KIDS FIRST Swim School - Perry Hall

★Roofer Life Lester Dreisbach

We started lessons in March 2025, and at first this program was genuinely great. Our son progressed to Level 4, which is exactly why what happened next is so unacceptable. During a lesson, our 8-year-old asked the instructor if he could jump in. The instructor said yes, then immediately said “I’m not watching you,” and turned her back while my child was at the deep end. Our son jumped and hit his chest on the edge of the pool. He could barely breathe and was crying. The instructor was occupied with another child at the shallow end while our son was in distress at the deep end. There were only two kids in the lesson—this was not a chaotic class with a dozen children. My wife sprung out of her chair, ran over, and pulled him out of the pool herself. When she told the instructor, “He just jumped into the edge,” she laughed and said, “Yeah, I know.” That response is the part we can’t get past. If you know a child hit the pool edge and is struggling to breathe, you don’t laugh. And you don’t allow a deep-end jump while openly stating you aren’t watching. We enrolled to build water confidence and safety. We left with the opposite: my son is now afraid of pools, and as a parents we are sick thinking about how easily that impact could have been his head instead of his chest. To make it worse, we were promised a refund on December 9, 2025, and as of 12/29/25 we still have not received it. This is not “a bad day” or “a misunderstanding.” This is a basic supervision failure in a setting where failure can be catastrophic. I cannot recommend this business to any parent.

★Maria Dreisbach

The best and then turned into the worst. It started off so great in March of 2025....got to level 4. However, The final straw was when my son asked the instructor if he could jump in she said yes but im not watching you, she turned hia back to him and My son jumped in and jumped toward the edge and his chest hit off of the edge of the pool. He could barely breath and was crying and she was off with another kid (she only had 2 kids to pay attention too) in the shallow end while he was in the deep end. I flew out of my chair and ran and grabbed him out and said "he just jumped into the edge" and she laughed and said "yea I know". So needless to say my 8 year old is afraid of pools now. The practices are wreckless and irresponsible. If that was his head.... it would have been so incredibly worse. They also promised me and my husband a refund..... that was on December 9th, 2025 and we have yet to receive it

★★★★★Charles Brown

This swim school continues to be an incredible pillar within our community. Despite the recent changes in staffing, I am impressed by the staff's professionalism, their relationships with families, and commitment to ensuring a safe environment. Lastly, I am excited by the new manager, as she has been attentive and makes us feel welcomed (sorry, I can't recall her name at the moment).

★★★★★Rashida

Kayla was absolutely amazing with my 5-year-old girls! She was patient, kind, and took her time to make sure they felt comfortable in the water. Her gentle and encouraging approach made the lesson fun and engaging. Most importantly, Kayla always prioritized water safety, which gave me peace of mind. My girls had a fantastic time and are already excited for their next class. Highly recommend Kayla for anyone looking for a caring and professional swim instructor!

★★Grace Bryant

Our experience here last summer started out fine. By January 2025, things started going downhill. The instructors weren’t consistent, no one ever answered the phone, and people weren’t friendly. My daughter stayed in level 3 for months and months and then I got told that she’d do better in a private lesson. Um, no, she’d do better with more consistent and better instruction. I put in 30 days notice and immediately withdrew her when the month was up. I plan to enroll my daughter in a different swim school. Don’t send your kids to Kids First unless you want to deal with nothing but hassle.