We absolutely love little dolphin. My son is thriving in their classes. I see a lot of negative comments from years ago but question those. The rules are the rules. If I'm not a fan of one of the instructors I move to another class. Turn over isn't bad but is expected here or anywhere else due to instructor ages. They eventually move on to college and other jobs in their profession. Def recommend. Always warm and nice to my family and my son read more

Great coaches with a great clean facility. My kids love going here and I can't imagine a better location. read more

Little Dolphins Swim Academy - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

We have been taking our son here for over a year. Very nice place. Clean and staff is super friendly. He learned to swim fully on his own and truly enjoyed the experience. Definitely recommend taking your kids here! read more

I have been offering reviews on Google for many years. I don't take them lightly and remain as honest as possible. I've recommended many people to this school because it has been the only school my 4th child has been to. She hasn't learned much, however, she likes it. My older 3 attended Rutgers and YMCA and this was definitely a downgrade. It is small and the children running it tend to be rude. We have stayed because the owner himself - personally - begged me to stay during COVID. Saying that me staying meant a lot of small businesses like his. I stayed because i believed in his sincerity. Now, that things are up and running, it's a different story. I change my daughter from Tuesday to Saturday class - in November there are 5 Tuesday classes and 4 Saturday ones. Coach Taylor gladly offered that my daughter get an extra token for a make up class which we will be taking. Now my daughter is sick, we spend 1 day in the ER with fever, pain and other things. I emailed them the ER paperwork and asked today a sick make up. They REFUSED - stating it's against policy and that I was asking for different treatment. I asked numerous times for them to change their mind. Mr. Warner now has the numbers and funds once again in his school. He doesn't need us. We are fine leaving. But if you plan to attend this school, pay attention to the continuous changing of instructors and lack of staff retention. Mr. Warner, please make another nice excuse here for the Public. I see in all of your negative reviews ZERO accountability. I pray that COVID doesn't ever happen again and that you have don't have to beg and lick your wounds (pockets) again. I have the middle emails for anyone's request if needed. read more

Little Dolphins Swim Academy - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

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Instead of being a business that I could recommend to all my friends and family, it sadly is not. 2 daughters WERE enrolled here, and we WERE going to come back after my wife (8 months preg) gives birth, but we WON'T because of how we were treated by Coach Kim & front desk woman who doesn't even ever lift her head up to greet you ever. The GOOD: Everyone in the pool area - Coach Abby and other instructors - pleasant and top notch. My girls enjoyed the pool with them, were able to make them comfortable with putting their heads in the water. Began terrified to do so 3 months ago. Huge PLUS being a twin parent, getting names right. Very much appreciated! Only knock on the class itself is that it is too small for 5-6 toddlers and parents to do instructions in that little lane. Expand that session to include 2 lanes and a max of 7-8 kids to give them the proper room to do the drills. Might reduce margin, but it would definitely make the experience feel worthwhile. The BAD: Coach KIM & Front Desk Woman - unprofessional, rude and incompetent interactions with both of them in the context of how they talk to you and "attempt" to explain things Background: Toddler & Me classes were cancelling in May because of 3rd baby. To be proactive, every Monday, I walked up to the front desk woman after class and asked if I can re-schedule our last class (Memorial Day) Monday. In My Opinion, an understandable request. May 1st and May 8th: Front Desk woman tells me she can only schedule a week ahead at a time and I would need to wait until later on in the month so she can see the openings. Hence, I obliged and patiently waited since both Mondays she said she saw no openings. May 15th: Followed up with her again. She tells me now that I can login to the website and see the availability for the classes that they could use to make it up. Again, I say thank you and patiently look online all week to see NO OPENINGS. May 23rd (yesterday's class): I tell my wife that I am getting nowhere with the front desk person. I ask her if she could see what we can do while I am in the class with the girls. Once the class is finished she tells me about one of the most unprofessional, power-tripping experiences with Coach Kim that I have heard of in a long time. In fact, it's comical to me that people still get power trips like this and realize you are here to service your customers. Longer story short - My wife is calmly inquiring with the front desk woman. This woman is basically regurgitating what she said to me to my wife. "Login to the website and sign up for an open class." My wife explains to her that her husband has been trying and there's nothing open. So in the middle of the conversation, Coach Kim decides to burst out of her office all beat red, and rise her voice at my wife saying, "If I do this for you, then I have to do this for everyone else." NEWSFLASH COACH KIM - You are in customer-oriented business. Creating positive customer experiences SHOULD be at the top of your job description. As I digress, she doubles down and tells my wife her options. She says that there is a session on Tuesday with 1 slot and 1 on Sunday. I HAVE TWINS! How is that going to work? She knew it wasn't a real solution. She absolutely could care less. The logical solution my wife asked for was to just take one more class on June 5th. But that set COACH KIM off. "No way she can do that because it is a new billing cycle." YOU ABSOLUTELY COULD IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS but you would rather exude what little power you have to show me "WHO'S BOSS!" Her last comment to my wife, "I am done talking about this, I gave you the options." I asked for Coach Chuck's direct contact info and they just gave me a generic email address. Hopefully, it is Coach Chuck reading this, and you can use this as a training tool for your front-office crew. Instead getting to see Coach Abby for their last class, which they loved her, we are told we are done on this technicality. Definitely not-enrolling them when they had back to swimming class here. read more

The pool is extremely small. The facility in general was not clean or organized. The changing room conditions were poor. Be aware that you will be charged for a make up class, even if the student does not attend the make up class and you give enough notice, you still will be charged. The instructors seemed to be fine. read more

The owner told me today is my son's last lesson because I walked into the swim deck with shoes on. I told him I was removing my shoes, and I did, but he insisted I was walking down the pool deck with them on. I pointed out the parents on the other side of the pool with shoes and he said h It's bc they entered through a different door to drop of and pick up their children. I pointed out and said they are sitting there and if he's telling me to remove my shoes, which I did, he should tell the other parents on the other side of the pool (many whom entered a door clearly labeled "do not enter"). The owner informed that today would be my son's last lesson and my account would be credited with this month's tuition and my security deposit. I have no problem following rules, and promptly removed my shoes, I just don't appreciate being singled out. I believe the owner was completely unprofessional, but it is his prerogative to allow who he wants at his business. It's a shame because my son loved the instructors and looked forward to lessons. It's a shame the owner needs to learn some business acumen. read more

Strictly not recommended, our family were treated with offensive and insensitive comments by their owner - Coach Warner. My 5 year daughter's registration was cancelled because we had the guts to question their unfair treatment. If you want to save your family from a discriminatory experience that would result in severe mental agony stay away from this swim academy. Its a shame on Bound Brook that this place resides there. read more

First, you can barely get a registration because their classes are so small you'll end up on a waitlist forever. Second, they have a very young staff who aren't really friendly. Third, diversity is lacking in staff and clientele. Fourth, they do not have showers in their bathroom. The bathroom is tiny and has ants. Fifth, they charged me twice one month and when I complained to the CC company they cancelled my registration via text/email and tried to pass on a the cc fee to me. Overall if you're looking for another facility for your child you can find other places in the area. -TAH read more

Stay away from this Little Dolphins Swim Academy. The Staff and management do unethical business and charge not only incorrect amounts through auto payments. Very unclean and your child will get disease swimming in these pools. Not sure how they got even a license to operate a kids swimming pools where they bring in infants and small kids. Watch out..STAY AWAY from this Unclean messy place. read more

Been bringing my grandkids for about 2 months First of all the classes started right on time The instructor was friendly and was great with the kids. The instructor was patient and understood exactly the level the children were at The kids felt comfortable and were not afraid I fully recommend Little Dolphins read more

I would absolutely not recommend this swim school for multiple reasons. First, the baby class that we originally were in for most sessions was basically pointless. The teacher would sing a song and then throws toys into the lane and that was pretty much it for 30 minutes. We changed to a different time and the teacher was a lot more attentive and actually taught skills but I was so annoyed that we had so many sessions before this that were in no way as productive. To add, the parents were allowed to come in and watch on one side of the pool, but the baby lane was furthest from that side, which left nowhere for the second parent to sit and actually see their child. Furthermore, the cancellation policy is worded extremely terribly. On the website it states "To stop being charged for the next month, use your deposit for your last month. Please submit your cancellation form by the 25th of the previous month." We wanted to cancel for August so assumed that the time of cancellation would be before July 25th (the previous month) Apparently this is not the case and we needed to cancel by June 25th. This still makes absolutely no sense to me and needs to be worded differently. Overall, we did not have a good experience with this swim academy and will not be referring anyone here for lessons. read more

My son didn't learn any new skills beyond what we taught him. Teachers kept leaving and felt like every class was a different teacher. I broke my leg and husband was away for military and we missed a few classes. Instead of being understanding we instead got looks and snarky remarks. When I left a review saying these things, but instead of improving the curriculum and offering private instruction they told us to leave and refunded tuition. Very unprofessional. Facilities are very nice and clean. They should have handled the situation a lot better. Zero effort on keeping students. Adding the back and forth behind the scenes. Annie D. Somerset, NJ A.J. We're very sad to see your reviews about LDSA six months or more after you spent a brief time with us. We are interested in a joyous experience in helping children and adults learn swimming safety and proficiency. Since you made it clear to me we had nothing to offer you, we refunded your money and said goodbye. We feel good about that decision then and even more so after seeing your rare negative reviews on the internet. We hope that your family and life is well and joy comes your way in everything you do. We aren't perfect. But we are thrilled at the families that we've been able to help and the huge growth in our enrollment over the last few years. Coach Warner My response: A J. New Brunswick, NJ How exactly did I make that clear to you? I didn't even get a say before you just wrote to me and gave me a refund automatically. Did you have a conversation with me? Did you ever take the time to ASK what could be done to make it a better experience for everyone around? Did you ever speak to the staff about the snide remarks? No. None of that was done so yes it is upsetting and unprofessional. I am also thrilled that my son's skills has grown exponentially since leaving the school. read more

Extremely busy pool; small changing rooms; not particularly clean. I will not be returning with my child.

We LOVE LOVE it here!! My children ages 7 and 4 learned to swim here...... They started a year ago, as we enrolled them in programs to learn, from a safety perspective! They quickly learned to swim, with the expert coaching and techniques from the entire staff, and have continued to expand their swimming skills by advancing to other levels. My son is very hesitant at trying anything new, and he was so comfortable and at ease at this location! The teacher/coach to student ratio for their age group was never more than 4:1, and in many cases, mostly 3:1. The techniques and discipline they use is amazing, and also fun and encouraging for the children! We HIGHLY recommend Little Dolphins swim academy! BTW - the location is brand new, so clean, and inviting! read more

My son loves this place which makes me happy because I can see how much he is learning with coach Tyson read more

Just celebrated our son's 9th Birthday here!! The kids had a blast! It was super affordable and everyone left with smiles from ear to ear. Coach Lisa and the team were very interactive with the kids and had so many cool games to play- their staff is amazing! A must due for any little pool lover in your home. We recommend to everyone, they won't disappoint! read more

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Excellent all around. Staff is super friendly and professional. It's our 2nd day and we are very happy with our lesson! Facility is very clean, excellent COVID precautions. So happy we found this place! read more

We are really enjoying Little Dolphins. It is located in a convenient location, the pool and changing areas are kept warm at all times, the staff are so helpful and friendly. After only one class, I saw a huge difference with my 13 month old daughter who went from screaming and crying to tolerating floating on her back (with some resistance) but no crying and screaming! We are very grateful for this program. read more

Love the facility and love the way the instructors are.....The one thing I would consider no good is the pool size. I currently have my child unenrolled due moving home but he improve a lot. I didn't write review earlier but I might consider enrolling my child again one day. The prices are cheap as well. Tip: I would like to see is more tolerance towards other cultures and religions, my friend asked for vacation form for Ramadan and it denied. Also MLK day is holiday, It's the only swim school I now that it open that day. Other cultures have important days too....... (Edit: this place is amazing, take your children here, they learn to swim even with all the cons, you kid can be olympic) read more

I enrolled my baby and we never made it to our first lesson. I kindly sent an email to clarify the times since everything was a waitlist and not enough slots nor coaches. Coach Beth was extremely rude when I asked for some simple information. Wouldn't wanted my son around a coach like that! Definitely do not recommend and am taking him to a different swim school. read more

I love little dolphin swim academy. My daughter has been there since she was one and she loves it (she is 4 now). My son is special needs and gave it a try. They were more than accommodating to him and his needs, but he just didn't want to do it and they were so understanding. read more

IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE TEACHER! no disrespect to the group of teachers there BUT if you've had a bad experience with one teacher believe me there are others that are absolutely fantastic!!!!!! My daughter literally hated all things water and she was only a few weeks shy of her third birthday. I was worried that she was only going to become worse if we didn't find someone to help us, especially since we'd been trying for well over a year on and off, with different people, different places. Literally changed instructors at LDSA at by day one she willingly accepted water in her face AND dunked her face underwater happily with the instructor. The difference? Taking the time to build trust with her, making prolonged eye contact in a happy and fun way. They are best friends now and I couldn't be more happy as I watch my daughters hatred for water fade away into her past! Again, find the right teacher there and you will find GOLD. read more

My 9 year old daughter took advanced beginner 2 from Jan-May and is now on a summer swim team for the first time ever and got first place in backstroke, second in breaststroke and third in freestyle beating out kids who have been swimming for awhile. Her coaches are impressed with her technique esp breaststroke and butterfly which she learned at Little Dolphins!!! read more

I love this swim facility. I enrolled my daughter almost a year ago and she has learned so much in such little time. The coaches are so friendly and helpful, and the facility is so clean. Coach Allison is AMAZING and so sweet! My daughter cried/screamed on her very first day and she handled her so nicely... she loves swimming since then! read more

Our family has had a positive experience at Little Dolphin Swim Academy. The facilities are great, as is the faculty. We started with mommy & me classes and progressed nicely, from age 3-5. Instructors were so wonderful and extremely patient with the kids. They do their best to keep instructors consistent and professionally acknowledge if there is going to be any disruption, and are able to stabilize any instructor changes in a reasonable amount of time. I like that classes are not session based so the kids can stay in their appropriate level class until they acquire all the skills to move up. Love how warm the pool area is. Parking can get challenging if your class is during a busy weeknight, spaces in front of the building get taken up quickly but there is street parking, sometimes easier than stalking a space in front. You also just figure out timing once you've been there for awhile in order to secure a coveted spot. Just something to note but no reason to stay away. We moved and our commute + schedules made it difficult for us to continue classes here, sad to leave but they have set the bar high! read more

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. a hidden gem with great rates! All 3 of my kids take lessons here and my little one is having her birthday here in December! It brand new, indoors, heated pool. classes are kept small so the kids get more attention. read more