Dear CrossFit Kids Parent

Amazing! This is going to be so much fun.

Our program is starting anew, and we will be revamping this welcome letter as our program grows and matures (as will your kids grow and mature too).

This letter will introduce some of the policies and procedures for the safety of your child and the efficacy of their CrossFit experience.

Our CrossFit Kids class is geared for children ages 5 - 12, other CrossFit gyms offer a wider range of classes, and if we are not a fit then reach out and we can recommend other gyms to consider.

Note that it is not the age of your child that is the deciding factor for inclusion in our CrossFit Kids class. It is largely based upon individual skill, athleticism, and maturity and will ultimately be decided by the head coach. This is to ensure your child is getting the most out of the program.

Our CrossFit Kids class last 40 minutes, but with a 10 minute buffer before and after. This makes it convenient for parents (as the class effectively lasts an hour) and gives some time for questions and answers before we get started and after we finish.

Let's suppose the class is from 6pm to 7pm.

Before Class Wait with your child in the lobby area
6pm Coach will invite students into the gym
6:10pm Class Starts, parents that stay in the seating area
6:50pm Class Ends, kids are welcome to leave
7pm All kids should be with their parents by now

Here is a more detailed outline of how classes will proceed. Again, assuming the start time is 6pm.

Prior to 6pm, please wait with your children in the lobby area. There is a small parking lot and plenty of street parking too.

At 6pm, the coach will invite the students into the gym and they will grab a seat on the floor in the CrossFit Kids Zone (don’t worry, we will point you in the right direction). Parents are welcome to look around, ask questions, grab a seat (in the designated seating area), or say their goodbyes (if leaving). All kids should be ready to go by 6:10pm when the activities start, and will run for 40 minutes.

At 6:50pm the class is over and kids are welcome to leave. We will be hanging out in the same CrossFit Kids Zone where we started. Parents are welcome to look around, ask questions and join in for these final 10 minutes.

By 7pm all parents should have picked up their child. If there are additional conversations to be had, it will be moved into the lobby area to make room for the next class.

As we are running a trial with our CrossFit Kids program, there will be other athletes sharing the space at the back of the gym but without any physical barriers separating the two areas. Everyone will be on their best behaviour, our music selection will be kid friendly and our workout areas will be on opposite ends of the gym. We will evaluate how well this works, and adjust as needed.

To close out I wanted to ask for your help in ensuring the safety of the CrossFit Kids, and here are some rules in place to best protect everyone:

  1. Walk your children inside the building for the start of the class, wait in the lobby until you are invited into the gym area.

  2. Once the children have been invited in, bring your child to the designated CrossFit Kid Zone where your child will take a seat before the class starts.

  3. Unless pre-arranged with the head coach, the children are only allowed to go home with the person who drops them off.

  4. Until I get to know all of you and your children by name, please sign your child in and out with the head coach so we can ensure they are going home with the appropriate person.

  5. A waiver, signed by a parent or legal guardian, is required for each child before he or she is allowed to participate in a class.

  6. Ensure your child has a bottle of water, or a bottle that can be filled up at the drinking fountain. Don’t forget to put your child’s name on it!

  7. Ensure your children are wearing clothes appropriate for running, jumping, rolling, pulling, swinging, climbing, crawling, throwing, and being upside down.

  8. If you choose to stay and watch the class (which I hope you do!), pleae remain in the designated area and please do not coach your child.

  9. Children with disciplinary problems: First warning is free of consequence. Second warning they sit out of the first 2 minutes of the game. Third warning they are to go to the parent for the remainder of the class.

  10. Finally, please make the head coach aware of any special needs for your children that may facilitate their individual safety, learning, and growth (i.e., medications, illness, physical/mental limitations, injury, sports, etc.). We will not be responsible for administering any medications, but we will have a first aid kit on the premises for dealing with cuts and scrapes.

I am very excited to help re-ignite the CrossFit Kids program here at Bytown and I look forward to getting to know all of you throughout the trial. You can reach out to me at

Andrew Forward
613-795-5273
aforward@gmail.com
CrossFit Bytown