My son came in knowing nothing about how to swim and he is quickly becoming a really good swimmer every one is so friendly I keep recommending them to my friends and family and they are also swimming there I love it and the coaches do so great at helping the kids and working at their pace if they are have a bad day of need a gentle approach read more

I went here and so did my brother we both had a great time and learned to swim well more so in my case than my brother's but yeah oh the family swim was fun too read more

We have been bringing our daughter here for exactly 1 year now. During the summer break last year, we decided to shop around for swim lessons.I came here and Claire greeted me the moment I open the door, they showed me around and gave a brochure. I called them up the following day to schedule for swim assessment, Coach Ian help us and was very friendly (I heard he moved to another Bear Paddle location, we miss him!) I think most of the teachers are high school or maybe college student, not entirely sure but I like that they are not terrifying and they are very friendly with the kids. My daughter had Coach Marc, Kieran, Megan (there are 2 Megan in their facility and both was able to teach my daughter), I am missing another person. They have helped her move to each level. To my daughter getting into the pool is playtime and at the same she is learning new skills. The lessons that they offer are all basic, I think for older kids they offer like team training. If my daughter wanted to join competitions when she is older I will probably find another location, for now our goal is that she learn the basics. Those goals are being met at Bear Paddle. They recently change the set-up of their lessons: camps, clinics & sessions. I am not too happy as I was hoping my daughter will be able to do summer camp again this year. They have all summer camps in the morning and it didn't give us enough flexibility. I was force to enroll her in a clinic, (twice/week lessons). When she did the summer camps last year, she was able to move up really quick and she was able to memorize the form, kicks, etc. I understand their explanation on why they are doing the change but I think it only benefits the staff in terms of scheduling. Another improvement that they can probably do: (1) grouping the kids by their age & swim level (sometimes I don't understand why my 6 year old is swimming with a teenager already, the kid jumps into the pool and 1 stroke the kid is already at the end of the pool) (2) maybe add more showers and changing rooms. I don't know the other days but in the afternoon there are kids who all finished at the same time and the parents are like scrambling to reserve a shower or changing room. Other than that, I love this facility. My daughter has learn how to swim, she is no longer afraid to jump into the pool (thanks coach Kieran) and she met new friends too! read more

Our 2 year old LOVES going to swim class at Bear Paddle. She has been attending swim class here since she was 6 months. We love the front desk (Soria, Teddy, Kate, etc.) staff - they know my daughter's name, interests and progress. My daughter has made great progress with swimming and comfortability in the water since starting. We have had a few different teachers and each have been amazing in their own way. Currently we have Coach Matt and he has been awesome in helping our daughter gain confidence in swimming by herself and trying new things. His lessons are individualized to the students and he is always trying new methods to get the students to master the skills they need. We love Bear Paddle and the options they have including the camps and skill lessons. :) read more

I now have 2 of my 3 kids enrolled at Bear Paddle in Florence and have been absolutely thrilled with it. My daugher started back in September (I think), and has made great strides. Quincy is her teacher, and my son just started with Molly, and loves her. My older 2 are 5 and 3. I tried my 1year old for a lesson and I just didn't think he was ready to get enough enough out of it. Will be adding him shortly. The staff is great, timely and professional. HIGHLY recommend! read more

Close your eyes and think of the least likely location for a swim school and clubhouse. Now, open the eyes, and if you thought of a strip mall, just north of Fox Valley Mall, between the Fox and Hound Tavern, and Golf Smith Golf Super Store, you win 1000 rupees. I know, 1000 rupees is only around $20, but that will buy you a few black and tans at the Fox and Hound while your child learns to swim. The location is unorthodox, but I could scarcely be more impressed with the operation. It is extremely well designed and laid out, and every detail has been addressed; From the various devices used to aid the teaching of swimming (noodles of all sizes, floating kick isolators, goggles, etc) to the fun shower arches, and the plentiful swimsuit drying devices, it's all here. And really, no expense has been spared. If I was going to open a swim school, this is how I'd do it. The staff is extremely courteous, well trained, and helpful in every way. The water is optimally warm, and you receive good value for your money. My daughter takes lessons here, and she loves it so much that we chose it for her birthday party venue. It was first class. read more

The Aurora Bear Paddle is an awesome group to get your little ones introduced to the water!!! My son joined the school at seven months old. Coach Ian is amazing with this group of newbies!! The lessons of songs & silliness really provide a fun learning experience for parents with their kiddos. The facility itself is nothing short of immaculate with each visit. The lobby, locker room, private restroom & TV room...are all impeccably clean. The complete Aurora team is a pleasure to work with; I genuinely couldn't be happier with their services & facility!! Keep up the good work guys!!!! -Dutch's Mom read more

Excellent place. I think most of the kids instructing are high school age, and they do a tremendous job. Very friendly. Very engaging. My son was pretty apprehensive about swimming initially. By the second lesson, he was much more confident. We had Devon for a few of the levels (3 and 4). Really helped my son learn and gain confidence. We have Dill now, who is continuing to do a great job. You guys really hired some good kids to instruct. read more

Our daughter (2 years old) went from enjoying swimming to being afraid because the manager was screaming at her. This manager tried to run our daughters swim class like a drill Sargent. Classes are too full and there isn't enough room in the pool. Facilities are not very clean and it is always a stressful situation to find a place to shower/undress. I would not recommend - especially not for the price! read more

COMPLIMENTS: There were three people at this facility that were great - I made a point to learn their names so I could give them credit where credit is due - Tyler, one of the deck managers who was always very nice, would stop and talk to you and joke around with the kids; Matt, both of my kid's absolute favorite coach - he had a lot of fun with the kids while ensuring they were still learning; and Ian, someone I don't think I ever met but was very kind, accommodating and knowledgeable over the phone. REVIEW: Lessons - My kids started at the very basic lesson, having never learned to swim, and what I noticed is that regardless of how well your kid is doing or how they may be struggling, it seems like they have your kids in each level for at LEAST 3 months, even if they've mastered something. It's hard to say for certain because they don't really communicate how well your kid is doing unless you pull them aside to ask. I chalk that up to business over advancement. Additionally, I believe they advertise a 3 on 1 ratio for lessons, but for a good amount of time, there were always 4 kids in my kid's lessons and with 4 - their lanes just aren't big enough. It seems like the instructors struggle more to be able to cover skills and ensure there's enough room to do it accurately. Even the kids sitting on the swim step and listening seems harder because they're all bunched against each other. Communication - The communication at Bear paddle is probably my least favorite thing about this facility, and where they could stand to improve most. It's one of the main reasons we left. 1. The staff doesn't communicate to each other. There've been times that I've watched the instructor pat his/her head repeatedly trying to gain the deck manager's attention to show them a skill that a kid should be observed on and the deck manager completely isn't paying attention - after a while, the instructor gives up w/ no return of the manager for review - I've seen this happen many times...probably why it takes 3+ months to move on from anything *I recently experienced the deck manager advise that our kids were moving to a new level for their last class and to go to the front desk as they were waiting to transfer the kids over - only to have the other deck manager who was minding the front desk sign them up for a "make up lesson" for the same level they supposedly just moved up from. 2. The staff doesn't communicate with the parents. I'm not sure if the deck managers are "supposed" to approach parents, but they don't. You never really know what your kid is learning in each class - yes they have it on the wall or online - but they don't talk to you throughout to tell you where they might be struggling, what they can work on, or what they've done really well. We didn't experience a SLIGHT shift in communication until after a survey I briefly filled out stating that there should be more communication. In my above example (From 1*), the deck manager minding the desk was so busy trying to "retain" business (at this point we'd already decided to stop lessons), asking me multiple times despite me telling her I simply wanted to schedule their last lesson - rather than transferring them, as we were advised would happen - she signed them up for a "make-up" lesson of the same level they'd just completed. I e-mailed to get it rectified - with no response...I had to follow up with a phone call, to which the staff had no explanation of why they weren't transferred. 3. The facility over charged me in one instance. There were 5 Mondays in that month so we were charged for 5 - but when they graduated a level and we had to change lessons to a Thursday mid-month, they charged again for 5. I spoke with a rep on the phone who said they would not refund me the extra lesson, though it was THEIR ERROR. She said I could do a "make-up" lesson (seems to be their favorite option) even though we didn't miss any - just to exhaust the extra money or they'd credit the following month, but they would not give the money back. I finally gave up and asked them to credit my account. In checking back while at the facility, to ensure there had been a note put in our account (as this would not be the first time something was missed), the female deck manager couldn't be quiet long enough for me to simply explain what had occurred and find out that all I wanted to do was ensure there was a note - she kept talking over me and trying to offer suggestions for something that was already resolved that I just wanted to confirm. It was quite frustrating. She's another reason why we're no longer interested in attending that facility. They're not the worst, but they're definitely not the best. There's definitely MUCH room for improvement, starting with the front desk read more

Don't get me wrong, it's a great swim school for little ones. Their policy sucks! If you cancel a class, you should be able to reschedule me and guarantee a spot for my kids for the same time I signed up for. I shouldn't have to call 24 hours beforehand to inconvenience me, just for your convenience. I mean, this is the second time they had to cancel a class, is all I'm saying, since the Woodridge location opened. I'm a busy mom of two kids and this is really an annoyance! read more

Great place to bring your youngsters for building the basics for swimming! They make sure that each instructor has no more than 4 kids at one time and they are very patient. They keep track of the progression of each swimmer and work with them to master specific elements before just moving them to the next exercise. We're very happy with the staff. read more

I absolutely love Bear Paddle Swim School! My son has learned so fast and is so comfortable with the water now no matter where we are! I can not thank Ms. Jessica enough. My son has attachment complications and was not used to new teachers each quarter. Jessica was able to keep him calm, cool and collected within seconds of his outbursts every time. Weather it was grabbing the bucket of pool toys to lure him in or getting right in even though she was supposed to help with evaluations. She made sure my son was comfortable and ready every week. Jessica even asked if it was okay that she put a note in his file for female only teachers until further notice. Which I thought was amazing and perfect for my son. She is a true blessing and she needs to know! Thanks Ms. Jessica from Forrest and mom!! read more

I must say being a nanny I knew nothing about this place. The mother signed the children up for lessons and I was a bit weirded out when I found out we were going to swim lessons in a strip mall. I was shocked! This place was awesome. Plenty of room for numerous classes to be going on at the same time for different age levels. Each class only had about 4 or 5 kids in it, so each kid gets a fair amount of instruction without being lost. The locker room was very clean as well as the pool area. I was presently surprised by how amazing this was and how much fun the kids had. read more

My son was terrified of water and it took just 2 classes for Devin to make him so comfortable that now he can't wait to go back to his swim lesson. My daughter is 7 and the patches are a huge motivation and makes her focus on improving to the immediate next step. The staff, instructors and management is very cooperative and they make it fun for the kids read more

My daughter loves to swim here and I love to see the progress she has made. The staff is wonderful and courteous. My only complaint is that shower rooms are dirty There is always lots of hair on the floor :( We had our daughter's b'day party here and it was a hit ! Children really loved all the games they played in the water for an hr. Our 5 yr old guest was in one of the coach's arms constantly and she made sure that the little girl too participated and did not feel left out .The 4 coaches made sure all the kids participated and they even called out the kids by their name ...wow ! After the swim , kids were being helped to walk over to the changing rooms. At every step kids were taken care of, music was put on according to their choices in the party room :) I love the fact that we can take our own food. I wish they had a big fridge for the drinks and cake/cupcakes. We took food for the staff and left tip too for each one of them. They really were wonderful !!! I would have given 5 stars but the nasty shower floors take the 1 star away. read more

We LOVE Bear Paddle for how much our kids (4 & 6) have enjoyed swimming here! Instructors keep the children on task, ensure they are practicing / stay engaged the entire lesson and have fun. The staff have consistently ensured the safety of the participants and parents in both of the swim camp sessions we have done this summer (2020), and we are thrilled with the progress our boys have had in their sessions. Before the camp, our littlest would fuss about putting his face in the water. Now, he volunteers to go first to confidently practice "scoops" and "pizza" techniques. The oldest has increased his acumen, and is excited to go to lessons to show off his new skills. Facilities are cleanly, well maintained, and we love that it's a salt water heated pool; both children have thrived at Bear Paddle. Overall, we cannot say enough about this location / staff / facilities / benefits Bear Paddle has afforded our family. Swimming is a life long lesson that both our boys are gaining and we couldn't be more thankful! read more

This place is horrible..I was an swim instructor and was said I would move up quickly. But I told them my knees were in bad shape and I was getting knee surgery on a few months. Less than 24 hours later I was fired for a bs reason and a false reason. If I was you, I wouldn't enroll your kids there and go to goldfish, ymca or any other place where they treat the employees right and not screw people. Not worth the time and there ways take a long time to teach the kids to swim. Stay away from bear paddle!! read more

We have been coming to the bear paddle on and off since our youngest was a baby. We celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday at Bear Paddle! This is a fantastic place for a party. We had 14 kids and 4 instructors were with them. They were so engaging, full of energy, and made the party a total blast for the kids. There were screams of joy and lots and lots of smiles and laughs.....even the parents enjoyed watching it all. I want to thank Mike, Gwen, Alayna, Carly, and Mona for a fabulous time. You guys did an amazing job and are so grateful for the joy you brought to Addison and the other kids that attended! The little ones got special attention too and if kids were a bit shy of a certain game you guys made them comfortable and kept everyone safe. Nice job! read more

My sister has learned a lot in the couple weeks she's been there.. they are very flexible with make up lessons. We have recommended a couple people because of how good they are, very good customer service :) read more

This swim school is awesome! Front staff is always friendly and swim teachers are great; especially Coach Ian! My daughter was 7yrs old and petrified of water. Not even 6months later, she's a level 4 and diving for rings! She loves going every week and I can see the joy in her face every time she earns a new badge. Keep it up Bear Paddle!!! read more

We have been to other swimming facilities and this one is by far my favorite. Once they see progress, they move your child up right away. In our last experience (at a different swim school) our child stayed at their level too long without moving them up to progress. The teachers have all been great even when we have had to switch out times. They are very accommodating and the front desk staff is excellent. I'm so happy we switched to them! read more

This is a review of the Woodridge location. The positives - the water is warm, the instructors are great with the kids and my kids were really excited to take lessons there after we went in for an evaluation to figure out what level they would be placed at. The lessons have started on time and have been mostly instruction not much playing with water toys. My son loves the 'kid car wash.' The negatives - it is more expensive than other lessons. You have to stay right there, you can't do anything else while the kids have their lessons. We signed up for a two week swim camp and when we registered they said both kids would have their lessons at the same time. Then they called and said they were cutting down to one instructor ( after I had paid) and the kids would have to come at different times. Then they called and tried to change the times. Finally they called and moved them back to the original times so it all worked out but it was a lot of calls in a few days and they weren't particularly nice when they called, not even apologizing when they were telling us we had to change times. Another issue is that they don't tell you that their instruction is different than anywhere else. My older daughter wanted to work on her strokes and they are making her do a weird turn on your back to breathe thing. She is really upset because she knows that is not how you really swim and she is stuck doing something that feels silly and is not helping her. I would not have signed her up if I realized this is what they do but even though I told them what she was looking for, no one mentioned their unique method. Also there seems to be some confusion between the instructors and the supervisors who check off the skills about what the kids have to do to pass a skill and today they told my daughter that she couldn't be evaluated to pass skills for a couple more days. By then the camp will be almost over. Overall I would say that if you are willing to pay the extra money, it is a good place for young kids with low smimming skills to take lessons because they will be comfortable and most likely happy to participate. For older or slightly more advanced swimmers (those whe are beyond a dog paddle) it is not your best choice. read more

I think Bear Paddle has grown too fast and is not as customer friendly as they were. The deck manager never says hello or even talks to the parents about how their children are doing. If they close for holidays or down time, they still charge you, and give you a bonus lesson which is almost impossible to use. We moved to DuPage Swim Center where they don't charge you for their holidays or your vacation/sick time. read more

We have been going here for 3+ years and in the beginning they were awesome. But since they opened their second location the quality has gone down. A handful of their top instructors were moved to the other location and my boys went through a lot of coach changes because of it. this is a problem for two reasons: 1. My kids learn better and are more relaxed when they have developed a familiarity with their coach, and 2. The coach doesn't know my child's strengths and weaknesses in the pool so it feels like a wasted session. But the main reason for the 2 star rating is their make-up policy, meaning you can't make up a missed class but are still charged for it. Even if you tell them in advance that you will be out of town. And to try and schedule a "bonus" class is extremely difficult, especially if you have multiple kids you want to schedule. So if you have a swim class that lands on a holiday you are still charged for it and are given a "bonus" class that is near impossible to schedule. Anyways, I am now looking into other swim schools. read more

I love Bear Paddle, I can say the environment is friendly and family orientated. My only concern is observing ALL children in the class and not just some. My child has been going for almost a year now, and I do not think in my opinion they pay attention to all the children. I have asked several times about my childs progress, one instructor say one thing another say something completely different. Then when my child is performing the skills that they say it is not being done that's when the "i have to see it." come about. I do not like how the instructors change without notice, because the younger children are adapted to one instructor and to walk in and see someone new, who is not as enthused about the class and does not even assist with the child skills to help them develop. Now don't get me wrong I HIGHLY recommend BEAR PADDLE but I just think there are some small things that should be taken into consideration when it comes to who is observing and what are they suppose too be doing. Stop chatting on the side and watch the children. Let me compliment and say that some of the instructors are AMAZING with the children and some just don't appear to have no energy and lack of interest with wanting to show the children anything. There should also be a limit on how many students in the class 4-5 maybe, especially when I look down at the toddlers/infant class like how do you have that many kids in one class with their parents as well? Just don't make sense to me not enough room, and one instructor can not focus on the individuals needs of the student. The staff really should do a better job communicating especially when there is a new instructor over the class that is not familiar with the children current skills. They should focus more on communicating with EVERYONE that is involved including the parents. There should also be communication between everyone, even the parents, one observing or deck manager can not always see one kids progress and half the time they are barely paying attention or on the other end talking to the staff that does not have students at the time. At times I like Bear paddle and other times I do not. I can not say how much a "hello good morning/afternoon" would make parents feel so much more welcoming. Also training all staff on what to do up front as well. I have been charged for a party that was not my child's party, not schedule for a make up class when I know I had the email to confirm, I can say that these things were corrected but it took me talking to more than one person. I recommend Bear paddle but other times it just not welcoming and seems more individual focused, and not trying to help all children there. The instructors should be more enthused about working with children, parents should also be aware of the changes of instructors, you have some that show that they genuinely love to work with the children and others who don't even want help the child progress. This school would be great if they actually cared about their staff, but they clearly do not. Every time I am there a different person is teaching a class or at the front desk, despite my repetition of the same day every week, I never knew who will be there. My child received duplicate patches because the school literally did not know if he had gotten this patch previously. I felt zero compassion from anyone walking around with that iPad. I loved some teachers. The last couple months I have been disappointed with Bear Paddle read more

This place was a complete waste of time and money in my opinion. I pulled my daughter out after she completed a few levels without any issues and then she enters Level 6.. There was already 2 other girls there (I believe) it was May of 2015 .. YEAH! MAY OF 2015 when she entered Level 6 so I can't remember but 1 of the girls was there for sure before her and is still there when I pulled her out this week (May 2016) You are required to do the Butterfly Stroke & the Breast Stroke, now if your teachers can't teach that in a year (With your holidays and whatnot that's 20 hours of swim time) then there's something wrong on your end. My daughter is in a competitive Hip Hop dance team and can remember a dance in 2 weeks.. I feel like you had PLENTY of time to teach what you needed. I feel bad for the little girl who's still there OVER a year in the same level. Isn't there any expectations for the swim coaches? If you can't pass your students within a YEAR.. the problem is clearly not with the child. These kids are trying their best..I sat there every week and watched closely while they did the same damn thing with hardly any instruction on how to fix their mistakes and what they need to do to pass to the next level. Cost me over $900 in swimming lessons for this level and she's no further ahead. Nice money grab you have going! Disgusting. read more

Eh, it's ok. I had both of my kids take swim lessons here. It was $150 for both kids for 30 min, 4 classes. We went there for about 2 months. My kids did not learn anything. They do a lot of singing and pouring water on the face. They use floatation devices to get across a very small section in the pool. There are about 4 kids per class. But, there are several classes going on at once. Very loud and chaotic! My kids were going into over-sensory load with this place. But, 2 stars for the warm salt water and the decorations of the place. It looks nice. But way too crowded! Plus, my kids did not learn anything. I think you have to invest a year or two ($$$) for them to learn how to swim because they don't push them enough. read more

My boys go to the Woodridge location, and I love it. They've learned a lot, and my oldest has really conquered his fear of water on his face. All the coaches and staff have been fantastic and very friendly. I've especially been impressed with how they handle situations when my youngest is hesitant to swim. He's usually fine, but his very first lesson was rough. We recently missed a few classes due to the holidays, so his first lesson after the break was also rough. They are extremely patient and supportive. They pulled another instructor over to try to coax him into the water individually. They played with the water toys with him. They just really gave him a lot of personal attention to put him at ease and make him comfortable. They even stayed in the water past the end of class (which is the last class of the night) and at that point several instructors were talking to him and playing with him. Really above and beyond the expected level of support in my opinion. read more

My son has been involved in Bear Paddle for 5 years now. We have done both year round weekly lessons and the 8 week swim camp. Bear Paddle does an excellent job teaching swimming and making it fun! read more

I think Bear Paddle is awesome. All 3 of my kids have gone hear since they turned 3 (when parent does not get into the water). And they have improved their skills tremendously. At age 6, my daughter qualified for a top winter swim team in the area. I know many other swimmers who are amazing competitive swimmers and they started out at Bear Paddle. They used to have a tough makeup policy, but that has just changed for the way better. Honestly, I can't say one bad thing. Also, I tried out Goldfish, and I personally like Bear Paddle better. Much of it is the same (although Goldfish is prettier and brighter). But as they advance, they are able to swim the entire length of the pool at Bear Paddle, where you can never do that at Goldfish. That's huge for preparation for swim team. read more

Great teachers! Awesome facility! Would highly recommend to all parents!

This is our 3rd year coming to Bear Paddle for winter/spring lessons before the summer season. We had the same teacher for two years. Our son bonded with him. He worked every week on what our son needed patch wise not what was on the sheet. Each kid got what they needed within the group. This year we had both sons enrolled. There were several different teachers to the point my 5 year old never learned his teachers name. He continued the same level from last year for 8 weeks. He needed 2 patches at this level and earned none. I feel it was the changing instructors not focusing on what he needed. He was so disappointed in himself knowing exactly what he needed. He listened, worked hard, and left his last lesson today feeling like a failure. We asked several times what he needed to do, worked with him outside lessons. They gave other students their patches right in front of him. This didn't used to be the practice. Our 3 year old had even more teachers changing each week. To the point at week 7 he didn't want to get In the water since he didn't know his teacher. Kids need the same teacher, they need to feel safe with a bond. This is especially true at the younger ages. After 2 great years, we now realize it was all the teacher and not Bear Paddle. I don't see us coming back if this is what we now get with the new higher prices too. We are so disappointed. read more