It was worth every penny and then some.

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?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP but what age does goldfish go up to? Would my 8 year old be too old?

,

We’ve done both gold fish and kids first. I recommend kids first for an older kid. Gold fish tends to have more younger kids 5 and under and seems to cater more to beginners. One of the things I didn’t like about gold fish is they partition the pool into very small areas and it’s not very wide (this is the rockville location so not sure if other locations are the same). We joined when DS6 could already thread water and swim but still needed to work on arm, leg coordination and technique. The swimming area for his group was so small that by the time he took 4/5 strokes he had reached the other side but did not give him enough space/time to practice and correct his stroke. The kids first pool was much bigger and better depending on the swim level.

NP but we hated Kids First (this was the Falls Church location which has since closed). The classes were not divided at all - Goldfish has vertical lines for their classes, but Kids First didn't divide the class areas at all, so there were just several groups of kids in pool at the same time and your kid had to keep track of where there teacher was (looking from the sidelines, half the time, I couldn't figure out where my kids were). On top of that, we witnessed a child almost drown at a birthday party there because the life guard was talking to her friend at the other end of the pool. We switched to Goldfish the next week and never regretted it. My kids made so much progress much more quickly!!

DP- we did a parent/child class at Kids First and the place just always seemed so chaotic.

Someone had recommended British Swim School to us but after an initial ok start it went downhill, terrible management, frequent cancellations. And I agree with a PP that my kid didn't really learn all that much in the months we were there beyond floating on his back. Goldfish has been better.

We've been to the county rec and YMCA pre-pandemic but when we wanted to return in the early spring, Goldfish was about the only place open and had availability. It is expensive but DS seems to be making progress and likes it. Hoping to get him to a point where he can join pre-team at the community pool next summer. Holding off sending our toddler there for now although I suspect we will end up there eventually because she hates cold water and the county pools are always frezing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP but what age does goldfish go up to? Would my 8 year old be too old?

,

We’ve done both gold fish and kids first. I recommend kids first for an older kid. Gold fish tends to have more younger kids 5 and under and seems to cater more to beginners. One of the things I didn’t like about gold fish is they partition the pool into very small areas and it’s not very wide (this is the rockville location so not sure if other locations are the same). We joined when DS6 could already thread water and swim but still needed to work on arm, leg coordination and technique. The swimming area for his group was so small that by the time he took 4/5 strokes he had reached the other side but did not give him enough space/time to practice and correct his stroke. The kids first pool was much bigger and better depending on the swim level.

NP but we hated Kids First (this was the Falls Church location which has since closed). The classes were not divided at all - Goldfish has vertical lines for their classes, but Kids First didn't divide the class areas at all, so there were just several groups of kids in pool at the same time and your kid had to keep track of where there teacher was (looking from the sidelines, half the time, I couldn't figure out where my kids were). On top of that, we witnessed a child almost drown at a birthday party there because the life guard was talking to her friend at the other end of the pool. We switched to Goldfish the next week and never regretted it. My kids made so much progress much more quickly!!

I have heard nothing but good things about Goldfish from friends who have done it. We are very happy at SwimLabs and are planning to stay there so can’t speak from personal experience. British Swim School was useless even for my kid with no aversion to water. If you can afford it, I’d go with a program with a small number of kids per class and ability to move up quickly (my understanding is Goldfish has those as does our SwimLab. I think making fast progress can be really motivating.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP but what age does goldfish go up to? Would my 8 year old be too old?

,

We’ve done both gold fish and kids first. I recommend kids first for an older kid. Gold fish tends to have more younger kids 5 and under and seems to cater more to beginners. One of the things I didn’t like about gold fish is they partition the pool into very small areas and it’s not very wide (this is the rockville location so not sure if other locations are the same). We joined when DS6 could already thread water and swim but still needed to work on arm, leg coordination and technique. The swimming area for his group was so small that by the time he took 4/5 strokes he had reached the other side but did not give him enough space/time to practice and correct his stroke. The kids first pool was much bigger and better depending on the swim level.

NP but we hated Kids First (this was the Falls Church location which has since closed). The classes were not divided at all - Goldfish has vertical lines for their classes, but Kids First didn't divide the class areas at all, so there were just several groups of kids in pool at the same time and your kid had to keep track of where there teacher was (looking from the sidelines, half the time, I couldn't figure out where my kids were). On top of that, we witnessed a child almost drown at a birthday party there because the life guard was talking to her friend at the other end of the pool. We switched to Goldfish the next week and never regretted it. My kids made so much progress much more quickly!!

Worked for my child after poor experience at an Arlington Camp and a Marymount Camp (water so cold).

At Goldfish, graduating to next level when ready was great. As was the flexibility.

Definitely recommend.

Anonymous wrote:NP but what age does goldfish go up to? Would my 8 year old be too old?

,

We’ve done both gold fish and kids first. I recommend kids first for an older kid. Gold fish tends to have more younger kids 5 and under and seems to cater more to beginners. One of the things I didn’t like about gold fish is they partition the pool into very small areas and it’s not very wide (this is the rockville location so not sure if other locations are the same). We joined when DS6 could already thread water and swim but still needed to work on arm, leg coordination and technique. The swimming area for his group was so small that by the time he took 4/5 strokes he had reached the other side but did not give him enough space/time to practice and correct his stroke. The kids first pool was much bigger and better depending on the swim level.

Anonymous wrote:They seem to be priced higher than other swim places. Has anyone enrolled?

They were great. So focused on individual kid needs.

We have done goldfish but stopped. I think goldfish is good at teaching swimming but my kids usually got in the water only three maybe four times per 30 minute class. At the rec center they just seem to have a better flow and my kids had more in-water time.
I was also not happy at goldfish for Covid reasons. It is extremely extremely crowded both in the pool area in the parent observation area. We think swimming is important so we’re willing to do an indoor activity but it just felt too crowded for no masks so we stopped.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don't need Goldfish swim. But they may need warmer water. Rec centers, athletic clubs, and some Ys often have two pools: a lap pool and a warmer one (old ladies doing water aerobics don't like cold pools either). It may not be quite as warm as Goldfish, but very tolerable to most kids. Plus, some kids just don't care about water temp like you would think they would.

Figure out if your child really cares about the temp. Look for an alternative swim place that offers a warmer pool.

Our gym has a warmer pool and we started going to open swim in May or June. She wouldn't even get off the steps for weeks. Within a couple months, she could swim across the pool with no flotation. She is 4. This is just from water play and open swim, no formal lessons. The most important thing is getting your child into the water and making it fun. Swimming will come naturally.

This has not been my experience at all. My 4 and 6 year old have been regularly going to the pool since they were babies, but as of this summer my 6 year old could just manage to doggy paddle across the pool and my 4 year old couldn’t even really stay afloat without assistance. We finally enrolled them both in goldfish swim about 6 weeks ago and their competence/technique has already improved by leaps and bounds.

Do they have friends that swim? Doing open swim or rec swimming with similar aged friends that can actually swim makes a huge difference and motivates most kids to lose the floaty

Anonymous wrote:NP but what age does goldfish go up to? Would my 8 year old be too old?

It goes up to 12 but skews young. If your 8 year old is starting as a beginner he/she will likely be the oldest in their small group but will probably move up the levels quickly compared to the littler ones.

NP but what age does goldfish go up to? Would my 8 year old be too old?

Anonymous wrote:They don't need Goldfish swim. But they may need warmer water. Rec centers, athletic clubs, and some Ys often have two pools: a lap pool and a warmer one (old ladies doing water aerobics don't like cold pools either). It may not be quite as warm as Goldfish, but very tolerable to most kids. Plus, some kids just don't care about water temp like you would think they would.

Figure out if your child really cares about the temp. Look for an alternative swim place that offers a warmer pool.

Our gym has a warmer pool and we started going to open swim in May or June. She wouldn't even get off the steps for weeks. Within a couple months, she could swim across the pool with no flotation. She is 4. This is just from water play and open swim, no formal lessons. The most important thing is getting your child into the water and making it fun. Swimming will come naturally.

This has not been my experience at all. My 4 and 6 year old have been regularly going to the pool since they were babies, but as of this summer my 6 year old could just manage to doggy paddle across the pool and my 4 year old couldn’t even really stay afloat without assistance. We finally enrolled them both in goldfish swim about 6 weeks ago and their competence/technique has already improved by leaps and bounds.

They don't need Goldfish swim. But they may need warmer water. Rec centers, athletic clubs, and some Ys often have two pools: a lap pool and a warmer one (old ladies doing water aerobics don't like cold pools either). It may not be quite as warm as Goldfish, but very tolerable to most kids. Plus, some kids just don't care about water temp like you would think they would.

Figure out if your child really cares about the temp. Look for an alternative swim place that offers a warmer pool.

Our gym has a warmer pool and we started going to open swim in May or June. She wouldn't even get off the steps for weeks. Within a couple months, she could swim across the pool with no flotation. She is 4. This is just from water play and open swim, no formal lessons. The most important thing is getting your child into the water and making it fun. Swimming will come naturally.