Goldfish Swim School - Okemos

★★★★★jenny derry

Absolutely love Goldfish swim school! If it weren't for coach/manager Jackie, my son would not have continued his lessons. He was scared and she made him feel comfortable and made his experience fun and exciting. Now he is always excited to come and talks about coach Jackie all the time. I also am loving the changes she has made in the last few months. The childrens play area and coloring station is an amazing addition. The pool deck is much more organized with the racks on the wall and the addition of new coachs willing to learn by shadowing coach Jackie is great! Overall love our experience with Gold Fish and love manager Jackie!!!!

★★★★★Samantha Sprague

“I can’t say enough great things about Goldfish Swim School! The instructors are incredibly patient, kind, and truly amazing with the kids. They create such a fun and encouraging environment that makes learning to swim something my child actually looks forward to. You can tell they genuinely care and take the time to work with each swimmer at their own pace. The family swim sessions are also fantastic—they give us a chance to see the progress in action and spend quality time together in the water. Highly recommend to any parent looking for a positive and supportive swim experience!”

★★★★★Paul Troutman

We have had a wonderful experience here in the past few weeks for our toddler daughter. The pool room is so nice and warm as is the pool water. The facility is always so clean and comfortable. The teachers have been so helpful and kind. The only small negative, when we went on a Sunday morning for a toddler class (one time), the facility was so insanely busy (one might say overly busy), but we get it as most folks can only do classes on the weekends. Just a heads up for folks is all, if you don’t want to have to wait for a changing room and have no room to sit in the waiting area, highly recommend doing classes on a weekday.

★★★★★Jen K

We started going to Goldfish when my little swimmer was 4 years old. She started a little nervous and with absolutely no swimming experience. Four years later my 8 year just graduated the program and I can't even express how much of an influence Goldfish has been in her life. First off, the lessons have not just taught her certain strokes and floats, but they have instilled in her a familiarity with the water and swimming that makes her a safe swimmer wherever she goes. She is confident in the water because she knows how to keep herself safe. From the first lessons of showing her how to get out of the pool to learning how to roll and float to treading water to butterfly stroke, each step helped her on her journey to becoming a safe swimmer. Spending four years in the pool with other kids and teachers has helped her be aware of what is going on while in the water, even when things are chaotic! Secondly, the social interaction between her and her fellow students and her and her teachers has been almost as huge for her as the actual lessons! She has grown up around a team of instructors who LOVE kids and who pepper each interaction with kids in and out of the pool with that love. They learn the names of the kids and ask them how they are doing and what plans they have for the week and engage with them on an individual level. It seems so small, but that kind of interaction with adults is so important for development. I was able to watch my kid flourish as she developed relationships with her instructors. It was a treat when she had the same group of kids in her swim class for several lessons in a row, but more often than not it was a rotating group of kids. This helped her learn how to communicate with all sorts of kids, making friends on the fly. Thirdly, attending swim class gave an opportunity for independence. From little things like putting her shoes in a cubby to finding her lane and gathering her fins, each swim class gave my kid a chance to be independent in a safe environment. The teachers would give instructions and let the kids go, trusting that they would listen (and being there in case they needed help). Age-appropriate independence is such a huge skill for kids to learn and it was awe-inspiring to watch the team at Goldfish foster that independence with kids each week. I can't recommend enough the benefits of swim classes at Goldfish. If you'd like to just try a lesson or if you want to go all the way to graduation, it's definitely going to have positive outcomes for your little swimmer. And it's great for grown-ups as well! I've become friends with other parents and guardians as we sit and watch our kids, sharing tips and frustrations and helping to encourage one another through the nerves of watching your kid learn to swim. We are going to miss our weekly lessons, our friends and most importantly...the hugs! But we will always be grateful for the lessons we have learned at Goldfish, both in and out of the pool.

★★★★★Alexis Anderson

We’ve been going to Goldfish Okemos since my son was just 4 months old — he’s now 4½, and we’ve loved every moment of it! The staff is always so welcoming and genuinely excited to see our family. They teach with patience and encouragement, helping my son grow into a confident swimmer. As a parent, it gives me so much peace of mind knowing he has strong water safety skills for all our adventures outside of swim lessons. Staying consistent over the years has been so worth it!