My dreams of being a "sports mom" were put on hold all last year until Terrance made the statement that he wanted Miles to learn to swim, a couple of weeks later we had Miles signed up for swim lessons. Like most moms, I was a little skeptical about what that meant for our family at the facility with the coronavirus still being a thing. There have been a few moms who have reached out to me regarding Miles' swimming lessons with Goldfish Cary and they wanted to know the safety measures that have been implemented to ensure the safety of their children. I wanted to create a blog post sharing the ways that they have taken the necessary steps to make sure the staff, the children, the facility and the parents are safe.
I would like to first say that: I would not bring Miles to any facility or establishment that I felt would compromise his health and well being. With that being said, I wholeheartedly believe that Goldfish Cary is safe, clean and a great place for your child to learn to swim. Goldfish Cary worked with the CDC as well as our state and local health experts to bring these guidelines:
Safer Family
PROACTIVE HEALTH ASSESSMENTS: All families entering the facility must complete a self-assessment prior to their arrival. Anyone experiencing any symptoms must stay home.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: As of Friday, June 26th at 5:00 pm, per Executive Order 147 issued by Governor Cooper, all adults and individuals older than age 2 will be required to wear a mask in our facility, barring any exceptions mentioned in the order. We thank you for your cooperation with this mandate to help keep our community safe.
LIMITED OCCUPANCY: To help our facility maintain social distancing requirements, as we do our part to help keep COVID cases down, we ask that for the safety and comfort of everyone, only one caregiver per swimmer or one caregiver per family with multiple swimmers attend lessons.
SWIM-READY RULE: Please arrive no more than 5 minutes before your class and wait outside our facility. Swimmers must come dressed for lessons as changing huts will not be available before lessons. We also kindly ask that families promptly exit the facility when lessons are finished.
TECHNOLOGY UPDATES: Our customer portal has been updated and is also available through our new Goldfish app. We are currently not offering end of class communication to comply with state and local social distancing requirements, but are excited to announce that we have started using our Digital Progress Reports, allowing us to evaluate our swimmers digitally. Current swimmer Digital Progress Report evaluations can be found via email, customer portal, and the Goldfish app, but of course, if you have any questions about your swimmer's progress, please ask a manager or one of our deck supervisors.
Safer Team
ONGOING HEALTH ASSESSMENTS: All staff will be required to complete self-assessments prior to every shift. Upon arrival, all staff will have their temperature taken.
PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT: Staff will wear protective gear where applicable.
AWARENESS & PREPAREDNESS TRAINING: All employees have been trained in CDC protocols and NCDHHS guidelines for coronavirus.
Safer Facility
ENHANCED SANITIZATION: We have increased our cleaning regimen and sanitization schedule throughout the entire facility.
SOCIAL DISTANCING: Viewing area chairs have been rearranged in accordance with social distancing guidelines. Kindly use the seat aligned with your swimmer’s lane and refrain from moving chairs.
STATE-OF-THE-ART OPERATIONS: Our on-site chlorination system and UV water purification system kills germs and inactivates viruses. We also have high-tech air filtration systems that continuously expel stale air from the pool and replace it with 100% ambient fresh air at a rate of eight times per hour.
SAFETY SIGNAGE: Signs posted throughout the facility will share helpful reminders and control the flow of traffic through the school.
CASHLESS TRANSACTIONS: Treasure Island retail, Snack Shack, and Quarter Candy purchases will be deducted from a punch card, charged to a credit card, charged or the payment method on your account.
ABRIDGED AMENITIES: We’ve been asked to suspend some of our added extras to curb the spread of germs including books, toys, prizes, high chairs, loaner goggles, ribbons. Additionally, the state has prohibited the use of drinking fountains, so please feel free to bring your own bottle of water. Showers will operate on limited capacity. Change huts will only be available post-lessons. Also, please try your best to keep track of belongings, as the state has required that we eliminate our Lost and Found bin.
Safer Swimming
REFINED LESSON TECHNIQUES: Our swim curriculum has been modified to minimize face-to-face contact.
SANITIZED CURRICULUM TOOLS: Each swimmer receives their own curriculum tools (such as barbells and kickboards) and all tools are sanitized immediately after use.
SOCIAL DISTANCING: Students are either seated a sizable distance apart or divided by plexiglass during lessons.
Please know, according to the CDC, there is no evidence that the coronavirus can be spread through water in pools if properly operated and maintained.
Another topic that has been discussed is the ventilation of the swim school. Indoor pools are and have always been required to have higher rates of fresh air introduction than normal indoor spaces due to the mechanics of how pools disinfect. It is, of course, also better for health during the pandemic that Goldfish introduce much more fresh air compared to regular indoor facilities. If you would like to read more on this here are two supporting articles: Let's Talk Air & Indoor Pool Ventilation and Covid-19.
Here is a little information on the Pool Room: Goldfish Cary keeps their relative humidity between 40% and 60%, not only to help control evaporation of pool water and be comfortable for swimmers, but it actually has a helpful effect on our bodies and how we fight infections:
1. It helps our body’s ability to fight off infections because air with more humidity helps mucous production which allows cilia to clear particles easier
2. Aerosols are less likely to travel further in the air because of heavier droplets.
Click here for a supporting article.
One last tidbit, the Cary location also has a UV sanitation system in addition to a salt-chlorine generator (they make their chlorine on-site and introduce it automatically as needed to have more control over our sanitation), so they have extra sanitation going on in the pool.
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Since the beginning, we felt like Goldfish Cary has been a safe environment for Miles. The parents are respectful, they keep their mask on, and maintain their social distance. We also love that they are offering unlimited makeups (which used to be 12 per year) to encourage families to stay home if they are ill. I would encourage you to give Goldfish Cary a call if you are interested in learning more about their safety precautions or signing up for lessons. We love it and Miles does too!
Just keep swimming,
Kiara
TBMx
Thank you Goldfish Cary loving Miles well and providing me with the information on your facility. We can't wait to see you soon!