An occasional series about how Foss Swim School operates.
Whether you are considering swimming with us for the first time or already a part of the “Foss Family,” you may wonder how we approach the enrollment process at Foss Swim School. If this describes you, here is our registration roadmap, along with some suggestions for would-be enrollees.
Understanding this process may put some of your questions to rest, and even show you some ways to improve your chances of swimming in your preferred time slot.
Step 1: Get into the system and view schedules
Even if you aren’t ready to sign up, you will need to have a Family Account on record. Existing swimmers, this is covered.
We’ve found that running lessons as a school and syncing with the school year calendar produces the best results. Yet, this also leads to a difference in length of each quarter. Here is how we think through the year.
- Fall Quarter begins in September after Labor Day and ends late December
- On average 15 weeks
- Winter Quarter begins January 2 and ends in early March
- On average 9 to 10 weeks
- Spring Quarter begins in early March and ends in early June
- On average 12 to 13 weeks
- Summer Quarter begins in early June and ends just before Labor day
- On average 12 to 13 weeks
Families select the quarter that matches their schedules to swim. Some families only swim at FOSS in the Summer. Others choose to swim the school year and not in the Summer. Either way, the quarters make it easy to make a commitment to Students and Classmates and Teachers to learn to swim and learn together for their time during that enrollment.
FOSS TIP: New families, you can create an account at any time with no commitment, and we recommend you do so in advance so that you can find classes that work with your family’s schedule and be ready to go when enrollment opens.
Step 2: Get in the know on tuition and installments
Tuition is calculated by class. As a result, 9 weeks of tuition for Winter calculates very differently than 15 weeks for Fall. The difference comes in the number of total classes quarter to quarter.
To assist families in making tuition more approachable we offer installment payments. Installments are available in up to three increments and are spread out by 28 days. Installment payments can be selected from your Family Account.
Step 3: New to FOSS? Get assessed
Before you sign up for a class, you will want to know what level is right. Students who are already in a class will know their next level recommended by the instructor. If you’re joining FOSS for the first time, or coming back after a hiatus, you have the option to sign up for a free assessment—we’ll let you know what level you’ll want to choose when enrollment opens.
FOSS TIP: Make sure you sign up for our email reminders, and check that they aren’t going into your junk mail—you’ll hear about registration at the pool, and we publish enrollment dates on our website, but emails offer an in-the-moment reminder when enrollment opens.
Step 4: Get enrolled
We operate our school by quarters – winter, spring, summer and fall—and offer both once-a-week classes and condensed 4-week swim camps each quarter at most locations. We add 2-week camps for the summer quarter. We open registration for all potential enrollees simultaneously approximately a month before each quarter starts. Go online and enroll as soon as you are able by requesting preferred classes for each swimmer.
FOSS TIP: Don’t delay—the time at which you enroll is one factor in the order in which your request is processed. If you missed the first day, though, don’t worry—while many classes do fill up, there are often great options available at other times.
Step 5: Get confirmation
FOSS TIP: Some FOSS families love classes at lower-traffic times, like evenings, because they are quieter and can become part of the nightly going-to-bed routine (they bring pajamas to change kids into.) Others find that deliberately staggering when multiple kids have class is an advantage. Read all our scheduling tips when considering which time is best for your family.
We hope this overview is helpful, and we look forward to swimming with you! See you at the pool!
