time, the instructor will ask that you come to the poolside. The instructor will inform you of the situation. The instructor will inform you and your child that if this happens again, the student will not be allowed to continue with that day's class. You will be asked to escort your child to your seat and review the behavior expectations with her. She may return to the class after five minutes.

5. Finally, after all the above attempts have been made to nurture the child into cooperation with the behavior expectations, we will follow through with removing her from the class for the remainder of the day. The instructor will ask you to come to the poolside. She will inform you of the situation and you will be asked to escort your child to your seat or you may sit poolside with your child while she observes the class. We understand that children have bad days and we hope that the next class day will bring better cooperation.

6. We will not use valuable class time continuing to discipline the student. Please review the behavior expectations with her. Please inform your child that she will not receive any warnings during the next class. If she does not adhere to the expectations, she will not be allowed to continue with that day's class or the remainder of the session. You will be given a refund for the remaining classes in the session. The instructor will ask you to call the office (816-942-7946) and speak with an enrollment counselor regarding the situation. We hope that you will reschedule for a later session when you feel that your child would be prepared to follow the behavior expectations.

The Grand Court KC is a retirement community located near I-435 and Wornall Road in south Kansas City. Click here for Directions. We are responsible for the maintenance of this facility and therefore ensure the quality of the water for our students and instructors. Located in an atrium with a sunroof, the swimming pool water temperature is controlled at 90 degrees!

Nottingham Forest Homes Association is located just off Highway 69 and 119th Street in Overland Park. The exact address is 11940 Grant, Overland Park, KS 66213. Click here for Directions. They have graciously allowed us to lease their swimming pool to provide our Personalized Swim Instruction© services to non-residents. We also provide this community with our Aquatic Facility Management services. Therefore, we are responsible for the maintenance of this facility and thereby ensure the quality of the water for our students and instructors. The swimming pool water temperature is controlled at 85 degrees!

To find out if we are offering swim instruction at your community or club this summer, please call 816-942-SWIM (7946) to speak with an Enrollment Counselor. He\she can provide you with the details. If we are offering classes, the enrollment counselor will provide you with either: 1. The exact sessions (date ranges) and times available. 2. If we have not yet created a class schedule for your community, he\she will provide an explanation. We may be awaiting confirmation that our information has been distributed to the residents and/or members of your community and/or club; or we may be awaiting more interest. If the latter is the case, we will be taking requests in which we will obtain detailed information with regard to the session(s) and times that work best for you, as well as detailed information regarding the age and ability level of your child(ren).

If we are not currently contracted to provide Swim Instruction Services for your community, we can offer the following options:

1. We can send an instructor to your pool for just your child. In this case, our instructor would simply be your guest. This is the most expensive option as you are reserving our instructor for 35 minutes each day for only your child. Therefore, the tuition for one session of eight 35-minute private lessons is $446.40, which is $55.80 for each lesson. Please refer to Class Times for an explanation of the class times available for these arrangements.

2. We can send an instructor to the pool for your child and one, two or three other children of similar age and ability. Again, our instructor would simply be your guest and the guest of the other residents or members. The instructor will teach these students within the same 35-minute time period each day. The tuition for each student is relative to the number of students you choose to have in the class (with a maximum of four). In this case, you are sharing the $446.40 tuition with other families. As with option 1, this tuition is for a session of eight 35-minute classes. Thus, if we have only two students in the class, the tuition is $223.20 per student. For a class of three students, the tuition is $148.80 per student. For a class of four students, the tuition is only $111.60 per student. Please refer to Class Times for an explanation of the class times available for these arrangements.

If you are interested in one of these options, please call 816-942-SWIM (7946) to speak with an enrollment counselor. Let them know that you have read this information and that the Class Times presented work with your schedule. In addition to the standard contact and student profile data we obtain from all customers, the enrollment counselor will also obtain the specific directions to your community. Your request will directed to Jeff to determine if we have the instructor resources available to accommodate you.

We can make our service available to all of the residents in your community for either the current season or the subsequent season, depending on several factors. In this case, we would need the approval of the developer, homes association board or country club management. As compared to the price structure presented in the previous section, this is the most economical option. Because we would be offering our service to many families, and therefore more efficiently utilizing our instructor resources, we can offer the lessons at our lowest tuition. A session of eight 35-minute classes is only $79.60 per student. The other benefit of this option is that you do not need to find the other students for your child’s class. Rather, we create a schedule with multiple classes. Our information is distributed to all of the residents. Each family calls our office directly to enroll their children. Our enrollment counselors create an age and ability profile for each student. These enrollment counselors place the students in the appropriate classes according to age and ability.

If you are interested in this option, please send us an email via our online submission form. We will determine if there is sufficient time to make such arrangements for the current season.

There are two ways we can provide you with lessons at your residential pool:

1. We can send an instructor to the pool for just your child. This is the most expensive option as you are reserving our instructor for 35 minutes each day for only your child. Therefore, the tuition for one session of eight 35-minute private lessons is $446.40, which is $55.80 for each lesson.. Please refer to Class Times for an explanation of the class times available for these arrangements.

2. We can send an instructor to the pool for your child and one, two or three other children of similar age and ability. The instructor will teach these students within the same 35-minute time period each day. The tuition for each student is relative to the number of students you choose to have in the class (with a maximum of four). In this case, you are sharing the $446.40 tuition with other families. As with option 1, this tuition is for a session of eight 35-minute classes. Thus, if we have only two students in the class, the tuition is $223.20 per student. For a class of three students, the tuition is $148.80 per student. For a class of four students, the tuition is only $111.60 per student. Please refer to Class Times for an explanation of the class times available for these arrangements.

If you are interested in one of these options, please call 816-942-SWIM (7946) to speak with an enrollment counselor. Let them know that you have read this information and that the Class Times presented work with your schedule. In addition to the standard contact and student profile data we obtain from all customers, the enrollment counselor will also obtain the specific directions to your community. Your request will directed to Jeff to determine if we have the instructor resources available to accommodate you.

We define any group of classes as a "session". Our standard session consists of eight (8) 35-minute "lessons" or "classes".

Our spring sessions are offered at our indoor facility. Each session consists of two 35-minute classes per week for four weeks. Fridays are reserved for pool-maintenance related make-ups. Our summer sessions are offered at our indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as homes associations, country clubs and residences. Each session consists of four 35-minute classes per week for two weeks. Fridays are reserved for weather and/or pool-maintenance related make-ups.

It is important to note that a “session” of eight 35-minute classes is simply a means of defining a date range for scheduling purposes. You may enroll in as many sessions as needed to obtain your goals. For some students, one session of eight classes is sufficient to accomplish those objectives. Most students, however, need multiple sessions to become proficient swimmers. Of course you are not required to enroll in multiple sessions. You may enroll in one session at a time.

2012 Schedule (Updated January 13, 2012)
Session	Mondays & Wednesdays	Tuesdays & Thursdays	Facilities
Session 1	Not Available	March 13 - April 05	Our Indoor Facility Only
Session 2	April 09 - May 02	April 10 - May 03	Our Indoor Facility Only
Session 3	May 07 - May 30	May 08 - May 31	Our Indoor Facility Only

Session	Mondays through Thursdays		Facilities
Session 4*	June 04 - June 14		Our Indoor Facility Only
* Session 4 also serves as the culmination of our new instructor training program. Classes will be taught by this year’s team of newly trained professional educators under the direct supervision of our Instructor Mentors. Before Session 4 begins, each of these new instructors will have already completed 23 hours of training in our curriculum, stroke technique, and teaching methodologies. Session 4 provides them an opportunity to teach their very first classes under the direct guidance of their mentors. To facilitate the learning of the students and their instructors, each class during Session 4 will last 40 minutes rather than our standard 35-minute class time. These additional five minutes allow the mentors to assist the instructors with fine tuning their teaching techniques without sacrificing content or interrupting the flow of each class.
Session 5	June 18 - June 28		All
Session 6	July 09 - July 19		All
Session 7	July 23 - August 02		Our Indoor Facility
Session 8	August 06 - August 16 (Tentative)		Our Indoor Facility

We create classes at each facility with a blank slate of 35-minute class times. Enrollment is done on a “first come - first served” basis. Specifically, the first student added to a particular class time for a given session determines the age-ability-profile for that class. Because we are very particular about matching students according to a combination of age and ability, each student added thereafter must fall within the age-ability-profile of the first student added. In this way, the class schedules are dynamic and can change daily based on enrollment. When we speak with you, we will need to gather age and ability specific information about your child(ren) in order to provide you with the age-ability-compatible classes for your child(ren). You can help expedite this process by determining the ability level(s) (which we refer to simply as "ability" \ "abilities") of your child(ren) using our Determine Student Ability questionnaire. To enroll, simply call 816-942-SWIM (7946) to speak with one of our enrollment counselors.

Tuition for our standard group lessons of 4 students per class for eight (8) 35-minute lessons is $99.60 per student. Tuition for our standard Teen \ Adult group lessons of 4 students per class for four (4) 70-minute lessons is also $99.60 per student. Tuition for a session of eight 35-minute lessons at all homes associations and country clubs, where we have a signed contract to offer our service to the entire community, is only $79.60. Nottingham Forest Homes Association is allowing us to lease their swimming pool to offer our classes to non-residents as well. The tuition for residents of this community is only $79.60 whereas the tuition for non-residents is $99.60.

We limit our class size to four students, even for the Teen \ Adult Classes. If you want the option of having less than four students in a class, your tuition will be directly proportional to our standard group class of four students, as detailed in this tuition chart:

Enrollment is done only by phone and only by trained Enrollment Counselors.* Please call 816-942-SWIM (7946). On February 20th, we will begin enrollment for spring and summer classes at our indoor heated facility. On May 7th, we will begin enrollment for summer classes at our outdoor heated facility, homes associations, country clubs and residences. May 7th is six weeks in advance of the first applicable session.

Hours for enrollment vary throughout the season. Thus, please call whenever it is convenient for you. If you reach our voicemail system, please leave a message spelling your first and last name, and the best time you may be reached. One of our Enrollment Counselors will return your call as soon as possible. To assist us in reaching you at your preferred time, please provide your cell phone number.

* Why can't we enroll online? In 1993, we began developing our own state-of-the-art custom software to manage every aspect of our business. We have considered integrating that custom software with this website, thereby providing our customers with the ability to enroll online. However, we decided that the enrollment process is best facilitated by a trained Enrollment Counselor. The dynamics involved in building compatible classes are complex and best accomplished by those with experience teaching our curriculum. Specifically, all Enrollment Counselors must first serve as Swim Instructors. Therefore, they have been thoroughly trained with regard to our curriculum, teaching methodologies and instruction techniques. Because they have actually taught all of the various class compositions (different age\ability combinations), they can best determine which classes are most compatible for your children.

When you enroll in our program, you are making a class reservation. Therefore, your confirmation to us is a payment of the total dollar amount of the classes reserved. Because we limit our group class size to only 4 students and overall availability is limited, we do require this tuition immediately. We accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Before the Enrollment Counselor obtains your credit card information, he or she will share the following policies of which you need to be aware prior to your financial confirmation:

We do not offer make-ups or refunds for classes missed due to personal conflicts, cancellations or students who refuse to participate.
We do not offer special arrangements if you are unable to attend Friday make-up classes.

We will adhere to these polices because your payment is reserving a position(s) in a class(es) that we can no longer offer to anyone else from that point forward. If this is agreeable, we will obtain your payment which will confirm your reservation(s).

Goggles: We require that each student bring a reliable pair of goggles to class each day. We recommend Speedo Hydrospex, which are available in sporting good stores. Swim Quik in Leawood is offering a 20% discount to our customers. If you choose to purchase goggles at their 135^th & Roe store, simply inform the sales clerk that you are a customer of Jeff Kelly inc.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL OUR OFFICE WITH REGARD TO INCLEMENT WEATHER INQUIRIES AND CANCELLATIONS. We provide this service to thousands of families throughout the city. Our enrollment counselors simply can not handle the call volume generated on an overcast or rainy day. WE WILL NOT RETURN WEATHER-RELATED CALLS.

Instead, I have established a very practical and fair method of dealing with inclement weather, which I detail below:

My sister is a journalist and proofreads my writing. She always scolds me when I use capital letters such as above. She tells me that using capital letters is like screaming at your readers. I agree, but in this case I assure you that I am not screaming. I am pleading! Please try to imagine the insanity of all our phone lines constantly ringing on overcast, rainy or stormy days. The sound is deafening. Through the years, I have tried many different methods of dealing with this inclement weather dilemma. I understand that you would like to avoid driving to your pool if possible. I do understand the difficulty involved in getting the kids in the car seats, etc. For many years, we tried using a separate “weather line” voicemail in which we provided updates to you when we heard from the instructor at your pool regarding the current situation. However, despite our best efforts, few actually used this tool. Instead, most of our customers called our office. After the first summer session of 2000, I finally arrived at the best solution thus far.

Since 1987, we had never failed to provide our customers with the opportunity to make up lessons canceled due to inclement weather or pool problems. We have experienced some major challenges in doing so, especially in 1993, when major flooding occurred. However, our first summer session of 2000 presented us with our greatest challenge to date. The first two days brought a very cold air temperature of 69 degrees and below. Several days throughout the first and second weeks brought rain, thunder and lightning. In addition, several pools, for which we did not provide the daily care, were poorly managed and resulted in unsanitary conditions. At three other facilities, fecal material was found in the water.

The combination of these problems created a scheduling and customer relations nightmare for us. After exhausting both Fridays for make-up lessons, many instructors rescheduled the additional lessons missed for the final Saturday of the session. Other instructors were forced to reschedule yet more classes for the following week, in which they were attempting to teach a new session of students as well. For many customers who could not attend these make-up classes, we provided even more opportunities apart from the regularly scheduled class times. For yet others, we routed back-up instructors and instructor mentors to their pools for personal make-ups.

We received hundreds of requests for special arrangements, which interrupted our enrollment counselors’ ability to respond to our normal daily call volume. Even with the ongoing effort to meet all of our customers’ needs, I was still bombarded with calls from many parents who demanded that I provide yet more make-up opportunities or refunds because they were unable to attend due to personal scheduling conflicts. After thinking through every possible solution for these customers, I was unable to meet all demands. Several customers directed their frustrations at the enrollment counselors and the instructors. Truthfully, I was quite disheartened. I know for a fact that most other lesson providers, who obviously faced these weather conditions as well, did not put forth a strong effort to provide their customers with make-up lessons. By the end of that two-week period, most of my instructors and enrollment counselors were absolutely exhausted or frustrated. This was quite unfortunate because we all tried so hard to provide a solution for problems that we neither created nor could have prevented.

Providing you with quality swim instruction is my main goal. To do this, I need enthusiastic and well-rested instructors. These swim instructors all have unique schedules determined by their availability for the summer. They all understand that, though they teach Monday through Thursday, they must be prepared to teach on Friday as well. Most of them also teach for us at other facilities either before or after they do so at your pool. In addition, just like you, they have personal lives apart from work. Many of them have spouses and children. For these reasons, they are simply not available to do make-up lessons any time other than Friday at your regularly scheduled class times. If I demand that they be available on Saturdays, Sundays or anytime that you demand a personal make-up, teaching swimming with Jeff Kelly inc. would quickly become an unpleasant experience. The result would be the inability for us to retain the best swim instructors and, therefore, the inability to provide this service.

Several customers accused me of profiting from their loss, so I think my next point is worth addressing. I understand that you have paid for eight 35-minute classes. Please understand that if you are unable to attend the Friday make-up lessons or we experience another session like the first session of 2000, in which you do not receive all eight lessons, we do not profit from this. In fact, the personnel costs involved in just the additional Fridays are huge. By providing so many other make-up opportunities apart from Fridays during that session, my payroll costs were exorbitant.

Our Procedures for Class Cancellation and Rescheduling are as follows:

Thunder\Lightning: This is applicable to outdoor facilities only and not the Grand Court KC. The instructor will clear the students from the water immediately. The instructor will not allow the class to resume until 20 minutes have passed from the last sound of thunder or sight of lightning. The instructor will return on Friday to provide make-ups for the time missed. All instructors will complete their entire routes for the day. We know from experience that Kansas City weather can change quickly. Therefore, it will be your responsibility to go to the pool every day regardless of the weather. Our instructor will be there or somewhere nearby. If the weather clears, even for just 10 minutes, the instructor will proceed with your lesson. Do not assume that your lessons are cancelled because there was lightning one hour previous to your lessons. In addition, rain itself is not grounds for cancellation. As long as there is no lightning or thunder, rain is quite irrelevant unless it is a cold rain. In this case, refer to the next section regarding cold weather. Because rain is just water and your children are in the water anyway, we will not cancel lessons due to rain. Again, it is your responsibility to go to the pool to see if the instructor is providing the lessons. The same procedure will be followed for the make-up lessons on Friday. However, if we are unable to have or complete the lessons on Friday, we can not provide an additional make-up lesson.

Severe Cold Air or Water: The swim instructors and you, the parents of those students in the current lessons, shall determine if the air or water temperature before or during the lessons is too cold for the lesson to begin or continue. I will not make decisions that affect all of the facilities citywide. I am not the one who has to be in the water. Therefore, it is not fair to you if I make that decision from my warm office. Because it is your child(ren) who will be in that water, you (as the parents) will vote. On these cold days (either air or water temperature), our instructors will be present for all classes. Each 35-minute class will be decided separately. Like a true democracy, the majority wins. If more than 50 percent of the parents elect to proceed with lessons that day, the instructor will provide class that day and will not provide a make-up lesson for that class on Friday. In case of a 50-50 vote or if more than 50 percent of the parents vote to reschedule the lesson for Friday, the instructor will provide both a lesson that day and a make-up lesson on Friday! This way, if you are unable to attend the make-up lesson on Friday, you still have the opportunity to do it that day if you choose for your child to brave the conditions. However, please keep in mind that severe cold conditions impede the children’s ability to focus. You must determine if having your child chill through the lesson is really worth the price of that day’s lesson.

Unsafe Environment for the Students and Instructors: If blood, vomit or fecal material is found in the pool, the instructor will immediately clear the students from the pool. Remaining time in the current class and all classes for the remainder of that day will be rescheduled for Friday at the regularly scheduled class times. If the contamination results in the facility being closed for multiple days, we will still provide no more make-up lessons than the two Friday classes. If this situation impedes our ability to provide a make-up on Friday, we will not provide an additional make-up lesson.

Jeff Kelly inc. has employed more than 400 instructors through the years. Rather than providing profiles of each instructor, we recommend that you review the information presented in our Employment Opportunities section. There, you will find detailed information regarding the specific qualifications necessary to pursue employment with our corporation, as well as a detailed schedule and description of the swim instructor training program. Furthermore, please read the "Instructor Evaluation by Customer" form provided in the next section. This detailed evaluation form provides an overview of the superior-quality standards to which we hold our swim instructors. Finally, we encourage you to read about our Leadership Team. This team of professional educators is responsible for selecting, training, mentoring and evaluating our swim instructors.

Thank you for entrusting your children’s aquatic education to us. To ensure that we provide you with the best service, I have designed an excellent compensation incentive program for our instructors. Please complete the following evaluation. I have designed the 20 criteria to evaluate the instructor based on Attitude, Personality, Professionalism, Communication, Safety, Discipline, Organization and Efficiency. Please return it directly to the instructor or mail it to the address above. To ensure the integrity of the evaluations, we do request that you provide your name. Please complete one evaluation form per student. Again, Thank you. Jeff