Policies

What is inclement weather? ​

Inclement weather is a general term used to describe any unusual or severe weather conditions which impact safe travel, as well as regular day-to-day operations which could include extreme cold, poor visibility, blizzard conditions, flooding, dangerous road conditions, highway closures, etc. The H2O Academy is located in the southwest part of Manitoba in an open field which can experience more extreme conditions than in urban parts of Winnipeg. This includes but is not limited to especially high winds, low visibility, and dangerous driving conditions.

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Facility Closure​

The safety of our clients and staff are of utmost importance to us. If it is determined that inclement weather will pose a risk to the safety of our staff and clients, we will close the facility and cancel classes for the time of the inclement weather. Families will receive a credit for the class(es) cancelled due to the facility closure within 2 business days.

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Client Notification

The H2O Academy will email all families affected by the facility closure at the email address(es) in your Uplifter account. Facility closures may happen at any time – before, during, or after any given day. H2O will do our best to provide families with as much advanced notice as possible. Along with an email notification, the closure will also be posted on our website and social media.

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Student Absences when Facility is Open

If our facility is open but you are not able to come, it will count as a missed class. We completely understand that having to pay for one or two missed classes can be irritating, but our costs remain the same whether everyone is present or not. Therefore, H2O Academy is under no obligation to refund or transfer your money if you can’t attend part, or all, of the classes.

We understand that things come up... but unfortunately due to our small class sizes and registration completely filling up, we are not offering make-up classes at this point in time. Students are not permitted to attend the same class type on a different day that they are not registered for.

Repetition is a key aspect of physical literacy in the water movement environment, so we encourage families to attend all classes. Feel free to take your child for a swim - the more opportunities, the better!

Class Refunds  

We completely understand that having to pay for one or two missed classes can be irritating, but our costs remain the same whether everyone is present or not. Therefore, H2O Academy is under no obligation to refund or transfer your money if you can’t attend part, or all, of the classes. Families are not permitted to enter the pool if their account is in arrears.

You may cancel your class registration or apply a credit to your account up to 7 days prior to your first day of classes for a full refund and no processing fee. 

Any cancellation less than 7 days before the first class can either request a credit that never expires (no processing fee) or a refund (please note there is a $25 processing fee with refunds).

If the term has started, and it is before the withdrawal date, families will be refunded for the classes not taken minus the $25 processing fee, or you can get a credit with no fee on your account for the remaining classes. Any classes that occur within 24 hours of the cancellation request will not be refunded or credited. ​

No refunds will be provided after the withdrawal deadline, however you can get a credit for the remaining classes minus a $25 processing fee.

To request a refund, please fill out this form. 

H2O Store

Apparel and merchandise can be fully refunded, exchanged, or applied as a credit to your account as long as they are in original condition with unopened packaging and returned within 14 days of purchase with proof of purchase.

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Baby Videos

The Baby videos are part of the Baby Splash class tuition and are non-refundable regardless of attendance as we are still paying a professional videographer to be there on filming days.

We understand that every child is unique and may experience challenges adjusting to group swimming lessons. To support children who are having difficulty, we’ve developed our Sad Student Policy. This policy is designed to help your child feel comfortable and confident in the water while ensuring they have a positive experience.

How the Sad Student Policy Works:

For three consecutive weeks, a supervisor will join the class to assist your child in becoming comfortable in a group lesson. Our goal is to help your child gradually adjust and participate fully in the class. It’s important to note that our approach is always supportive. We never “kick out” students from our classes. Instead, we explore other methods to help your child succeed in a way that best suits their needs and we are focused on finding the right solution for your child.

If your child still isn’t ready to join the group after the third class, we’ll discuss other options, such as:

Private Lessons: One-on-one instruction tailored to your child’s needs.

Taking a Term Off: Give your child time to develop at their own pace and rejoin the class in the next term. You can join a few drop-in lessons during this time to continue exposing your student to the pool environment. 

​If we move forward with these alternatives, your child will be withdrawn from the group class, and you’ll receive a credit on your account for the remaining lessons. Our priority is to ensure that every child has a positive and successful experience at our swim school. We’re here to support your child at a pace that’s right for them.

​Check out our Mini Tips & Tricks for helpful ways to support your student who is joining group lessons for the first time!

What is a Pool Fouling?

Pool Fouling incidents occur when fecal or vomitus materials contaminate the water of a pool. Pool foulings may result in an unexpected pool closure at any time, and without warning. Responses to pool fouling incidents differ based on the type and quantity of the contaminant(s), the size of the facility, and the equipment and disinfection practices used to treat the water.

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Pool Fouling Procedures

We understand that accidents happen and respond promptly to any pool fouling incidents. The H2O Academy has a dedicated team of Certified Pool Operators (CPOs) who determine the appropriate response to each pool fouling and communicate the required procedures to staff and clients. This often results in a facility closure for a limited amount of time.

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Facility Closure

The safety of our clients and staff are of utmost importance to us. If it is determined that the pool needs to be closed for the safety of our staff and clients, we will close the facility and cancel classes for any time necessary. Families will receive a credit for the class(es) cancelled due to the facility closure within 5 business days. Refunds may be issued upon request, but please note there is a $25 processing fee with refunds.

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Client Notification

The H2O Academy will email all families affected by the facility closure at the email address(es) in your Uplifter account. Facility closures may happen at any time – before, during, or after any given day. H2O will do our best to provide families with as much advanced notice as possible. Along with an email notification, the closure will also be posted on our social media.

Illness

Please stay home if you are sick or contagious, we want to ensure the learning environment is as safe as possible and want to protect our clients and their families from preventable illnesses.

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Credits/Refunds

​There will be no refunds or credits issued for an absence due to illness or injury. 

Inclusion Statement 

H2O is dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all clients and employees. Our organization welcomes all people diverse in race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, age, ability, sexual orientation, and culture. As well, all staff and clients are expected to be respectful of people with different experiences, backgrounds, and communication styles. H2O holds firm to the idea of treating all people with respect and fairness.

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Teacher/Student Inclusion Policy 

All H2O teachers are highly trained and capable to effectively teach classes comprised of students of all different ages, genders, ethnicities, backgrounds, and temperaments.

 All H2O staff and teachers are expected to show kindness, fairness, and respect towards all students enrolled in any of our programs. We do not accommodate teacher requests to enroll/remove a specific child from their assigned class based on that child’s age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion.

 Although H2O understands children, especially younger age children, sometimes develop preferences for teachers of a certain age, gender identity, race, religion, or ethnicity, we reserve the right to assign any of our teachers to teach any class without advance notice.

H2O is not able to accommodate parent requests to enroll/change a child from a class due to prejudice against a teachers age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, or sexual orientation. However, parents have the right to remove their child from any class for any undisclosed reason or move them into a different class with an available opening.

Social media platforms play an important role for many businesses. The H2O Academy uses social media platforms for marketing purposes, to interact with our clients, and to collaborate with other local businesses. We understand that every family has different preferences and privacy needs, and offer our social media policy optionally to our clients. All clients of H2O Academy have the option to accept or reject our social media policy. Your response to our social media policy is displayed on your Uplifter account for our staff. H2O clients have the option to update their response of our social media policy of their Uplifter page at any time.

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Acceptance of Social Media Policy​

By accepting our social media policy, clients allow the H2O Academy to post photos and/or videos of themselves or their student(s) to our social media platforms for marketing purposes. Names and/or personal information of clients and/or students is never used on our public social media platforms.

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Rejection of Social Media Policy

Rejecting our social media policy helps us determine that the client and/or their student(s) do not want to be displayed on our social media platforms. The H2O Academy will not take photos and/or videos of clients or students who have rejected the social media policy. Please note that H2O Academy cannot control the behaviour of other members in the viewing lounge or pool areas.  

The H2O Academy values your privacy and is committed to the protection of our customers’ information. Sensitive and personal information is kept secure and is strictly confidential. Our website and software have security measures in place to protect against loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. Access to your personal information is limited to a strictly need-to-know basis. All computers on which your personal information is stored are password protected.

During the course of rendering services to our customers, we may collect, should you provide it, personal information including, but not limited to, your name, email address, and billing information for the following purposes:

• engaging in our services

• managing business activities

• to provide you with information

• to promote services and offers that may be of interest

• to enable us to develop and customize products and services to better meet the needs of our customers or prospective customers

Your personal information is never exchanged with, sold, rented, or disclosed to any third party.

All forms on H2O’s website are used for contact purposes only. Personally identifiable information collected from these forms (such as a person’s name, email, or physical address) are not used for the purpose of remarketing on third-party platforms.

Each student in our Baby Splash program receives a special underwater baby video. For clients who are unable to attend class on the day of filming, we offer one make-up filming date. All filming dates, including the make-up date, are emailed to Baby Splash clients after the start of the term. If both dates are missed, no further accommodations can be made. There are no refunds for missed videos as this is a complimentary keepsake. H2O Academy reserves the right to change filming dates due to unforeseen circumstances, and affected clients will be notified of any changes. Videos are sent via email within one week of filming.

Our underwater photography sessions are a unique, optional add-on for students enrolled in the current term and can be booked online through your Uplifter account. These sessions are not included in your registration fee and are open to all age groups. While we aim to capture underwater photos, we will never force a student underwater—instead, we’ll take poolside shots if needed to ensure their comfort. Sessions are non-refundable and can only be rescheduled depending on availability. H2O Academy reserves the right to change session dates due to unforeseen circumstances, and we will notify affected clients of any changes. Photos are emailed within one week of the session.