Thank You, and What’s Next

Dear Families,

I’m writing to let you know that I’ve officially resigned from my position at EMAC. This decision wasn’t made lightly, but it was necessary after raising multiple safety concerns that went unaddressed.

Over time, I’ve voiced issues around oversized classes and placing children outside of the appropriate age range or level—both of which can create unsafe learning environments. Most recently, a 2-year-old was placed in my foundations class(for ages 3–5 year-old ), which already had a class size I had previously objected to. When I raised this concern, the solution offered was to remove one of the age appropriate students from the class, rather than correcting the error. This left me with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old in the same session—and when the third spot is filled, it will likely repeat the same unsafe imbalance.

Because of situations like this, and the lack of action taken in response, I’ve come to believe that a serious safety incident is only a matter of time. I cannot, in good conscience, continue working in an environment where I feel children are at risk.

But there is good news.

Back in August, I opened my own private swim school. It was built around the very values I’ve always believed in: small, focused lessons that prioritize safety, individual attention, and strong swimming skills—without compromising fun. I offer 30-minute private lessons for $45, billed monthly. No overcrowding, no mismatched groups, and no wasted time.

To put that value in context: in a typical group lesson, you might pay $30 for 30 minutes, but with warm-up and playtime factored in, only about 23 minutes are productive. Divide that between 3 students, and each child gets less than 8 minutes of instruction—and that’s if there are zero interruptions. That breaks down to $3.75 per minute of actual learning time.

In contrast, my one-on-one lessons offer the full 30 minutes of focused instruction—for just $1.50 per minute, with no time lost waiting for a turn.

I’m proud to continue the work I’ve always cared about: helping kids become confident, capable, and safe in the water. If you’d like to book lessons with me, just click the button below to get started. If you have any questions or want to talk more before enrolling, feel free to reach out—I’m always happy to help.

Thank you for your continued trust and support.

Warmly,
Coach Jay Banks