Groups, Ratios, and How Kids Are Grouped

Kids are placed in small groups that stay with the same coaches all week, so your child knows exactly who they will be with.

Enrolling with friends or siblings

There are two ways to help us group your child with a friend:

• Add their friends' names during registration. You can list up to three friends when you sign up. We honor requests that go both ways, so ask the other family to name your child too.
• Choose the same Group, when a program offers it. Some programs let you pick a specific Group at registration (for example, "SURF Program // Group A"). When that option is available you will see the Group choices on the sign-up page. Coordinate with the other family on which one to pick, then each family completes their own registration.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Children need to be in the same age group to be placed together. We are not able to place friends or siblings from different age groups together, unless an older child is willing to join the younger group (not usually recommended).
• Groups can fill up quickly, so register early if you are coordinating with other families.
• If you were not able to register together, let us know. We strive to honor grouping requests and make sure every child is placed with at least one friend. You can also speak with your Location Director on-site and we will do our best to accommodate.

Do kids interact outside their group?

Yes. Groups stay together for morning check-in, roll call, sunscreen breaks, and picking up snacks or lunch, but participants spend plenty of time with other groups during games and water time. Once they have grabbed their snack, they are welcome to hang out with friends from other groups, so do not worry if your child is not in the exact same group as all their friends. They will still get lots of time together.

Group sizes and instructor ratios

We keep groups small for a safe, focused experience. The maximum group sizes are below, and every program's coach ratio is listed in Programs We Offer. Actual ratios are almost always lower than listed, thanks to our Coaches-in-Training (CITs) and on-site Directors, who aren't counted in them.

• BEACH, Mini-Groms: up to 15 participants
• BEACH, Groms: up to 18 participants
• SURF: up to 12 participants
• OCEAN: up to 15 participants
• VOLLEYBALL: up to 18 participants
• SKATE: up to 25 participants

CITs are Coaches-in-Training, ages 14–15, who complete our training program and earn CPR and First Aid certification.