My almost 5 year old son has a slight fear of getting his face wet and had previously attended 3 sessions at crpd last summer. He did not learn or retain much from those sessions, between his fear of putting his face in the water, inability to keep warm (a neoprene shorty was still too cold in the summer) and short attention span. When I signed up for Connect the dots l picked lessons at midday to ensure it was warm enough for him. The main difference I noticed was that lessons were very focused. There were learning goals to be met each day, and most of the time it was exciting and fun but sometimes the kids reach an area outside of their comfort zone and the teachers at connect the dots don't back off. They firmly but gently keep working on it. That's why these 1-on-1 lessons cost more. My son had McKenna, the new lady teacher and he did well. Not a tear in the end but of course, if we don't keep practicing he will forget what he learned. Other things that will help your child to maximize learning at these lessons (not requirement but helps) -Sufficient upper body strength to push/lift themselves out of edge of pool -Able to understand/follow instruction in English -Able to handle being in and out of water in outdoor environment for 25 mins (my son needed neoprene suit and midday lessons) -Ability to coordinate limbs I watched a 6 year old learn to thread water, and swim the length of the pool (12 feet?) and he came in with some fear of water like my son. read more

What a wonderful swimming class! It was worth every penny, and worth taking the time. My son is a confident swimmer, and is ready to take on this summer! I would recommend this place to everybody. read more

Connect the Dots Swim - Jude feels like a real swimmer and wants to join the swim team now! - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me

What an amazing experience!!! My daughter had never had any swim lessons before and was a bit older than 4 1/2. By lesson 3 she was essentially swimming (not super well, but nonetheless) to the instructor after jumping in. Incredible!!! Piper is the instructor in the water with my little one. She is firm, playful and very calm and reassuring. Kevin created this swim program and has been implementing it for 26 years. He is also present at every lesson. After just a few talks with him, you know he has a storing understanding of swimming and also how children learn successfully. The course is 8 days of one on one 25min lessons. It's a bit pricey ($450) but it was worth it to me. Also, that's about what yearly, ineffective lessons at my local YMCA would cost had I taken her all the previous years. But I knew that wasn't the way kids learned so I waited until I knew she was ready, and we signed up for Connect the Dots Swim. I have no regrets! And you won't either! read more

Kevin is an amazing instructor. Kevin's a teacher, and it shows. His one-on-one work with the kids really inspires them to get over their fear of the water and start loving it. My child went from being scared to really put her head into the water to asking if it would be OK if she jumped in from the pool deck by herself, and dove for toys on the bottom of the pool. She now has a solid swimming foundation. I also loved the parent notes Kevin would leave for us, giving us a heads-up on what would happen each day and how we can help our kids do their best. This was very important, because Kevin's technique, while absolutely tailored for the abilities of each child, does push the kids to do their best and to embrace new things. That can be scary, and sometimes more so for the grownups than the kids. We'd done group lessons with others in the past, and they just didn't work well. While I did go in a bit skeptical about the one-on-one (and not inexpensive) intensive plan Kevin offers, I came out a huge believer. He inspired confidence in the kids and in the parents I met. His classes are a bargain. And we'll be back for more. Thank you, Kevin! read more

My sons (6 and 3.5) just finished swim lessons with Kevin today and my husband and I could not be happier with the results. My older child hadn't had swim lessons since he was a toddler and was the kid that wouldn't put his face in the water, and my younger child loves the water so much he needed to learn water safety before he jumped in a pool while no one was looking. By the end of the 2 week session my older son was eagerly swimming across the pool (its longer width) and my little guy could be thrown in (or jump in) and make his way out. Kevin was so sweet, extremely patient and very encouraging with the kids. We almost joined a group of friends for a "private" lesson only to learn that a number of other kids would be in the pool sharing the instructors time, and I'm glad we didn't. Having the type of 1:1 attention you get at connect the dots is worth every penny. read more

Connect the Dots Swim - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me

I grew up in a city in India and did not have access to a pool growing up and as a result never learned how to swim. I always wanted to learn but was mostly terrified and did not want to get out of my comfort zone. Finally this year, I decided to give it a try. I cannot say enough good things about both Kevin and Piper! They have both been patient, kind and yet persistent with me. I am incredibly grateful to both of them. I can't believe how far I have come from being scared/nervous of getting into the water to now swimming, treading water, going from tread to float, jumping into the pool and coming up on my own! I know it is not easy for an adult to learn to relax in the water or let go of all anxiety and there were moments I doubted if this would ever be successful but in the end it was! I learned a major life skill and I am very happy I chose Connect the Dots Swim. Highly recommend! read more

My son (4.5) is on day 6 (of 8) of his first ever swim lessons and I cannot begin to say enough about how awesome Connect the Dots has been!! He went from using a puddle jumper the day before his first lesson and not feeling comfortable putting his face underwater, to swimming 5 feet across the pool and grabbing dive toys off the bottom of the pool with his eyes open by the end of Day 1! By Day 6, he is jumping in and swimming across the pool (10ish feet), working on alternating his arms and perfecting kicks. Piper, his teacher, is wonderful with the kids, firm but gentle and good at gauging their comfort levels. Kevin (the owner) teaches at the same time and is just as patient and encouraging while still firmly pushing kids to their potential. We show up a bit early (they start and finish exactly on time) and have seen some kids who are more fearful (including crying) and they are both great with them as well! My son is going to miss Piper when we're done. :) They are a little more expensive than some of the other swim lessons locally, but WORTH EVERY PENNY! I did a lot of research on options and am so very glad to have found CtD. We'll be back next year for sure. :D read more

If I could give more than 5 stars to Kevin at "Connect the Dots Swim," I most certainly would do so! I recently took my 4 1/2 year old daughter to another swim school, and she was really struggling. She screamed and cried through the entire lesson, and I did not see any improvement in the month we attended (2 times a week). I could sense the frustration from some of the teachers, and I believe my daughter could feel it as well. We decided to take a break from swim lessons, since it felt like it was wasting everyone's time and our money, as well as causing more stress and anxiety to our daughter. I had seen the great reviews on "Connect the Dots Swim," and Kevin was recommended by a friend of mine, so we decided to give it a shot. I could not be happier with the results! Our daughter instantly responded so positively to Kevin. Although she still had a tough time with some fear issues, Kevin was incredibly patient and kind with her, never showing any judgment at all. He remained focused and worked through her anxiety with compassion, while also pushing her towards her goals. Half way through his two week course, she was swimming! By the last few lessons, we could not get her out of the water! She was begging us to take her back to her swim lessons. Kevin is an amazing teacher, and we could not be happier with him and his swim school. I would 100% recommend "Connect the Dots Swim" to anyone looking for swim lessons. We are sad our time with him is over, and we can't wait to take more lessons with Kevin next summer! read more

My 4 year old son was not listening to my advise on swimming. Very resistant to me teaching so I had hesitation if he would listen to anyone. Well after 8 days of lessons my son could actually swim freestyle. I was thoroughly impressed with Kevins ability to communicate and teach my son how to swim. Without a doubt I would recommend Connect the Dots swim lessons. He actually fulfills his guarantee. My son is water safe now and is continually improving on what he learned from Kevin. Thank you. read more

Connect the dots (Kevin is the contact) held their swim classes at Athletic Society in Westlake. We signed our son for the 2 week block (8 lessons total) with a $100 deposit and $400 cash given upon arrival. His first lesson was on May 29 from 10:15-10:40. During his second lesson on May 30, the female teacher used a forceful technique to have him "dive for toys" by pushing his head under water. This caused him distress as it replicated drowning. Before these swim lessons he was already comfortable swimming at various other locations (CLU pool, my Moms pool, friends pools, etc). Connect the Dots methodology of instruction was not known to us through their advertising or by phone when discussing philosophy last year. We signed him up for lessons with the idea that private instruction would improve his stroke technique. Once instructor started to be forceful with him putting his head under water, he starting crying and did not want to continue the lessons. Trust was gone and he did not want to be with female instructor any longer. He attempted to do "torpedo" (sitting on edge of pool, hands on forehead, and fall/dive into pool, then swim few feet) as long as she did not force him and push his head under water. Being 5 and a half, he's fully capable of following instructions. We do not believe that an adult pushing a child's head under water is a useful teaching technique. She ended up doing it 3 times, therefore we complained and decided he will not continue lessons with them and recieved $300 refund ($100 deposit and $50 for each of 2 lessons). I wanted to add that our son was not instructed by Kevin (the owner), but by another instructor: Kate. The lack of her being properly trained could have caused the situation. Update: We are having difficulty getting our son into the pool after traumatic experience with the coach dunking him into the water. He was willing to get into water in CLU and now we fill like we took a giant leap backwards. Very negative experience. We contacted Kevin to get full refund because he failed to meet the contract by passing our son to a untrained coach (Kate), he didn't respond. read more

Connect the Dots Swim has changed our life! Our 5-year-old son was terrified of the water, although we've exposed him to it since he was 2 months old. We have tried many different classes in the area and even did a private class last summer. We have a pool so it worried me that he was so scared of swimming. I was a little nervous that he wouldn't go in the pool after I spent so much money (its expensive) but Coach Kevin won him over. Kevin was encouraging and calm, which really helped. After only eight classes our son loves swimming and playing in the pool. I can't recommend Connect the Dots Swim enough! Thanks to Coach Kevin, we are going to have a fun summer full of pool time!! read more

After using 2 other local swim services we were not crazy about, I am so happy Connect The Dots was recommended by friends! My 4 1/2 year old loved coming to see Coach Piper everyday and I am so impressed with what she has learned. Really great experience that actually teaches swimming, I reccomend 100%. We will be back next summer for both kids. read more

Wow! Coach Kevin is awesome. Our 4 year old was not pool safe or a swimmer. We did lessons at the WLA YMCA and it was a horrible experience. We had pretty much given up for over a year. We signed up for the 8 day program and within a few lessons he was diving to the bottom and retrieving toys. By the end he was diving from the edge and swimming strokes across the pool! Kevin has a terrific program. His wonderful, kind and patient bedside manner is respectful and competent. The setting is a private home backyard pool. The water is comfortably heated and is shaded throughout. It's a peaceful and pleasant teaching environment. We recommend Connect the Dots without reservations and are signing up for "Swim Team Prep" for our 6 year old! read more

I purchased a pack of eight lessons for my almost four year old. I have to admit, it was a bit grueling, driving out to Thousand Oaks for eight consecutive days (minus the weekend). I will also admit that this program is not cheap! But,I can say that it was worth every second in the car and every penny! Kevin has such an organized and methodical way of doing things, but is very kind and gentle. My son can now swim underwater, jump into the pool and pull himself out of the pool. He had a blast every single day and has begged to go back. I plan on purchasing a second package to fine tune his skills. I can't recommend the program highly enough. read more

I'm thoroughly impressed with this swim school. I took my little 2 1/2 year old buddy to his 4th and then 8th lesson. He was swimming by the 4 the lesson and and was so advanced by the last it was hard to believe he had started just the week before with getting his face wet. Everything that was taught was done with a nod to pool safety. The atmosphere at the pool is very calm and supportive but with a firmness when needed. Piper did an excellent job! I also observed the other instructor work with a child who had an obvious fear of the water. It was taco sting to see his break through a. I highly recommend this school. read more

As someone born and raised in the Conejo Valley and now raising two kids of my own here, I have quite a bit of knowledge of the many options for swim lessons through my own experience and the experience of friends and family. In my opinion and experience, the Connect the Dots Swim program is the best. This program teaches kids how to swim in a safe, supportive, and fun environment. This is our second summer with Coach Kevin and my son has been asking all year when he gets to swim with Coach Kevin again. :) We are so thankful for this outstanding program and highly recommend Connect the Dots Swim! read more

I signed up my son Jordan in this swim school a month ago. Kat was his swim instructor. She was awesome! He went from a 3 years old who was afraid to even get a tiny splash of water on his face and was really scared to put his face in the pool to a confident little swimming boy that has to be bribe for some ice cream to get out of the pool after just 8 days of one on one lessons. So proud of him!!! It wasn't easy to watch him cry everyday for the first 4 days but it is all worth it! Thank you Kat and to Kevin too! Jordan is now diving for toypidos in the pool. It is now his most favorite thing to do. He will be back next summer! read more

I have a 13 year old whom I have tried a few swim classes around the Conejo Valley area and not so impressed. I am so impressed with Kevin in how he taught my 2 sons this summer and cannot wait for summer to come again. i wish that Kevin taught longer. He is not just an ordinary swim class instructor but an amazing teacher/mentor. He had a passion for teaching that was very evident and an impressive approach in the way he handled children. i would not be surprised if he is also a brilliant music teacher, as that is his main job all-year-round. He analyzes why a kid is not achieving the task as it is being taught and is very quick to come up with a solution on the right approach to the particular kid and situation. I regret that I didn't try him sooner but he came highly recommended by a few people. i don't really write a lot of reviews but he deserves it. My children adores him. I wish you continued success and blessings. i definitely would recommend that if you are in the market for a teacher be it swimming or music, Kevin Callister is Amazing!!! Check out his books too. read more

My twin 4 year old boys were terrified of getting their faces wet in the pool and cried through two weeks straight of group swimming lessons last summer. I decided that they would have to take private lessons in order to overcome their fears. Kevin is a gentle, yet firm, teacher and was perfect for my boys! He had them swimming to him with their heads in the water on day 3 and it was nothing short of a miracle! My boys now LOVE swimming and want to do it everyday. Their self-confidence in the pool shows because they enjoy showing off their new skills to us (which include jumping in from the side and swimming to us and being able to swim safely to the wall if they accidently fall in). I was very hesitant to spend the money, especially for two kids, but Coach Kevin is worth every penny! We're so grateful to him. Thanks! read more

Kevin you are a great swim instructor - you have the patients of a saint. I highly recommend you because you are an expert at what you do - and you do it well! If you want your child to learn how to swim, Kevin is the person. Kevin you are a true professional and it shows by the results that your students achieve. Keep up the good work! read more

Our 4-year-old daughter had only used a life jacket in the pool before taking lessons with McKenna at Connect the Dots Swim. We were taking her to a water park for her older sister's birthday this summer, and I wanted to be confident that she had swimming skills before we got there. I was beyond satisfied with what two weeks with McKenna was able to teach my daughter. My daughter has always felt confident in the water, but now she was showing the skills to back it up! She loved her pool time with McKenna. McKenna did a great job of keeping the lessons exciting and challenging. McKenna was always encouraging our daughter and keeping the pace at a level where something new was being introduced. My daughter was always excited to see what new thing she would learn to do next. After two weeks, our daughter could swim towards the instructor without being held, could kick her legs, hold her face under water, was starting to use her arms, could drop in the water off the ledge & find her way back to the ledge & pull herself back out on her own. We're ridiculously proud of our daughter, but even better, our daughter is incredibly proud of herself. She knows what she accomplished is a big deal. So what happened when we got to the water park? Well she couldn't wait to show off her swimming skills! We couldn't have been happier with these swimming lessons, and yes, our daughter is already asking to go back. If you're wondering if they're worth the $$$, they are. I guess I could provide a small note about the setup itself... they have music playing during the lesson, which is fun. They are very efficient about time - getting students in and out ON TIME. There is a clipboard with info on it each day about what the lesson is and what you could do to help your child practice. The pool had a tarp over it to protect everyone from the sun (this was a big deal for me, since my child has fair skin and I'm a big believer in SPF). There are chairs for the parents to sit and watch their child while two encouraging instructors work one-on-one with their students in the pool. It is a pretty cool setup and our daughter found it very nice ... she's pretty chill and doesn't like a lot of craziness, especially when learning something new. read more

If I could give Coach Kevin a 10 I would! He is that good. Our son did immersion swim lessons last summer and did OK. We realized as the weather was warming up this year and we started swimming that he was scared to get in the water, and stayed on the steps. So we started researching in the area to figure out what the best fit was for our little guy. We went to a couple different places to check it out, called around, etc. One of our friends told us about connect the dots and how great it was, so we checked it out online. As each day went by, we noticed great progression for our son and his comfort level in the water, as well as skill. It's important to keep expectations reasonable; out guy is not swimming laps across the pool, but he does have the basic skills needed to get out of the water should he fall in. The price point is considerable, but after researching it is certainly in line with what other places charge. Plus, you can't put a price on peace of mind. We'd like to send our little man back if were able to make it work later this summer, that's how much we enjoyed Coach Kevin. We would highly recommend him! read more

My children just finished a session with Kevin. I couldn't be more impressed. He was an incredibly patient man--I wish he could teach them other things as well. I was shocked at the progress both of them made in a short period of time. I will definitely be looking into his music program. Thanks! read more

Kevin was amazing with my almost three year old. After 8 lessons he's jumping off the diving board and safely kicking his way to the side of our pool. He loves diving for everything under the water and is definitely water safe. Kevin is patient and worked extremely well with a manipulative toddler!! 5 stars for sure!! read more

Highly recommended! 9 yr old son had a week of lessons years ago, but still did not feel confident. Connect the Dots is well worth money. McKenna was an amazing teacher, who was kind, calm and patient. My son looked forward to it every day and now has the confidence he needs to swim many different strokes!! read more

Great swim school. My seven year old son was having trouble in the deep end and with breathing while swimming and now is a real pro! Highly recommended. read more

My son is just 4 years old and he had previously had a bad experience with a swimming instructor. We took him to connect the dots where it was guaranteed he would be pool safe in 8 days . The first few lessons were tough and he didnt exactly enjoy them but then he got more confident and by the last 2 lessons he was doing great and I would say if he fell in the pool, he would make it to the side and climb out. Thanks to Connect the Dots and I would recommend anyone to take a child for swim lessons to Kevin at Connect the Dots . read more

My husband did not understand why I decided to take my 3.5 year old son to the Westlake/Thousand Oaks area for swimming lessons when we live in Westwood and apparently have access to several swim schools around us. However, after hearing great things about Kevin, I can now vouch for the fact that every minute in traffic there and back was worth driving with an impatient toddler. My son learned more from Kevin in 2 days (out of a total of 8) than he ever did from year long lessons at the YMCA. By day 8, my son was jumping from the deep end, getting back up to the surface of the water, and swimming to the sure of the pool. A Priceless Gift. I couldn't believe my eyes when Kevin took his hand on day 8 and together, they swam to the bottom of the deep end to get the rocket ships they threw down there. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes. My hyper critical mother in law, who took him twice out of the 8 days was so impressed she begged me to sign him up for a second block. Unfortunately, Kevin was booked (no surprise) and we will wait patiently for an opening to continue. Kevin is patient, kind, and a true expert at his craft. We are so thankful to have found him. read more