Goldfish swim school worth the $$$ ?

[Anonymous]

We tried every other kind of swim class - rec centers, private, summer pool, private country club....all complete fails. Goldfish got my kid swimming and he didn't even complain about going. They had a system that worked, they knew how to deal with kids so they weren't afraid and were having fun, and they kept them moving level to level at a regular pace. We went until my son was about 8 or 9 - he wasn't at the highest level, but he was close - then we joined the neighborhood swim team and, to my surprise, Goldfish had prepared him well enough that he was a decent competitive swimmer.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and I want to add to my post above about Goldfish - some of the things there that aren't the swimming class also made it superior to other places - for one, parents have a viewing area where you can watch the whole pool from a good vantage point, and the changing room area has been perfectly designed for dealing with wet little kids. They have private changing rooms and lots of them, so as soon as your kids comes out you go straight into one of the little rooms (with room for both of you) - and they are CLEAN - and the whole changing process is so much better than in a regular lockerroom. They even have a big blow dryer station.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a better experience at Big Blue (formerly Tom Dolan Swim School).

This.

What about it did you like better?

I think Goldfish is fine for true beginners. But once the kids are actually moving into freestyle, the quality of instruction drops off. Not to mention the silly parent comment portion at the end of every lesson, which was pointless and shortened the lesson by at least 5 minutes (maybe they stopped doing that during Covid, we were gone by then). TDSS/Big Blue seems to train and retain actual swim instructors, including club swimming coaches (I personally know 2 who coach 8U for club teams). Also, the “feel” of TDSS is less babyish, so older kids will be comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a better experience at Big Blue (formerly Tom Dolan Swim School).

This.

What about it did you like better?

I think Goldfish is fine for true beginners. But once the kids are actually moving into freestyle, the quality of instruction drops off. Not to mention the silly parent comment portion at the end of every lesson, which was pointless and shortened the lesson by at least 5 minutes (maybe they stopped doing that during Covid, we were gone by then). TDSS/Big Blue seems to train and retain actual swim instructors, including club swimming coaches (I personally know 2 who coach 8U for club teams). Also, the “feel” of TDSS is less babyish, so older kids will be comfortable.

I don't have experience with Big Blue/TDSS (but am going to look into a free trial) but I completely agree with this about Goldfish. They are great for getting kids comfortable in the water and helping them discover that swimming can be fun. Which is important. Pre-Covid the family swim was great for having fun in the pool and getting in some extra swim time. But they are not great once your kid needs to learn actual swimming technique. It's a revolving door of HS/college aged kids who may or may not have much involvement with the sport of swimming. They are just bubbly and like kids. As a former swimmer it is frustrating to see them completely fail to give really obvious tips. My older child had a good experience at Goldfish when it was brand new. The people teaching the classes were people who now work there full time as managers etc. But I have seen the change and am not as happy with it for my younger child. My younger one has hit the point where they are totally comfortable in the pool and need to start learning some technique. I am not seeing any progression and the parent feedback is the same meaningless stuff every week. It is pointless to end 5 min early for it. I want to try Big Blue and observe their approach. We will probably make the switch.

[Anonymous]

Late in responding but thought this might help others:

We love Goldfish. Our 6 y/o is on the spectrum, has major issues with water temperature and moderate gross/fine motor challenges. Goldfish was the only place where my 6 y/o would even get in the pool and attempt to complete a lesson, mostly b/c the temperature, nice instructors, short class times and pool depth. Fast forward 18 months he is still in the newer swimmer classes b/c he struggles to perfect certain strokes b/c of his motor challenges but he loves the water and free style swim and tread water for almost two minutes. Most importantly, he is water safe and he’s happy.

Hope this helps someone!

[Anonymous]

Thank you, for latest post... my child is also 6, on the spectrum and afraid to give up his floaty. Rec center classes haven't gotten him very far and water has been too cold. Will try Goldfish!

[Anonymous]

It is ridiculously easy to teach kids to swim as long as you are consistent and frequently go to pool. Parents are just too lazy to get in the water

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is ridiculously easy to teach kids to swim as long as you are consistent and frequently go to pool. Parents are just too lazy to get in the water

Maybe your kids, not all kids. Stop generalizing a-hole.

[Anonymous]

The most frustrating thing about Goldfish is the teacher turnover. My 2 year old had an amazing teacher he loved, who got him to be comfortable going underwater and swimming with his face in. And then she left, and it's been a revolving door of teachers since. Just for one class! And now It's like starting from scratch each time. He refuses to go underwater until a few classes in with each new teacher. lots of kids might not mind but my kid needs to know and trust his teacher.

Otherwise it's great.

But next summer I'm going to hire someone at our local pool for private lessons just to guarantee consistency.

[Anonymous]

How much does Goldfish run?

[Anonymous]

Another +1 for goldfish for youngest swimmers and then Big Blue. Our 5&7 year olds still are at BB and have made significant progress though biggest jumps are when i can swing multiple lessons in a week.

[Anonymous]

It it normal to have frequent cancellations due to throw up in the pool? We've only been enrolled for a couple months and have shown up three separate times, sat and waited, and then right before our time started it was announced that a kid had thrown up in the pool and all lanes were closed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It it normal to have frequent cancellations due to throw up in the pool? We've only been enrolled for a couple months and have shown up three separate times, sat and waited, and then right before our time started it was announced that a kid had thrown up in the pool and all lanes were closed.

We have never had this happen in over a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It it normal to have frequent cancellations due to throw up in the pool? We've only been enrolled for a couple months and have shown up three separate times, sat and waited, and then right before our time started it was announced that a kid had thrown up in the pool and all lanes were closed.

We had it happen once in 8 months

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a better experience at Big Blue (formerly Tom Dolan Swim School).

This.

What about it did you like better?

I think Goldfish is fine for true beginners. But once the kids are actually moving into freestyle, the quality of instruction drops off. Not to mention the silly parent comment portion at the end of every lesson, which was pointless and shortened the lesson by at least 5 minutes (maybe they stopped doing that during Covid, we were gone by then). TDSS/Big Blue seems to train and retain actual swim instructors, including club swimming coaches (I personally know 2 who coach 8U for club teams). Also, the “feel” of TDSS is less babyish, so older kids will be comfortable.

I don't have experience with Big Blue/TDSS (but am going to look into a free trial) but I completely agree with this about Goldfish. They are great for getting kids comfortable in the water and helping them discover that swimming can be fun. Which is important. Pre-Covid the family swim was great for having fun in the pool and getting in some extra swim time. But they are not great once your kid needs to learn actual swimming technique. It's a revolving door of HS/college aged kids who may or may not have much involvement with the sport of swimming. They are just bubbly and like kids. As a former swimmer it is frustrating to see them completely fail to give really obvious tips. My older child had a good experience at Goldfish when it was brand new. The people teaching the classes were people who now work there full time as managers etc. But I have seen the change and am not as happy with it for my younger child. My younger one has hit the point where they are totally comfortable in the pool and need to start learning some technique. I am not seeing any progression and the parent feedback is the same meaningless stuff every week. It is pointless to end 5 min early for it. I want to try Big Blue and observe their approach. We will probably make the switch.

Maybe things are better now but during covid and a little after I felt the same about big blue (also a former swimmer). I know another poster had a different experience but just don’t get your expectations too high. The two things we’ve been really happy with are WeAquatics and individual lessons with a neighborhood college student who is a competitive swimmer.