We signed up for private swim classes for my 3-year-old at KIDS FIRST Swim School in Springfield. Before starting, we clearly explained that our son is not used to new adults and that we wanted the same instructor consistently so he could feel comfortable and build trust. Unfortunately, almost every week there was a cancellation or instructor change. Out of 6 classes, my son had about 5 different instructors. For a young child who needs consistency, this was very stressful. Each class felt like starting over because he had to adjust to a new adult again, so there was little to no improvement. After about 3 weeks, I complained to the head instructor. Instead of listening or helping, he seemed frustrated and raised his voice back at me, basically saying he already knew. That was very disappointing. My biggest concern is that they require families to schedule private lessons far in advance, but they could not provide a consistent instructor for the set day and time. We chose private lessons specifically for consistency, and they did not deliver that. For families with very young children, especially children who need time to get comfortable with new people, I would not recommend this location for private lessons. It ended up being a huge waste of time and money for us. read more

Amazing facility and instructors. My child has progressed so much with this structured program. Patrick, Tim and all the staff are lovey.

My 21 month old daughter and I have been doing the parent and me class for the past few months and it has been a great experience. We have our class at 5:15 on Wednesdays with Ms. Kaylee, but we have attended other makeup classes (one was a Monday AM class) and also enjoyed them. My daughter likes the freedom to follow the routine or kind of do her own thing. She is more participatory in her class here vs. When she was at a rec center. The parking situation gets crowded as do the dressing rooms following class. We seem to always get a room if we need to change before class but getting a room after class has been difficult. I appreciate the routine each class too so my daughter always knows what to expect. read more

Great experience so far! They let us know the first day that our son was a better fit for the level two class. They let us stay for a level two class that day free of charge. Nice to have an option for swim lessons since we didn't have the pool this summer. Great work guys, keep it up! PS - It's a great opportunity for a short and sweet date. Drop the kid off and head down to the Swiss Bakery for a yummy bite to eat and 20 minutes of relaxation. read more

I enrolled my 7month old son for a Mom & Me class and did it for 6 Saturdays. It was a fun activity for us and my baby was able to get familiar and love the water. Temperaof the pool and the room is perfect. Sometimes it gets too crowded inside the facility that sometimes gives me anxiety due to Covid. But all went well and we finished the session safe and healthy. read more

Kids First Swim School - Springfield - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

We had a birthday party for my son scheduled here. The night before his party he came down with a horrible stomach virus that was running through his class. KFSS was so understanding & worked with us to reschedule our party with no penalty. Leading up to the party the staff was very helpful with planning. On the day of, my son & his friends had a blast. I highly recommend this venue for a party. Its clean, the staff are responsive/helpful and what kid doesnt love a pool party?! read more

My daughter is a huge fan of swimming and Kids First Swim is the reason for it! We have been going to Kids First Swim since she was an infant and I get the best kind of smile from her during our mommy and me class. The classes are well taught by instructors who are friendly and they have a solid curriculum that works for the students. The only chaotic thing is the locker room situation, where I have seen parents fight each other for a dressing room when the class gets out. There are limited space, definitely less than the number of class participants, and it would be great if that situation can be improved. The establishment makes the effort to prevent parents from holding spaces and whatnot, but it's not already pretty when parents are dealing with wet children and they are eager to get them out of their swim suits. Other than that, the staff (teachers and administration) is friendly and great to work with! read more

We've been going to Kids First and this specific one for about 2 years now. It's a mixed bag. I've had good experiences and meh experiences. Lately, it's just starting to feel like it's more about making money than teaching my kids how to swim. The facility is good, and the pool is warm. Most instructors are decent, but a few are not great, and one was too rough. The quality of the instructors really varies and I haven't had a good experience getting to pick the instructors who work best with my kids, despite requesting for it and being told that it was an option. It worked once, but not the following sessions. I did have an extenuating health related situation where we could not swim for a whole session, and they allowed us to not take the classes that session, and use the credits toward another class. But no refund. They try to keep my child in the same class multiple sessions in a row. I understand she can't advance every time, but when the instructor doesn't have time or cannot give the attention to teacher her, it becomes frustrating because I'm paying for my child to play rather than learn. These are 30 min classes and only 6 classes per session. So, each one counts. Also, they've switched to an online payment and class reservation system. They automatically make you pay for and reserve the next session of classes by week 2 of the current session. The cons are that there's no refund. They don't always know which instructor is available by week 2. The pros are that it is much more convenient to sign up for classes, compared to the old way where we'd call and ask for all available class schedules and open slots. Maybe it's hard to retain instructors and manage their schedules far in advance, and I'm sympathetic to that. But something about it is just starting to feel like it's more about making money for them, than teaching my kids how to swim. read more

Our son has been enrolled here since he was 6months old. We love all the teachers and staff. Everyone has your child's best interest at heart and I always appreciate how they want to make sure you have a good experience. Their recent renovations were a nice surprise. Would love it if there was an extra shower stall inside the bathroom area - but maybe on the next reno! Thank you KFSS! read more

One child had a good experience. The littlest one kept getting held in the basic mommy and me because he didn't talk enough for their standards. He was going under the water jumping off the sides and so forth but couldn't go to the advance level of mommy and me. He has a speech issue. This place is not inclusive even though I kept getting told how he could go up. read more

Great facility! Builds skills step by step and gives the kids a lot of confidence in the water. The pool water is super warm and comfortable for all! It's like bath water. The manager Tim is amazing and attentive. If you want to check classes call or email they will do classes based on your needs if it's possible! They have birthday parties too which I hope to try in June and will update the review then. Instructors are great! A+++ They are very skill focused. Your child won't learn to swim in one session, but they will work closely with your child to develop the skills they need to be confident and very skilled swimmers. It will take time but I am sure learning a cartwheel takes awhile too. This is a serious skill that can be lifesaving. Update: they have added showers to the pools which is huge! They really do respond to people's requests. If you need something or have a suggestion it doesn't hurt to ask! read more

Very understanding, such a good swim school! My LO who hated water now loves to splash around "like a fish."

Not a great experience. They kept my child in level 2 (after telling me he should move to level 3) my child was bored and didn't want to attend any longer. When I tried to get out of the next series of classes (which we already paid for) with advance notice they would not credit my money back, but rather give me a "store credit" for when we come back. At this point we do not want to come back. My thoughts...they will keep your child bored at a level for the $$ and their business practices do not honor a refund. So money paid for no service. After posting this review on Facebook I have found two other Moms with similar experience at this location. Unsat read more

Good job Corrine, my boy still enjoiing that He is in your class of course you're the best best, and please keep the great job. Thanks again. Wednesday 7 pm class.. read more

The school is great! Due to covid I've been hesitant to put my 3 year old son into any activities, but Kids First Swim is great. They take covid pretty seriously and class sizes are limited. Adults are required to wear masks and the instructors all wear face shields, everyone is hand sanitized upon entry, and they space out the classes in the pool well. Most importantly, my son loves the classes and his instructor Skylar. He has a little bit of fear of the water, and her classes have been super fun and do a great job of making him more confident about the water. We ended up signing him up for twice a week this session with her, because he now asks every day if he can go swimming. If you're worried about crowds, do sessions on the weekdays, there are definitely less people than on the weekends. You can also stay outside and watch the kids in the pool through windows so that is helpful. I strongly recommend this school, both for covid safety (for kids and instructors) and for having great instructors who know how to handle toddlers and kids in the pool. Thank you! read more

Our twins took swim lessons at Kids First from ages 4 to 6, and they had such a wonderful experience that we've now started our 4-year-old daughter in level 1 lessons. We made sure she'd have Tim as her instructor since he was so amazing with our boys. He is extremely patient, kind, and encouraging, and he really wants the kids to succeed. He is also a lot of fun, which has made the kids look forward to their lessons every week. My boys are now 7 years old and spent their summer jumping off the diving board, going down the water slide, and swimming at our local pool. Their time at Kids First helped them to become strong, confident swimmers. It wasn't an overnight process, but that's fine with me because they learned the right way. We also had the boys' 6th birthday party here, which was well put together and a ton of fun. After only her first lesson, my daughter is now saying she wants to have her next party at Kids First. Other positives: The front desk staff has always been friendly and helpful. The water in the pool is nice and warm, so the kids have no problem getting right in. The groups are kept small so that the kids get lots of one-on-one attention. The facility is always clean, and there are lots of changing rooms available so we can get in and out quickly. I really can't say enough good things about Kids First. We love it there! read more

This place is not made for this crowd , they have only one shower in changing area,kids have to stay in line and shiver till they can have a cold shower. They try to keep your child in same level as many time as they can . I will not go back . Waste of time and money. read more

We're going through our second round of swim lessons and my daughter who is 2.75 years absolutely loves going. We do the mommy and me classes and the teachers are super nice. They are also very flexible with doing make up classes as long as you call ahead and schedule. The facilities are super super clean all the time which is very impressive for the amount of students that come through. I've been very very very happy with the classes and the staff! read more

Been going here for the last few months and the instructors are great! They deal really well with my kids as he is very "spirited". Haha. I highly recommend this place! read more

We had a great experience with Kids First Swim School. They are great with young kids and are very easy to work with in terms of scheduling and makeups. The management is wonderful and truly tries to accommodate all situations. We highly recommend for new swimmers. read more

I'm very very very happy with this place. The team is friendly, caring, fun and professional. We love Mr. Feddy and everyone there, they teach with all their heart. My kids loved their lesson here, they ask me everyday " is my swimming lesson today?" read more

Love the instructors and staff! Very helpful. I like that the classes are a rolling 6 weeks. The one thing I wished was a little more clear is: which class I should enroll my toddler in? There's a mommy and me, an advanced mommy and me, and level 1. No one could give me a firm answer on where my kid should start. So we started with Mommy & Me which was too simple. She didn't want to be held and it was a fight the entire class. We did level 1 for the next session and, honestly, that's where we should've been from day 1. So I felt like we wasted our money on the first session. Otherwise, we're now on our 3rd session of classes and loving it! Our kid has progressed quickly and loves going to class! read more

Great customer service! Made a make up class appointment for my daughters mommy and me class, however when we got there that class was not available. Apparently there was a misunderstanding of schedule, however the gentleman at the front desk took care of the issue immediately and managed to accommodate us with another teacher so we could still have the class! Thank you Ben for being so nice to us and taking the time to sort it out. Once in the water, my daughter has a fantastic time! Her teacher Skyler was just perfect and my daughter did not want to leave the pool once the class was over. Wonderful experience both for child and mom, thank you for everything, highly recommended! read more

We've done two rounds of mommy and me since my little one was five months. Maxine is very friendly and does a good job explaining why we go through the different exercises. My little one loves the water now and we are able to take what we've learned and apply it at home. I recommend driving around the shopping center and parking at the back for easy access! There are ample changing rooms and locker rooms as well. read more

We had some challenges initially with a staff member's attitude but when Tim found out he quickly assisted us in solving the issue. Tim took our concerns very seriously and asked us to give it another shot. Ellie is great! My kids are improving in a very short amount of time. read more

Updating my review from last year--my daughter has now been enrolled at KFSS for over a year and is doing great. She's now a level 5/6, learning backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Tim and his crew are a pleasure to see every week, and have worked hard to pair my daughter with instructors they thought she would be compatible with. The customer service is great and the instruction fantastic. I would recommend KFSS to anyone who wants their child to learn to swim. read more

My children have been going to Kids First Swim School for about 2 1/2 years. We tried other schools and programs and my kids dreaded it every time and made no progress. The program and skills required for each level are clearly written down on large posters in several locations throughout the facility. Although we have repeated a few levels several times, I can clearly see and understand what specific skills my children have needed to practice. The instructors are fantastic. My middle child had a lot of fears and the instructors took the time to work with him and help him get past his fears. My kids love going to swimming. The staff know them and my kids feel right at home. The facility is exceptionally clean, which is important to me, and the whole atmosphere is very kid-friendly. read more

Kids First in Springfield is an excellent swim school with a clean facility and has done wonders for my two boys' swim skills. Their staff has been nothing but friendly and helpful. My boys love their instructors and have progressed in swimming much faster than I expected. Their step by step skill building gave a strong kick foundation and my 6 year old has the skills to join the swim team. Tim is a great manager who listens to concerns and is very knowledgeable. read more

We have been taking our 5 month old daughter to lessons and it has been great. The staff are super friendly and extremely flexible with accommodating schedules. The facility is very clean and kid friendly. You can really tell everyone to n the staff wants to be there and love kids. I highly, highly, highly recommend them! While our session is almost over, we will absolutely continue on with lessons here! read more

We've been extremely pleased with Kid's First and are now one our third session. It's a little bit spendier than doing lessons through the Fairfax County Rec Centers, but the smaller class sizes and consistency of instruction (not to mention the warm water and very clean facilities -- we love the private changing stalls!) make it worth it. We've been especially pleased with one of my son's instructors in particular, Miss Kelly. She has a special ability to see the potential in kids and get the most out of them. My son went from being a timid non-swimmer to a little fish in just 6 sessions. Thank you!!!! read more

Hands down the best experience for my 3 (almost 4) year old daughter. She had taken lessons elsewhere but I never really saw her making progress. When she started at Kids First Swim School in Springfield she started making tremendous improvements. She absolutely loves her instructor and every week she is excited to go swimming. Not only is he a great instructor but every single person there is also so friendly and welcoming. We will continue going here for years to come! read more

I just enrolled my 2 and 3.5 year old in their second sessions (Mommy and Me and Group Level 1). We LOVE this school. The instructors are so good with the children and my oldest went from being terrified of being in the water without his floaties to asking us to drop him in the pool so he can touch the bottom (with the water over his head). He's not quite a swimmer yet but you can see the foundations building. My 2 year old is bit temperamental, she can do the exercises, but just refuses to sometimes because she's rather do the "humpty dumpty" exercise than kick her legs. Even so, we can see that she's benefited enormously from the classes. Shout out to Mr. Freddie who was their instructor, he's phenomenal with kids! read more

KFSS has hands-down the best instruction my children have received at any of the many activities we've tried. In September, on a recommendation from another mother, I signed up my then almost 3 year-old daughter for lessons. I'd already tried lots of other classes such as gymnastics, ballet and music. You name it, we tried it but nothing seemed to be the right fit. My daughter was either bored, scared or just not engaged. My friend raved about KFSS and told me to try to get "Mr. Freddy" as a swim instructor because her kids had had such a wonderful experience with him. At her very first lesson, I could tell that KFSS was different from all the other places we'd been to because everyone, from the owner to the front desk staff and especially the instructors, really CARES about your child. Although my daughter is usually shy and reluctant to leave my side, something about Freddy really clicked with her. He has an amazing ability to quickly sense how to bring out the best in each child and turn a swimming lesson into a learning experience that not only builds skills, but builds confidence in each child. Even though Freddy teaches almost everyday for hours (basically because he's in such high demand with the students), he makes every class seem like it's his first class of the day. He's so enthusiastic and patient. He has no problem fixing the children's goggles over and over or gently getting them to focus and try again. It's so refreshing to find an instructor (of any kind of child's activity) like Freddy that really cares and is constantly trying to help my child improve as a swimmer and gain confidence in herself. He has gone above and beyond to find the perfect class and level for her, even working with her one-on-one in order to meet our needs. Now my 6 year-old daughter is taking lessons with Freddy too and couldn't be happier. Almost daily, I find myself recommending KFSS and particularly "Mr. Freddy" to a friend or another mother because our experience has been that wonderful! At our community pool, other parents are shocked when they see my 3 year-old swimming underwater so easily and zipping across the pool on her back. My reaction is always " KFSS and Mr. Freddy are the best!" read more