Goldfish Swim School – Birmingham

I am a huge fan of Goldfish/​Birmingham!
Water safety is VERY important to me especially when it comes to children. My daughter has been a Goldfish member since May. We started out in the «kiddie pool» and she made it to the «big kid» pool just before she turned Three. I was so amazed at how well she took to her new male instructor. A pleasant surprise since she always wants female teachers/​doctors. Then she turned Three and we had to bump her up to another level. I tried to keep the same time which meant switching instructors, she was not a fan so I had to switch to a different time to keep the same instructor. I’d rather be inconvenienced with my time than her progress.
All of the instructors are GREAT. The staff IS young, but when dealing with a bunch of little ones, I’d rather have them young and attentive. Very positive and upbeat! Whoever has learned her name ALWAYS says,“Hi,… !” Which is VERY warming and she instantly smiles.
I like that they sell goggles, but was not aware that they had a bunch to borrow if you lost or forgot your personal pair. It might have made me try a few out before buying a particular brand. Kids come in different shapes and sizes… what might work well for her might not work well for your child. If you forget a bathing suit or towel for your child, don’t worry. You can always purchase items from their retail section.
Need a pick me up or just plain thirsty? They sell coffee, soda and water! As well as a few snacks. They’ll have Customer Evaluation Weeks where you can get a free drink for filling out a Comment Card (how cool!).
My daughter enjoys the complimentary balloons. They do give out a lot of Ribbons for achieving random progress in the pool (It reminds me of Meet the Fockers, but I am sure the children like it! I know mine is proud when receiving things like «I know all the drills because of my fantastic listening skills! or whatever the cute rhyme is and it builds up their confidence so I welcome it). I find the wooden box of random little toys to be a little over the top and only allow her to pick one out if it’s a Lesson Day as opposed to Open Swim. Yes, they even have Open Swim around lunch time Monday-​Friday. So pack some snacks for the car ride home or grab some from the Snack Shop!
The décor and Reggae music can be quite inviting and relaxing especially when walking in from the rainy/​colder days.
Both pools ARE VERY WARM! And there’s a restroom off from the showers just in case your child needs a quick potty break! There’s a plethora of flotation devices to help your child along the way… Water barbells, water dumbbells, boogie boards, diving sticks/​rings, flippers, giant ducks and balls for the babies. Foam sheets, foam motorcycle, foam canoe, etc.
There’s a blow dryer station to dry your child’s hair before leaving the Swim School.
They have a Kids Night Out every so often and will do Birthday Parties on the weekends if it’s in your budget!
Cons:
*No locker rooms… Sounds like a mad-​house on the weekends. I recommend bringing a cover up and maybe an extra towel if you’re stuck waiting for a Changing Room.
*The showers are RIGHT next to the pool with a glass wall separating them, but I am getting used to it!
*Not really a fan of the dusty Changing Rooms and I feel like the deck could use a good scrub more often, but I feel a little O.C.D. at times.
*Hope that your kid doesn’t cry or the other student. It will totally change the actually learning time in the pool. If a kid is having a hard time coping, I’ll see another staff member hop in and help the main instructor and that is reassuring and keeps the lesson going.
*30 Day notice for cancelling, smart business, but not favorable if there is a dramatic change in your life.
*No tour, which I don’t mind, but get there early if you’re new!
I can only compare this Swim School to taking lessons at a Rec Center where there was a way higher student to teacher ratio where the instructor did NOT seem as genuine. The water was cold and the price was less. You get what you pay for.
I always recommend Goldfish!

My sons teacher is Joey and he loves it there. I enjoy the get in get out time slot I’ve selected — Very clean place, personable young staff who’s always ready to assist when needed I have no complaints.

We have loved our experience at Goldfish. We started in September and I wasn’t sure how long we’d stick with it, but 9 months later we are so glad that we took our little man for lessons here.
First of all, my son loves his teacher. He’s a great match! He’s funny but also super caring. He is able to read my son’s mood and adjust accordingly. He’s the best!
Watching the progress that he has made had been absolutely amazing. He has gained so much confidence. It is really important to me that he is comfortable in the water and knows safety rules, too. They cover a lot in the 30 minute sessions. I have been so pleased!
And, this is important, too — my son loves swimming now! We went to Florida recently and we couldn’t get him out of the pool.
So, it’s been a success for us. 100%. No complaints here. It is a bit pricier than some other lessons in the area. But honestly, it is worth it. The progress is a lot different from other lessons that I’ve seen.

We took our 16 month old here for about a month before canceling our lessons. The lessons were good, but how the place is run is not, especially for the price. Our first day we weren’t given a tour so didn’t really know where we could sit or when to go in. We were kind of left to our own devices. Our lessons were Sunday’s and they were complete mayhem. The lack of real locker rooms is a huge problem. There is no space to get changed, and you stand dripping wet while waiting. It was crowded crowded crowded. They schedule classes directly after one another so once you jump out, people are immediately jumping in for the next lesson and you feel extremely rushed. Frankly, with such a small kid, it was stressful going here every week.
When we canceled, we told them it was because they seemed overbooked and were too crowded. We were told we could switch to another day and it would be less crowded. Um, excuse me? Last I checked I was paying the same for my lessons as kids whose parents could bring them during the week.
The final cherry on top was an additional charge for $ 20 after we had canceled. We were never told we would be charged again, and we didn’t use the lesson (we were under the impression when we canceled that meant no lessons the next month). It was super shady, and they said they would look into it at their next meeting and get back to me. Never heard from them again and I wasn’t refunded the money. I’ve been telling all of my mom friends to save their money and go elsewhere.

We absolutely LOVE Goldfish swim school. So does our daughter who has been attending since she was 6mo. Our instructor, Ms. Olivia, is THE BEST by a long shot. We have had her for all of our classes since attending and she is so caring, patient, and enthusiastic with her groups compared to others that have filled in for her when she is not able to teach.
I would highly recommend Goldfish to anyone looking to have their child be comfortable and confident in the water. Since our family is around lakes and pools often, we wanted our kids to enjoy going in the water and have good swim and safety habits from the get go.
The only reason I will not give them 5-​stars is the changing/​locker room area is a goat rodeo. Never enough rooms, a major lack of any hooks or shelves inside them to hang items, etc. It just seems like it could be better laid out and thought out overall.
The staff here are all super friendly! Two thumbs up!

The place is a zoo, staff not very helpful or knowledgable. I had a swim instructor as me to pay him cash under the table and after 3 weeks of wanting to speak with the owners… Nothing! Great idea, bad execution. A bunch of kids playing swim games with no real instruction.

After experiencing a series of swim instruction failures, because we moved, through the YMCA and various community education programs, I broke down and finally enrolled my children here.
I have two children who attend weekly, 30-​minute sessions. This is bitter sweet because, as previous Unilocalers noted, the lessons are only 30 minutes and if an instructor late or they have to stop for a «crier» or for whatever reason, the clock continues to tick on your allotted time. They do a fairly good job at maximizing the 30 minutes but it is still 30 minutes a week. You can pick up additional sessions for double the money or pay for Jumpstart or private lessons which run almost $ 400 a month. With two kids, I only catch a $ 5 break on my three year old. Two kids = $ 150 month for 4×30 minute sessions each.
The instructors are all high school kids or early college kids. In fact the whole place is run and managed by people 25 and under. Like a Dairy Queen with a pool. I don’t have a problem with this but like any place some are good and some «have room for improvement.» However, as your child advances to another level, they most likely get a new instructor. Not always, but most likely. So there is a curve for comfort involved with each promotion. There is change involved. We have been attending almost a year and still have not seen the franchisee.
Like other Unilocalers remarked, the place is chaos. Part of it is the parents and the other part is Goldfish. The B’ham location is so busy, they should rename it Goldmine. 30 – 40 kids rotated in and out every half hour on the half hour. It very much resembles the transitional staging areas of a pro triathlon – bedlam! Summers are less crowded than the cold months when local club swim is over but still very crowded. They do let you reschedule without a fee if done in the same month within a week of the missed.
Realizing that this is a franchise, the owner has to follow corporate protocol but things like the gift shop really aren’t necessary. The items are all Goldfish branded and they even sell a small line of toys? Overkill. Let’s keep the eye on the prize here. Simply not necessary. Several times they have had infrastructure issues such as closed bathrooms, pool heater broken and broken showers. Considering this a premium swim program, we should never see these issues. I realize things break but they should fixed immediately. In fairness, the pool is usually a great temperature and the hot water is usually that. One thing I think Goldfish should put more attention on is when a child graduates from the infant/​toddler pool to the «big pool» where a parent is no longer required in the pool. This is huge step in both achievement and confidence. Nope. Nothing. Also, do we need to hand ribbons out for such minor achievements. They get so many and they didn’t even know they were working for them. Therefore, it has little to no meaning to the kids. Also, do we need to receive a toy/​treat after every lesson? Save the little stuff and reduce the costs the lessons or apply it to a something better at the milestones.
We opted for Goldfish instead of Aquatots because the owner of Aquatots opened it strictly as a business investment versus the woman who owns Goldfish in Birmingham who acquired credibility in swim instruction several years prior to owning the franchise. Overall, my wife is happy and so are the kids. It’s growing on me.

At this present time, I have an issue with a duplicate payment (paid cash) and my credit card on file was utilized 15 days later, I am anxiously awaiting for this issue to be resolved and I will follow up with my review.
My grandchildren comes to MI every summer and I had them enrolled for several classes last summer and 2 Jumpstart clinics this summer and I truly am impressed with the services that is provided and my grandchildren love their experience at the Goldfish Swim school in Birmingham, MI. They will be returning to TX in 2 weeks and they will surely share with their friends and classmates their summer experiences and their favorable experience at Goldfish.
I truly hope that this duplicate payment issue is resolved expeditiously by the Franchise Owners (Mr. and Mrs. M_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​) and the money is credited to my account ASAP.
Ms. D. Garnett

I take my 8 month old to Goldfish Swim School and I am very impressed with the classes so far. They really pack a lot of action into a 30 minute class where there’s something for my little guy to do while the teacher helps everyone learn. The classes are very age appropriate & he really enjoys the songs and activities. The teacher is always friendly and engaging as well. The facility itself is very clean & decorated in a way that makes it a very friendly swimming & learning environment. There are changing rooms, hair dryers, showers, a snack bar, little shop for swim suits & waiting room with a variety of toys and even high chairs to keep the little ones happy while waiting. They even give out complimentary balloons if you ask! I think it’s absolutely worth the price & they are flexible with rescheduling if you miss a class. All you have to do is be sure to call them and let them know you’re not able to attend and they give you credit to make up the class at a later date. Overall, I’m super happy with the experience and would recommend Goldfish Swim School to anyone!

We signed our 6 month son up for classes after looking at a few options in the area such as YMCA, Troy Community and Macomb County classes.
We had heard good things about this place and I am a firm believer that if you do something, do it well and you will succeed, which is what I have experienced for the past 3 weeks my son has attended classes.
Sure it is a little more expensive than other alternatives but this is really such a neat business idea and is very well executed. From the cool little ‘cabana’ changing rooms to the tables stocked with diapers, wipes and bumbo’s, you can tell they have put a lot of thought into the business. For the adults who get into the pool with their children, they even have blow drying stations, which I thought was a nice touch. Everything about the atmosphere of the building makes you feel like the extra money spent is worth it.
The teachers are very good with the kids and it shows, however, it has only been a few weeks for my son and it is hard to tell long term if he will swim quicker than others but it looks promising so far!

I would really like to give this place 3.5 stars. We have a 5 month old attending.
PROS:
— Warm, chemical-​friendly pool for infants
— Crazy good amenities (suit dryer, bumbos, slide, blow dryers, etc.)
— Knowledgeable staff
CONS:
— Sorry for the pun, but felt like a fish in the sea. The place was a total madhouse. No organization of where to be when, and we had to ask several different people what was going on.
— So loud we couldn’t hear what the instructor was telling us to do
— The price. $ 25 administrative fee plus 78/​month for 1 lesson a week.
— lessons are only 30 minutes, and they jammed so many activities into a lesson that we literally were barely halfway done with one before they’d moved onto the next. I thought she was joking at first with how fast she was moving.
— If a lesson starts late, they don’t go late. Our 4pm class was pushed back 10 minutes, but still ended at 4:30.
— Their «free swim» hours are from noon-​1 m-​thur. Their Friday «free swim» is $ 5 from 6:30p-8:00. Gee, thanks.
All in all, this place has so much potential, but I wanted to come out of these lessons as having fun with my daughter’s first lessons, not feeling like a crazed mom that needs some Zantex or whatever that stuff is. I’d recommend this place simply since there is nothing else like it, but be prepared for chaos.

Great swim school for kids, I have two kids that go there now and it is wonderful. The swim instructors are and the kids love it, so win-​win!

Wow. Wow. Wow. Can I be done with my review now?
This place is INCREDIBLE! I live in CA and my son has been in lessons since he was 2.5 months old, he is now 13.5 months. While visiting family in MI for 2 weeks I wanted to keep him in the water so I found Goldfish. This place is amazing! The ambiance is incredible. There are diapers and wipes for the babies! Bumbos! A swim suit dryer! Changing cabins! Decorations! Seriously? My pool in CA is a cement building with some water on the floor.
I have been to Goldfish 3 times now and we have 1 lesson left before we head back home. The instructors have been nice and were genuinely interested in what my son and I knew since we were visiting from another program. The staff up front is all 14 – 18 years old (I am guessing) but definitely knew how to run a front desk politely, pleasantly and with experience.
The little ones have their own pool in the back so that no bigger kids can ever run into them. The toys and props (and the slide!) all add to the fun and education of the class. The first class is a Free Trial so you can see if you like it before committing.
Ok, Goldfish, come to CA with me? Thanks!

What can I say? Jenny and Chris McCuiston have developed a winning formula for teaching youngsters to swim.
They offer ongoing small group lessons with instructors that seem to really like what they do. Who would have thought engaged employees would make a difference? Boy, not me. Okay really, their instructors really are very good. Kids are smiling every moment of their lesson.
Their facility is well thought out and uses the space very well.
On a recent camping trip, swim lesson girl did just fine swimming in the lake. Thanks Goldfish!