Oh, poop. The dreaded email. Your child’s swim lesson has been canceled because of a bathroom incident in the Goldfish Swim School pool and you now have to schedule a makeup lesson.

We know it’s frustrating, but unfortunately, accidents do happen – especially when you teach hundreds of young children how to be safer in and around the water every day!

Luckily, pool closures happen infrequently, and we have procedures in place to clean the pool and get back to business as usual. Our teams use integrity, compassion and trust, so you can be assured that when we decide to close, we are doing so to maintain the health and safety of you and your little swimmers and our staff.

We know you might have a few questions. Read on for the details.

Why We Close

If we have a bathroom incident in one of our pools, it is important that we immediately shut down the lesson to assess the situation. Once identifying the contamination, we can determine the necessary shutdown time. We follow the CDC guidelines at all of our locations to ensure a safe and sanitary swimming environment. We don’t start the clock until each and every bit is removed from the water. Closures can range from 20 minutes – 12+ hours, depending on the type of incident.

How We Clean Things Up

First things first: When there is a bathroom incident in the pool, we clear everyone out of the water. We then remove all debris from the pool. Once all debris has been removed, the location will temporarily raise the chlorine level to assist the sanitation process. It is important to know that Goldfish Swim School always maintains a chlorine level specified by the local code, in order for constant sanitation and comfort in the pool.

To ensure that the pool is being disinfected and that the process worked, the school will test thoroughly throughout the shut down time.

How You Can Help

The best thing you can do to help us prevent a bathroom incident is to make sure your child has used the bathroom before coming to swim class. If you have a baby or toddler who isn’t yet toilet trained, make sure your child is wearing an iPlay reusable swim diaper (not the one-time-disposable kind). (Parent hack: iPlay is sold at major retailers, and we also sell the approved reusable swim diapers at our locations!)

Also, we know no one wants to miss time in the pool, however if your child is sick, you can always cancel your swim lesson that day and schedule a makeup lesson when your child is feeling better. You know your child: If he is acting funny, has a fever, is not eating or is lethargic, err on the side of caution. We get it. Kids are unpredictable, and we try to make this process as seamless as possible. Come back another time when your child is feeling better, so we can get those extraordinary results!

Goldfish Swim School

At Goldfish Swim School, we teach babies as young as 4 months old how to swim. We have locations all over the country, so there is sure to be a Goldfish near you. Come and experience our WOW customer service for yourself!