I can only speak to the stage 1 and 2 water acclimation classes. There is no difference between the two classes and little to no skills are taught. I’d recommend them to parents just wanting supervised time in the pool with their little ones but not for actually learning to swim or being comfortable in the water. I’ve also taken a look at the expectations for stage 3 and I can’t see how little ones would be able to attend those classes without having learned the basics through another program (stage 1 and 2 classes do nothing include practicing how to go underwater nor floating independently). Overall I’ve been disappointed with how much time (roughly 2/3rds) is just left to the parents to create their own exercises to help their little ones master the skills they need to be comfortable in the water and prepare to learn how to properly swim.

The instructors are very encouraging and do so well with the babies - infants.

smaller batch sizes would be great to ensure kids receiev enough attention

The teachers are excellent.

We got a horrible experience from the program!!

Diversified programs teaching skills in various sports to our kids.

The school year swim program at YMCA has really helped my son learn swimming the right way and gave him time to progress from beginner to advance level at his own pace. A special thank you to all the instructors. One suggestion regarding the roster especially in earlier stage of swimming would be to facilitate swimmers to be in the program month over month if they want to rather than registering again for subsequent programs.

Bring down the cost of the programs

My now 2-year old has been going to the 6-months+ class since he

Staff is helpful, friendly and supportive. They offer inn

the private lessons and accomodation to each child.

I like the teacher and the structure of the class, but not everyone in the class is at the right level.

Ease of use. SHY has great people. Coaches are great and so are the people in the Masters Seim program.

All the staff in YMCA’s Aquatics Programs approach every problem with a positive attitude and help us resolve it.”

Trainer Kathy is amazing! Thanks to her dedication and patience my kids learned the proper technique very quickly.

The whole staff has been so helpful in getting my toddlers comfortable in the water, while making instruction so fun. They both ask every day if it’s Saturday and “swim day”! Getting enrolled in a class with a timeframe that is accommodating of the kids corner/nap schedules has been so smooth as well, which was initially a concern of mine. So happy with our decision to pursue swim lessons here, highly recommend.

We have had our 20-month in the swim classes since he was about 10 months old. He did not start well, but the classes and instructor are so good, he started to love the water and the classes. He is almost there with floating on his back, and we think with a couple more classes, he will get there.

Overall the lessons are great. Small groups, good progression of skills. It’s quite a short lesson as is, and often class would end 10 minutes early for the play area. I think it’s important to give them time to play and love they give them time, but maybe not a full 1/3 of the time allotted.

I was shocked the instructors didn’t join the kids in the pool. I would think the kids would get more out of it if the instructors showed them the water movement in the pool instead of outside the pool.

The first swim lessons we did years ago, my son had a female swim instructor who was fantastic. She used little rubber duckies to make it fun, songs, and livened it up during the exercises. She would also appropriately challenge a kid to advance to the next skill level if she thought they were ready. The last 2-3 times we’ve signed up, my son’s had instructors who are very nice but a bit dry for working with kids. Same practice every single week with no enthusiasm, nothing to make the lessons exciting or to really advance the kids. Just very cookie cutter and dry each week. I love the YMCA, their staff, and the fact that it’s 4 mins from home with Kids Korner makes it much more preferable for me since I have 3 kids under 4. But while we enjoy the other classes we enroll in at the Y, the swim lessons have consistently fallen short of enthusiastic and even educational (aside from that first enrollment we did years ago). I keep signing up though because these swim classes are close to home with child care, my son likes to swim, and I see it as exposure to swimming at best.

Teachers are dedicated and skilled at engaging the kids. We have seen excellent progress in the last three years for our (not always attentive) 9 year old.

During 30 min session with 4 kids, effectively 20 mins of training, I observe that each kid gets turn to practice laps only twice in that 20 min period, which is rediculus given amount of time and effort it takes to get the kid to and from swim lesson. Coach, at least in Stage 3, Wed 5:25pm class, is so chilled and takes all the time she needs, she is not effective at all and not interested to even try and get kids do their third go. You should eliminate or reduce that 10 min sprinkle time.

For my 6 years old whose at stage 3 school age swimming lesson on Monday 6:05-6:50, the instructor TJ works with that one kid who has fear of water (how did she manage to be at stage 3 but not other level if she is fear of jumping in the water) and the instructor ignored the rest of the 6 kids who just wait and fool around at the opposite end of the pool. I thought that was a group lesson not a private one and one. Luckily there is another instructor who finished her class and went over and help my kid's class. When we registered for the class, it was cap at 6, how did the class exceed that number? I think my kid swim total of 4 laps during that 45 mins class, is that the norm? I didn't see any teaching of posture or form during the swimming lesson, it's definitely overwhelming to have one instructor with 7 or 8 kids and especially some kids can't even follow instruction.

great facility

Nothing, it's fine, I just don't have a need to recommend the program,.

Professional approach. Great facilities. Good experience so far interacting with staff and coaches.

The teachers are wonderful! There's something for everyone! All ages and all abilities! I highly recommend the classes and private lessons.

Colleen has been a phenomenal instructor. She's incredibly patient and makes sure the kids build the right fundamentals. We really appreciate how she focuses on technique and doesn't rush them, ensuring they're confident before moving forward. Thank you for her dedication

I'm just trying out the master's swim program after 30+ years of swimming at the SHY pools. It's a very welcoming environment for sure!

The class started out great with the teacher giving instructions but after just 2 activities she proceeded to just mingle with different families and then directed us to free play. It was very unstructured and not skills-focused.

The instructor, TJ, is sooo good with the kids. She is very sweet and patient, the technique works for infants to toddlers.

We initially joined the YMCA due to its strong swim team. Our family is disappointed how the club team no longer makes it easy for alumni and college swimmers to come back and train as it has in the previous years. I will still recommend the YMCA and the swim team, but it is just disappointing to see how the team has changed. I know change is necessary at times. In years passed, coaches did everything to keep their college and alumni part of the team and allow them to train, but this is not the case any longer.

Open up the lanes that are not necessary for the aquatic class for swimming

It has built Amalia's confidence in water without being a strict or scary program. (I was terrified of my swim instructors in childhood ) We've had Camryn and Daisy(? Maybe wrong name) for a few sessions now and they have been great at keeping Amalia learning and engaged and wanting to return. In fact, one time she didn't see them in the water and didn't want to go because she thought she'd have new teachers that week! :) We are very happy with our experience at the Y.

More class offerings and more socialization. Introduce parents and kids to form a comfort zone. Otherwise the instructors have been fabulous and the whole program has really improved!!

Teachers are empathetic and the pool is large and warm

We were so happy to be part of the Swim School program at the Y this past school year. The experience was everything we hoped for — the program felt personal and thoughtfully customized to each child's needs, with plenty of qualified teaching staff and even a little extra playtime after lessons, which our daughter absolutely loved. When we first joined, it was a bit challenging to navigate the registration process — it seemed like the program had just reopened post-COVID, and finding the right channel to sign up took some effort. But after about a month of waiting, it all came together beautifully and was 100% worth it. We especially appreciated how the team always had backup staff available, so there were never last-minute cancellations due to staffing issues. In fact, when possible, they'd even bring in extra staff to support the children and adapt to their individual levels. It made a big difference in the learning experience. All in all, the Swim School program gave us such happy memories. We're so grateful for the care and quality they brought to every session.

would prefer small batch size otherwise class is good

Offer more classes! :)

I love how many instructors there are per group. How clean the facilities are. How organized and welcoming all of the staff are. I also really loved how the students got to enjoy afew minutes at the end to just play in the water.

Too much to get it all! - family swim - multiple pools with temperatures for lap swimming and classes

This is so good. They do a great job with the babies/toddlers. So sweet and patient with them. My son didn't quite like the beginning of his first week, but the instructor understood. Things they do distract them from the swimming/water part of things and makes it fun for them. E.G. throwing the toys in the water and having them retrieve them. Fantastic.

Instructor

I am very impressed by the preschool swim program! My son absolutely loves it. It's a 2:1 student/coach ratio and the coaches have been wonderful. And the facility is so exciting for the kids, especially the slides and squirting fish!

I have attended two sessions to date. We have worked with two different swimming instructors (one instructor per session), both of whom are very pleasant and eager to help. However, the instructor is responsible for teaching seven individuals. During yesterday's session, I went about 20 to 25 minutes without receiving any instruction or feedback. To ensure effective learning, there should be at least two instructors for a group of this size.

I disappointed that I am not able to register my kids for classes. They fill up quickly. But this was not told when we were making membership and registering. Now, we pay for membership, but not able to register for classes, which was our main goal (swim lessons). It is frustrating.

Excellent instructors. Granddaughter (8yo) has made very good progress

For a 30 min lesson my daughter maybe swam for 5 mins. She just sat on the edge until it was her turn for a 30 second “swim". I'm not sure how she will actually learn to swim with groups of 4 with 1 teacher and getting so little actual swim time.

Coach Robbie is very kind, patient and friendly

We have had positive experiences with all the instructors. We love how patient Marge is with the children.