After friends highly recommended this school, I figured we'd give it a try with my 2.5 year old son. My son loves the water, but our goal was for him to be comfortable swimming by himself before the summer.
First impression- wow, these people really are about the money. First phone call wanted a credit card up front and were going to charge the whole month. Apparently, they don't offer any makeup classes-- no matter the circumstance.
First class- I was SO excited, probably more excited than my son for him to start private swimming. It was expensive, so I was really looking for him to get a lot out of it. We parked on the main street, walked up with my toddler (and my newborn) in tow and walked through the back gate (maybe that was the right entrance?) to nobody there to greet us or show us around. I was really caught off guard by the lack of customer service. I had paperwork to fill out, a kid to change, and class was starting in 15 minutes. A kind mother who had a child in class showed me around and showed us where to change. It wasn't until he was completely changed that someone walked in with paperwork for me to fill out. I signed everything super fast so that we wouldn't cut into precious class time. We then waited for class to start.
Josh, my son's teacher, didn't even get out of the pool to introduce himself or explain what was going to happen in class. This was our first class, I was expecting a lot more! Something like "Hey Miles, I'm Josh. Are you ready to learn how to swim?!" Some excitement. Any excitement. Instead, he called my son's name, he got in the water, and I watched from a distance. My son really enjoyed being in the water. He did GREAT! But Josh is not a very exciting or kid-friendly instructor. He looked bored, annoyed, and was monotone (which is not what I'd expect from someone working with kids). He also dunked Miles in the water without warning....a lot. He'd be swimming through the water (being held) one second and then underwater choking on water the next. I'd think something like "okay, now we're going underwater, hold your breath! one two three." would have been more appropriate than catching my son off-guard. My son knows how to hold his breath and doesn't mind going underwater, but the poor kid had no idea when it was going to happen and at the end of class had red eyes and a pathetic look on his face after chugging so much pool water.
Anyway, I thought maybe that's the way to teach him? Idk, but it didn't feel right. The first and second classes went just like that. The third class, I noticed my son being clingy prior to class starting. I assumed he was getting sick since I know my kid and can read his cues. As soon as Josh called his name, screaming tears. He did NOT want to swim. He got in anyway and stared at me the whole time. Saying "I want to see Mommy" multiple times. I noticed his voice was sounding hoarse and told Josh I was going to get his water. Josh said "that's not going to help. He's just working you". I got him water anyway. Josh made other rude comments like "This happens. Swimming is hard and kids don't like things that are hard." Hmm, that's funny because my child loves swimming and takes direction very well. The kid is sick. I took him out of class because he was clearly miserable and Josh made faces and comments like "He's just going to do it again if you give in." UGH! I don't think Josh has kids of his own, because a parent would understand that sometimes kids don't feel well or just aren't up for it.
We left. I was pretty upset with the whole situation. And wouldn't you know my kid, in fact, was sick... he wasn't just being a brat.
We didn't go to the last class. And will not be back. read more