Just wanted to thank Floaties for helping my two young grandkids to begin swimming at a basic level. We only had a part of the summer with them and Floaties accommodated us with drop in lessons within our schedule. Special thanks to Mike (owner) for all his help and Courtney for finding swim spots that worked for us and being really helpful and pleasant. Robert, Kai and Gage were great swim instructors; patient and fun. I highly recommend Floaties to teach your kids to swim and potentially save their lives. read more

Floaties Swim School - Swimming Pools Near Me - Poway, California

We just started swim classes for my 7 year old son with Ms. Olivia and we love it. My son looks forward to it every week! She is so patient and friendly which puts Adriel at ease. So blessed to have Ms. Olivia here ! Definitely reccomend Floaties swim school. The girls at the front are also friendly and helpful. read more

We've been coming here for swim lessons for coach Dennis for almost a year! He's wonderful with our one year old daughter and kept good pacing to make sure she was getting comfortable with the water and increasingly okay with short swims with her head under. read more

Place is off Poway road near the Taco Bell, Yakumi Sushi and lumpia house. Pricing for swim lessons is competitive with other places in San Diego. The good thing is the place is indoor. There is a small playground after you enter on the left side. They have benches to watch your kids swim. They also allow you to enter swimming area to watch. They have one family shower room with one shower in the middle room. The instructors are nice and knowledgeable. The kids love their instructor and are learning a lot. We recommend this place for families that want their kids to start leaning to swim. read more

Michelle has taught both my daughters to swim, this place is great. Good learning environment and I feel that the kids are safe.

I don't understand how anyone could recommend this place. It's humid, overcrowded, and shows no concern for water safety--especially for small children. We paid $90 for a 30-minute private lesson, but it was a complete waste. During our first visit, we brought our child to the instructor right on time. He was busy and when we returned in 5 mins, he was just sitting there doing nothing. No instruction of what's going on was given, leaving us very confused. The class ended up lasting barely 20 minutes, most of it just warming up. I raised the issue with the front desk, and they scheduled a makeup class--which turned out to be even worse. The instructor sat my 3.5-year-old, who doesn't know how to swim, by the pool to play with toys while he taught other kids. For the entire session, he didn't engage or teach my child at all. No one was even watching him by the pool. We spent an hour driving round-trip and paid $90 for what amounted to free playtime by the water with zero supervision. This is not only unprofessional, it's dangerous. Honestly, I wonder if some parents come here simply because they don't have access to a pool--because this is definitely not a place focused on quality instruction or child safety. read more

I was taught here many many years ago now I have my younger siblings attending and the service is AMAZING. Our coach Denis is WONDERFUL and very helpful. Great business. read more

very in-flexible in terms of billing. my child was initially enrolled for 1 class per week and then we called to make it 2 classes (this was on July 23rd). I had to make a change to 1 class for the following month due to personal reasons. But they said no change to schedule of classes can be made beyond July 20th for the following month. Now I am stuck with 2 classes even if I'm unable to make it. Please do be aware about the refund policy and class scheduling etc since they don't seem be flexible to any extent. read more

STAY AWAY!! Terrible company. The instructor was fine, my baby was not happy and he didn't want to return. I told the front desk after 2 lessons, but then they charged my credit card again for the second month. I did not authorize this charge. They didn't put that clearly on their sign up. read more

It does not make me feel good in any way whatsoever to post this review but I feel obligated to share my experience so other parents do not have to go through what I just did this past week. My 6-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with Autism (L2) and ADHD. I wanted to find an adaptive swim class for her, as typical swim lessons have not always been easy for her. After learning about Floaties through a reputable Autism support website, I contacted the Poway location and signed up for a series of private lessons. At time of sign-up, I made them aware of my daughter's diagnosis and specifically requested an instructor with specialized training. Our first class took place earlier this week, and it was honestly one of the worst experiences I've ever encountered for the following reasons: - When the front desk staff (Katie) took us poolside to meet instructor Kyla approximately 10 minutes before the lesson, the instructor did not make any effort to greet us or interact with us. - Several minutes past the lesson start time, Kyla was at the opposite end of the pool, finishing her previous lesson. Even after the lesson was clearly over, she made no effort to engage with us. We had to walk the length of the pool, reintroduce ourselves, and ask if she was ready to start the lesson. - Just before the lesson began, we made an effort to tell Kyla about our daughter's previous swim lessons and swim skill level. Kyla acknowledged with a nod but did not respond verbally. She then pointed to the steps and asked my daughter to get into the water. Fifteen minutes into the lesson, Kyla waved us over and started asked us questions about my daughter's swim skill level. It was as if the previous conversation never happened. - Throughout the lesson, my daughter did not appear to be swimming at all. It seemed more like Kyla was listening to my daughter talk. We are unsure how much actual swim instruction my daughter received during her lesson. - In 30 minutes with Kyla, we observed that she did not seem to care about the student or the client. We saw no evidence of her accommodating our daughter as a special needs student, leaving us wondering if she had proper training for adaptive swim classes. Worst of all, at the end of the lesson Kyla left my daughter UNSUPERVISED at the edge of the pool without checking in to alert us that the lesson was over. We were standing only several feet away in the parent observation area, so it would not have been difficult for her to come to us. Instead, Kyla swam across the length of the pool and exited the water at the opposite end without a word. My daughter was left by herself without any teachers in the immediate area. No one noticed her or swam over to her. When we rushed over, she looked confused and lost. Kyla clearly left our daughter unattended, creating a major safety issue with potentially tragic consequences. This was particularly egregious given statistics that indicate that children with ASD are 160 TIMES more likely to experience non-fatal and fatal drowning than their peers. We addressed this with the school immediately to report this incident and request a full refund for all lessons purchased, which was handled quickly. And although I would hope that this is an isolated incident with this one particular instructor, I cannot confidently say that is the case. It makes me wonder exactly how adaptive swim instructors are vetted at this facility, and what specific training instructors have to attain in order to work with special needs children. It makes me very emotional to think about what could have happened to my daughter in the brief time that she was left unattended in the water. Separately, the pool area itself is complete chaos and a sensory nightmare for anyone sensitive to noise stimuli. And the locker rooms were absolutely filthy. In short, avoid this place at ALL COSTS - especially if you have special needs kiddos. read more

So when your 8 year wants to celebrate her birthday at a pool, but it's almost winter...what do you do? Find an indoor pool! We looked at a few options, but they were either outdoors or indoors, but shared with the general public, until someone suggested Floaties. The Poway location's staff (Dennis and team) were friendly, flexible, and attentive. We were already stoked that they provided 3 lifeguards to watch over the kids in a private indoor pool heated to about ninety degrees, but they also included tables, basic decorations, and pizza! In addition, the lifeguards didn't just sit around- but they actively engaged with the kids so no parents felt like they had to get in the pool. Definitely an amazing time and the kids had so much fun that several parents started to think about enrolling their kids in swim lessons here. Tip: it was a little hard to reach someone using the online form, but once I called and left a voicemail, they were super responsive so it must be something not working with their form online. They are a little hard to reach by phone (makes sense since they're busy teaching swim), but very responsive over email. I would definitely recommend a kids pool party here- Floaties made it at memorable time that was easy to execute!! read more

I cannot speak highly enough of of Dennis. I brought my 6 year old here and he was scared to get his face wet. In 3 weeks he's now swimming under water, holding his breath, and going through the motions of swimming. The price of lessons is intimidating but in my opinion WORTH IT. I fully intend on bringing my 1 year old in for lessons and hopefully under the teachings of Dennis. read more

Great swim school! Temperature is nice and lessons are great! It was fun going to floaties. Totally thinking of coming back

This is a great spot to enroll your kids to learn how to swim. My son is about 2 years old (27 months if you want to get technical) and he's been going here since 17 months. The instructors are fantastic and they always make him feel welcomed. Mr. Robert and Mr. Dennis are is favorite. The establishment has been doing a great job at keeping it safe during covid. All staff are wearing masks, even at the pool. About an average of 2-3 kids per instructor. The class is about 30 minutes but they do a great job at splitting the time between my son and his classmate. He doesn't exactly swim very well yet. But I'm so grateful for these classes. My toddler is a maniac at home and this is the only place where he is calm and collective. read more

Floaties Swim School - Swimming Pools Near Me - Poway, California

Super happy with Floaties swim school. My child, who is on the spectrum has been attending for about 4 months now and absolutely loves it. The swim instructor Robert is super patient and understanding of the situation. Overall just amazing! The front desk is quick to return messages and very helpful with scheduling. read more

Great place & great instructors for kids. My Daughter learned how to swim in four months. Thanks! read more

We started lessons for 2 children in March 2022-October 2023. My 4-year old still cannot swim, still scared of being in the pool. So we stopped her lesson after one year of not seeing any improvements. We picked up lessons after summer for our oldest. We take the early morning classes so most of the time my child is the only student. However, there has been very little improvements for my child with one-on-one instruction. We've done a make up session in the afternoon and it was total chaos. The after school time is very crowded and you've got parents in the pool as well, soaking their feet, walking around in the pool. So it just didn't feel like a sanitary environment. If there are other instructors in the pool, then it becomes a social affair and instructors talk, allowing my daughter to play around, catch toys under water. Floaties is a decent if kids are starting out, but progress will be vey slow. read more

Coach Drake is very funny and a good teacher. He always encourage me to do my best and give me good tips on my swimming. --Marcus read more

The front desk is very nice and very patient when I need to try different teachers and switch classes to accommodate my kid's busy schedule. Hence the star is for them! As for SARAH and HANNA, I have no words for these two. They are so focus on socializing and chitchatting!!! Hello!!! AT least put a little effort!! . I drive 30 mins to get here for my kid to do 2 laps and be done due to them talking in the. midst of EVERY kids lessons!!! Midway thru the 1st lap, they are always chit chatting rather than focusing on the kids they are working w/!!!... speechless and incredibly RUDE and unprofessional!!! The good instructors are Marisa, Anika (who is off to college ), and Kai (the ones we had). As for SARAH and HANNA, I have no words for these two. They are so focus on socializing and chitchatting!!! HellO!b. I drive 30 mins to get here for my kid to do 2 laps and be done due to them talking in the. midst of EVERY kids lessons!!!!!!!! read more

My daughter learned how to swim here during the height of Covid. They make it a nice environment to learn.

Pros: *Indoor pool *Miss Sarah! Only reason this review earned an extra star *Separate seating away from pool if desired, indoors and outdoors *Morning and evening times available *Close to our other weekly activities in Poway Cons: *App wasn't user friendly or up to date *Hassle to reschedule a makeup class *No printed or online list of available classes and times *Painfully understaffed at front desk *Too expensive for monthly tuition *Hot and humid with bad ventilation alongside pool area *Paid for a 30 min session each week but had less than 10 min of instruction per session if all 3 students present [not disclosed when signing up] *Too many parents, siblings and guardians in actual pool area crowding and taking up space As much as we wanted to stay and make Floaties apart of our weekly routine, we canceled after only one month. We opted for another swim center and signed up for biweekly classes at a considerably lower rate with more swim time. read more

We have been at floaties for a little over a year. Our daughter started when she was 2 years old and now she's a little over 3. The coaches are all amazing. But in the past 2 month, she's been consistently with Coach Dennis and he has worked wonders with her. She's now actually swimming independently, and learning to feel more confident. Dennis takes his time with the students, and if they're not feeling it that day, he will spend time talking to them and making sure they feel safe with him before proceeding with the lesson. We are so glad that we decided on floaties and also switch into Dennis' class. read more

This is a tough one to write, partially because of my own issues and partially because of my experiences here. To premise, my personal issues: the pool is indoors, the room is warm, the room is loud, there's not a ton of standing room... it's just, A LOT. It's weird taking your kid to an activity and YOU'RE the one who leaves sweaty and exhausted. Putting those issues aside... the whole billing system is confusing AF. Not to mention it's expensive, especially when you consider you're only there for a little while and one teacher has to split their time sometimes with two other kids. That's like a total of 10 minutes of one-on-one time. I mentioned there's not a ton of standing room... additionally, it can get slippery. Seems like a weird liability combo, but I've only seen a few minor slips so far. The teachers themselves are all nice enough, and seem to be trained consistently. We keep going back because at least we now know what to expect, and there aren't a lot of other options in the area. read more

If you want your kid to actually learn how to swim, skip Floaties. I enrolled my 5 year old daughter in classes for 6 months, and in that time all she learned was how to hold her breath underwater, how to jump towards the coach who would catch her, and how to doggy paddle. Most of each 30 minute lesson was spent sitting and playing around on the side while other children had their turns. She got maybe 8 minutes of instruction/practice in for each 30 minutes. She was so ready to learn how to swim, but the reality is that she spent most of her time being bored on the side. By the end of our time there, she could not swim independently, gained no water safety skills like getting into a back float independently, couldn't tread water, couldn't do anything that gave me even an ounce of confidence that she would be safe in a pool for summer camp. We spent almost $1,000 on this. When I finally decided enough is enough and switched to private lessons elsewhere, my daughter learned how to swim independently within 3 weeks. She had to unlearn the concept of holding her breath from Floaties and learn how to blow bubbles, which is the correct breathing technique for swimming. Holding your breath is only more helpful for water safety in case of potential drowning, just to buy a few extra seconds. And she had zero water safety skills that would actually get her to safety. Now I can see that she's able to swim halfway across the pool by herself, kick her legs, do a freestyle stroke, and dive down to the pool floor and retrieve a toy (in a 4 foot depth). She is starting to get into a floating position by herself, and practicing taking a breath and continuing to swim. She should have learned at least all of this in her 6 months at floaties but she learned none of it. I'm giving them 2 stars because the pool was always clean and warm, and the instructors were nice, though pretty useless. I came in and spoke to a manager, explained the situation and asked politely to get some of my money back. That was 3 days ago, and no answer. Which just confirms to me that their intention is to get as much money out of people for as long as possible without actually teaching children how to swim. read more

Started my little one at 3 months old and she is loving it. Many places we looked into didn't take babies until they were older and it was really important to us to start getting her used to the water right away. The instructors are great with the little ones and they really do a great job of getting her familiar with the water without making it scary for her. We have a lot of fun and are really enjoying our mommy and me swim classes! read more

Floaties Swim School - Swimming Pools Near Me - Poway, California

We love Floaties in Poway! We love our weekly lessons with Dennis. He's so great with my 10 month old. Happy, welcoming, fun, and knowledgeable. He's amazing at his job and makes lessons fun and impactful. My little one is learning but also enjoying the process. Swim is the highlight of our week. 100% recommend. read more

Mr. Robert is the best instructor ever!! My daughter is a Covid baby and terrified of all strangers. When we arrived for our first class I was so nervous since I wouldn't get to be in the water with her. My worries we're for nothing! My daughter immediately went right to Mr. Robert as though they had been friends for years. It was incredible! She continues to look forward to class every week and is progressing at a rate I am comfortable with. I would highly recommend floaties/Mr. Robert to anyone with a shy child! read more

My two-year-old child was swimming at Floaties for a whole year. we were swimming with mr Matt and he loved him. Every since Matt left it hasn't been the same since. They worst part is they moved around their policies and programs so I was stuck longer then I wanted to be. The girls at the front desk don't seem to care, all they do is spend time on their phones and eating. For the last few months my child was swimming there he would come out of the water with chemicals burns from the employees pouring chemicals in the water while children were swimming. Finally enough was enough. I moved over Noonan. Much better place. The employees seem to care more at Noonan then ever at Floaties. I was tired of the disrespect I received from management at Floaties. Mr. Jake at Noonan is great highly recommend!! Never stepping foot near Floaties again!!! read more

My daughter has been going ro Floties from last Aug. she learned from many coaches and they all good and fun. She learned to play inside water. She loves coach Ailish. read more

Lessons cannot be made up because they almost always don't have space available. A couple of instructors talk to parents more than teach.

I highly recommend this place! My son started taking swim lessons here a few months and he is doing amazing. Coach Drake has really taken the time to teach each child at their own pace. I can't say enough nice things about him. I love seeing my sons face when we go to swim every week! If you haven't signed up now, you should! It's so worth it! read more

To be honest.my wife and me are in same page that this place is very useful for our daughter.friendly employees and professional,specially Michelle .she is so kind and patient to my daughter .I highly recommend this swimming school.(parking lot is always available ) read more

We have been going to Floaties for a few years now. Overall I recommend, but there are some areas that could improve. I like the indoor pool so you don't have to worry about the sun or weather, but it can get humid and/or loud. For babies the water temperature is ideal! Most of the instructors are awesome, especially if you get one of the trainers. If it's not a good fit, try a different instructor, as they have different styles. And I think the size/setup for the classes works well for little ones. Enough time to learn active swimming/safety skills, but the time between turns helps teach patience, turn taking, and how to sit safely in the pool. Plus the younger kids need breaks between turns. The changing areas need some improvements including a more frequent deep cleaning and better ventilation. Weekends and summers are a bit crazy, so if you can avoid peak times I recommend it. I preferred their old billing system and how they treated loyal clients, but I understand from a business perspective why they moved to monthly enrollment. Some of the front desk staff could use some customer service training, but then again parents can be a lot to deal with. read more

My 5 year old son has been taking lessons here for 7 months. The staff are all very competent and great with kids. Highly recommend.

This place is OK for little ones very first experience swimming in the water. It's pricey for anyone expecting to progress and have a really competent swimmer. There was a lot of instructor turnover which wasn't great for continuity. My kid took lessons for a year and didn't retain any specific skills when we'd swim elsewhere. read more

Hello Karen M (or is it Angela?) I'm not sure who to address this to, since the response to my review is under the account of Karen M (the owner), but the review says to respond to Angela's email... confusing. I have waited in responding to your response because I wanted to calm down. It took a while... Since your defense of yourself was so public, I feel it only appropriate to continue in that vein, but I'll address that philosophy in a minute. Let me start by saying thank you. Everything in life can be a lesson if we take the time to learn from it, and my experience with Floaties Swim School was just that. The condescension which oozed from your response taught me that no matter how sincere or well-meaning a person is, not all businesses give excellent service. The lack of results from your school reminded me that nothing in life is guaranteed. And in thinking about the teachers at the school, I was reminded that often times blame is misplaced. ALL great lessons to have learned. Granted those were not the lessons I signed up for, but they were lessons nonetheless. Let me return the favor, with a quick couple of lessons of my own. LESSON 1: Online Review Management Don't engage in an argument for everyone to see. Instead of defending yourself in a public forum, invite me - or whomever - to discuss the matter with you privately. Then, any unresolved issues would be minimized and privatized, and you would have saved face publicly by expressing your desire to resolve any issues. I recommend reading Likable Social Media, by Dave Kerpen. That being said, it's clear to me that your response was NOT designed to satisfy me, so much as it was designed to NULLIFY my issues publicly, so as to attempt to regain any business that may be lost because of my review. I understand that, after all you ARE a business trying to make a PROFIT. That's fine if that's how you want to run your business, but at the end of the day, if a customer isn't satisfied, then you can say goodbye to any return or referral business - which we all know is the best kind, right? True, my daughter still has not learned to swim, but I refuse to give your company any more of my business. And THIS updated review is now being shared with Facebook TOO! LESSON 2: Set Proper Expectations You DID make special accommodations for my attenuated schedule, which I mentioned and still appreciate. HOWEVER, I was given no impression that this would possibly inhibit my child's learning based on the desired schedule. I would suggest more upfront communication with your customers. While it may cause some business to turn away, it's better to turn away someone who wouldn't be satisfied, than to accept the business under false pretenses, then piss someone off. I've not chosen NOT to return to continue her lessons and feed any more money to your company, because God only knows what kind of results you may get! Having been a mentor, and a teacher for years, I do understand that it can take time to develop the various skills you listed Karen/ Angela. However, as a parent who is unfamiliar with your school, pedagogies, methodologies, and theories of learning, I guess I assumed those would have been better communicated upfront. My fault for thinking your business would take the responsibility upon itself. LESSON 3: Accepting Responsibility Regarding the change in instructors. I applaud Mr. Michael's noble service to our public safety. There are few callings I can esteem as higher. And your manager did a wonderful job, as did the other teachers - as much as can be expected. HOWEVER, my point still stands, that the substitute teachers took some steps backwards because they simply didn't have the relationship necessary to engender the trust needed for a child to try new things. In "isolated incidents" such as this, you may want to offer an extra complementary lesson to make up for the inconvenience. Sure you'd have to eat the cost of one lesson, but by taking responsibility, you'd engender satisfaction with your customer, by demonstrating your understanding of the imposition caused. I hope this experience has been as much of a learning experience for you as it was for me. I will definitely be more on guard when employing a school to teach ANYTHING to me or my children, and I will NOT assume they are good at customer satisfaction. After all, you guys are swim teachers, not hospitality experts or business leaders. I've DEFINITELY learned my lesson. Time will tell if you've learned yours. read more

Our son has been going to Floaties regularly for 6 months and it has been a lot of fun seeing him progress (currently 21 months of age). Coach Damon has been amazing with our son and we absolutely appreciate his instruction and how he interacts with our child and the other kids in his class. We are taking a break over the holidays, but we hope to be back soon in the spring time. We would definitely recommend Floaties if you are looking to get your kiddo into the pool. They have created a safe space for our little ones to learn how to swim! read more

Took my daughter to Floaties to improve on her swimming techniques. Prices were a bit high but ok registered her. First instructor she had for a few weeks was amazing then we had to switch the schedule because of school and she was assigned to another instructor that was very aggressive she didn't have patients and didn't like the way she was training my daughter with an aggressive attitude Took her out of the classes no more Floaties for us read more

Not worth the money. Children hardly gets 15 minutes which I think is not enough. It's more hassle to bring them to the school for only 15 minute lesson. Not worth the time and money. It might be cheap then private lessons but for 15 minuets class I think it's better to pay a little more atleast you know your child will learn something. read more

We decided to cancel our swimming lessons after only one lesson at the Poway location. The pool was visibly dirty, with small debris floating all around throughout the pool. The locker room had underwear lying on the floor under a bench and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in many days. Our instructor was nice and capable but I was afraid my son would get an ear infection or worse putting his head under that cloudy water. I ended up having to pay $144.00 for lessons that I did not attend. read more