Golden West Swim Lessons

This was my first time enrolling my child in swimming classess so I don’t have anything to compare it to. However, we had a great experience. They offer many classes to accommodate busy schedules. Classes were 4 days a week, Mon-​Thurs and lasted 30minutes. Classes always began on time and ended on time. They also offer discounts if you enroll early so look out for those early enrollment dates that should be posted on their website and Facebook page. At the end of the lesson, the children receive a certficate and a little gift from their instructor. I thought that was adorable!
If you are ever unsure of what level to enroll your child (like I was), e-​mail them and you will receive an immediate detailed response. I thought this was wonderful and really shows how caring they are at this program.
My daughter’s instructor was wonderful but didn’t seem very experienced working with beginners. After I voiced my concern to her, she changed the lesson a bit and it worked out great! After the 1^st 2weeks, my daughter moved up the next level so we signed up for a total of 4 weeks. After the 4 weeks, my daughter felt very comfortable in the water and that in itself made these classes worth it. However, by the 3^rd week I began to feel as though the lessons were becoming redundant and the children were no longer advancing. In the future I would probably just do the 2 weeks.

This is our 2^nd year at GWC swim lessons. Last year he was in Parent & Me Transitional Class and Starfish, this year he is in Guppies.
All the staff seem friendly and good with kids. They are kind and patient to me over-​eager fish that thinks he can swim. They’re also kind and patient with the terrified kids that cry and hate water. All around, a great team. The only reason I’m docking a star is that they focus a lot on technicality of swimming, and for toddlers/​preschoolers, I wish they focused more on life skills and safety. Such as jumping in and swimming back to the edge, immediately floating on their back and coming up for air. Those skills would be great. My son loves the water and I’d love him to know his strokes, but I also want him to be able come up for air and have some safety skills. (I always watch him, but a lot could happen if I was distracted for 3 seconds).
In any case, the lessons are affordable, the staff is great and overall we enjoy it. As a tip; if you like your teacher, request her/​him again for the next session. It’s not a guarantee that you’ll get them, but if you do, it makes a more streamlined summer of lessons because the teacher will already know your child’s skills and can continue to build on them. Otherwise, whenever it’s a new session, the new teacher has to spend the first few days figuring out where your child is at.

Pros– They always start and end on time. The teenagers are usually enthusiastic and nice to the kids.
Cons– Both of my children have been in swim lessons this entire summer and neither one advanced a level. They both went, worked Hard and learned and improved, but Never advanced. Every two weeks they have to «assess» the level of the student to decide where to put them, I guess because the recommendation from the instructor the Friday before was not enough. So basically the first Monday of each session, or every two weeks is almost a complete waste of a session. One Monday my child sat in the pool with no swimming instruction for close to 20 minutes of a 30 minute session because they apparently had a problem that was not revealed to me even when I asked.
I was expecting to feel more comfortable with my younger one in the pool after the summer, but I feel no more confident than I did at the beginning of the summer. Their lessons are more on the technicality of swimming instead of the life skill of being a strong swimmer with survival skills. I feel that this entire time was a waste and also a waste of money. I will be taking my kids somewhere else next year.

This was the best experience for swim lessons! We have tried them all, finally on the 4^th child, got it right! Wish I hadn’t wasted time anywhere else. Did all 4 sessions with Miss Tina, she was so wonderful with my daughter, my daughter truly loves her! The whole program is great, couldn’t recommend they do a thing different, just wish we could do lessons year round!

My son Christopher went to swim lessons at GWC July 8 to July 18^th. It was a 2 week program, Mondays through Thursdays at 9am.
Whenever we went to a pool prior to the swimming lessons, Christopher would latch on to his father and sometimes would get upset and cry when his dad would attempt to teach him.
This summer, I decided it was time for him to learn to swim and in an environment where others were like him and in a situation where he couldn’t latch on to his father.
Chris’ instructors were 2 young guys named Matt «Matto» and Joey. Matt was the more outgoing of the two, and Joey was the quieter one, but they did a lot of praising and gave good advice to the young kids in the course. The way they handled the children in the pool was excellent and I hope that they succeed in whatever it is they do: coaching, teaching, swimming, etc.
My daughter who is a junior in high school is ridiculous, she said that she is motivated to finish high school so she can get to college because «college boys are hotter than high school boys,» referring to my son’s instructors. Silly girl.
Anyway, thanks a lot GWC and Matt and Joey. You were awesome, couldn’t have asked for better instruction. My son is now confident in the pool. Job well done!