This section of the site contains all of the “fine print” — the policies and procedures for how we run our private lessons and swim classes. Please review any of the sections that are relevant to you:
- General Rules and Policies
- Annual Membership Fee
- Tuition-Based Group Clinic Policies and Procedures
- Close-Ended Class Policies and Procedures
- Private Lesson Policies and Procedures
Rules of the Pools
- Deck shoes or flip flops are the only shoes allowed in the pool room
- Prior to entering the pool, please rinse off in the shower
- No one is allowed into the pool if a CBD instructor is not present on deck or in the water
- Non-potty trained children must “double diaper” — wear a fitted, reusable swim diaper over a disposable diaper. Contact our office for more details or to purchase
- No food or drink on deck other than water
- No diving except in water at least 8 feet deep and with a CBD instructor present
- No running or horseplay on deck
What to Bring to Your Class, Lesson, or Practice
- Swim Suit
- Towel
- Goggles (for swimmers 3 and up)
- Swim Cap (if you have hair below the ears)
- Fitted, Reusable Swim Diaper AND Disposable Swim Diaper if your child is not potty-trained
- Flip Flops or Deck Shoes (if you don’t want to walk barefoot)
- Sweats, Shorts, T-Shirt, or Robe for the walk from the showers to the Pool
Check-In
Please arrive at least 5 minutes before your appointment time. A dedicated office staff person will be available at all locations to greet you. So that we can best serve you and your instructor(s), please make sure to check-in with the office representative before attending your appointment.
Insurance Waiver
We’ll need you to sign a insurance waiver for yourself (adult) or for your child depending on who is taking the lesson. The waiver is good from May 15th of one year to May 14th of the following year — in other words, you might need to fill out the waiver multiple times. You can get a copy of the waiver at the pool on the day of your lesson or you can download and print a copy of the waiver from our website.
Annual Membership Fee
In addition to your first purchase of tuition-based group classes, close-ended group classes, or private lessons, you will be charged an annual membership fee of $20.00. This fee covers each client’s share of insurance, safety equipment, and other safety related costs at our facilities. This fee will renew annually on your enrollment anniversary if you continue to take classes with us beyond the year. The annual membership fee is non-refundable.
Tuition-Based Group Clinic Policies and Procedures
This section addresses those group classes whose registration is open-ended and for which we do automatic billing for tuition payments. Our children’s classes fall into this category. While we feel that the automated renewal of tuition for classes streamlines the renewal process, many parents do have questions about how it works.
How Tuition-Based Group Clinics Work
When you register for the class, we will charge you immediately for the first month of tuition. We will then set you up in our systems to be billed automatically on the same day of the month starting one month after the first day of your child’s class. We will keep you on autopay until your child moves into a class with a different tuition class or until you decide to discontinue classes with us. Please note: The monthly tuition rate remains the same whether we cancel classes or not.
The monthly tuition covers 4 weeks of classes each month, one class per week. Twelve months times four is 48 weeks. Because there are roughly 52 weeks in a year, there are 4 weeks per year that are not accounted for in our monthly tuition. We assume that, for the average student, we will need to cancel at least 4 classes every year (e.g. holidays, weather, emergencies, technical malfunctions, etc.). Because of this, the number of credits we charge you generally matches evenly with the number of classes on our schedule. If a situation arises where you become too far ahead or too far behind on credits, we will contact you to make adjustments to your tuition as necessary.
Cancellations, Make-Ups and No-Shows
A class credit will be deducted from your account for each class on our schedule. This credit will be deducted regardless of you or your child’s attendance in the class. Classes may be made-up freely once a month in any other class (with respect to the age and skill level of the student) that has space available. Private make-ups are available for a nominal fee.
We reserve the right to make changes to the schedule (including cancellations) due to emergencies, weather, maintenance/repairs, and other related instances. In such an event, we will contact you by phone or email (provided we have both means available to us). You will not be deducted a class credit should we need to cancel a class. In addition, if we cancel a class with less than 24 hours notice, you will receive a complimentary credit, the value of which will be based on the class type of the cancelled class.
Disenrollment from Automatic Tuition Renewal
Disenrollment is available at any time, but REQUESTS TO DISCONTINUE YOUR ENROLLMENT MUST BE DONE IN WRITING. To discontinue your enrollment, please email us at info@chicagobluedolphins.com and provide us with the following information:
- Student’s First & Last Name
- Last Date of Class
- Reason for Cancellation
Please be aware, a $25 cancellation fee will be charged to your account if you discontinue your classes during the first three months of your enrollment. There are no cancellation fees if you cancel after three months of enrollment.
Close-Ended Group Clinic Policies and Procedures
This section addresses close-ended group clinics, those group classes that have a fixed number of classes, start date, and end date. Most of our adult classes and weekend workshops fall into this category.
Cancellations, Make-Ups, and No-Shows
A class credit will deducted from your account for each class on our schedule. This credit will be deducted regardless of your attendance in the class. Classes may be made-up freely in any other class (with respect to the age and skill level of the student) that has space available. Private make-ups are available for a nominal fee.
We reserve the right to make changes to the schedule (including cancellations) due to emergencies, weather, maintenance/repairs, and other related instances. In such an event, we will contact you by phone or email (provided we have both means available to us). You will not be deducted a class credit should we need to cancel a class. In addition, if we cancel a class with less than 24 hours notice, you will receive a complimentary credit, the value of which will be based on the class type of the cancelled class.
Cancellations for Multi-Week Close-Ended Group Clinics
You may cancel enrollment in a multi-week clinic or transfer your tuition to a future multi-week clinic at no charge if the request is 8 days or more prior to the clinic. NO REFUND OR TRANSFERS will be issued for cancellations LESS THAN 8 DAYS prior to the start of the multi-week clinic.
Cancellations for Weekend Workshops
We have a different cancellation policy for our weekend workshops because the time and rental investment is much higher to run them.
For cancellations 8 days or more prior to the scheduled weekend workshop, participants will have the option of a 50% refund per person. If a request to transfer is received 8 days or more prior to the workshop, a $100.00 transfer fee per registration will be applied to a future workshop, and the tuition already charged will be applied to that workshop. NO REFUNDS OR TRANSFERS will be issued LESS THAN 8 DAYS prior to the scheduled workshop.
Private Lesson Policies and Procedures
This section addresses the policies specific to our private and semi-private lesson appointments.
Cancellations and No-Shows
Appointments may be canceled online or by calling 773.342.7250 at least 48 hours in advance. Failure to cancel your lesson 48 hours in advance will result in a charge to the credit card on file for 50% of the cost of your lesson. Failure to show up for your lesson (a “no-show”) will result in a charge to the credit card on file for 100% of the cost of your lesson.
We reserve the right to make changes to the schedule (including cancellations) due to emergencies, weather, maintenance/repairs, and other related instances. In such an event, we will contact you by phone or email (provided we have both means available to us) and will do everything in our power to accommodate you at another time and day if such a change should be necessary. If we cancel your appointment with less than 48 hours notice, you will receive a complimentary credit, the value of which will be based on your appointment type
“No Keepsies”
Appointments are booked for a specific number of dates and times. Please check your email confirmations or contact the office to determine the dates and times of your scheduled appointments. As we cannot book lessons for an indefinite period of time, appointment times and days cannot be held for any client beyond their scheduled appointments. If you intend to continue taking lessons with us beyond your scheduled appointments, please contact us as soon as possible to arrange for additional lessons. Please note: we cannot make any guarantees on the availability of the days and times you normally attend beyond the appointments you have already scheduled with us.
No Refunds
There are no refunds after the day of purchase. If you have prepaid for lessons and will not be able to use them, they can be held on account for future services, applied toward the purchase of gift certificates and products, or transferred to another account.