All stars are for coach Alex! Honestly I see very little difference between Aqua-Tots and Hubbard- outside of a wonderful coach. Coach Alex has taught both my littles to swim- currently she is coaching my 3 year old. He started off terrified of the water, but coach Alex took the time to connect with him. She makes him feel so safe and comfortable and now he loves the water. He is so excited to see her in every class and I am constantly in awe of how kind and patient she is with the tiny swimmers. read more

We live our local Aqua tots! We started our kiddo at 18 months as we have a pool in our backyard and really wanted to make sure she had the basic skills for her safety. The team at Aqua tots is so professional, her classes start on time and the app makes it easy to sign up and schedule. read more

UPDATE: Coach Cooper has moved on, and my granddaughter loves her new instructor, Jared. I have to say that due to consistency and streamlining of training for each level, all the instructors basically pick up where the last one left off without a hitch. read more

I have to admit that my feeble attempts at teaching my child how to swim were frustrating for both myself and them; I was probably doing more harm than good if I'm being honest. Neither one of us were doing that great of a job, so instead of continuing down the path of trying and failing, I decided to contract out the task of teaching swimming skills to someone who has actual swimming skills and teaching experience. Additionally, You hear about an accident involving a child in a pool at least once per year in the area, and I do *not want that news report to feature my child. Swimming instruction is such a life saving service for the community, you really are doing your children a disservice if you don't teach them general water safety and basic swim and self recovery. So that's how we found ourselves at Aquatots. We have been coming for about two months now and I am super happy with the curriculum at Aquatots. We have had to shift to a different day and we have come in for an extra class a few times now. Whenever we shift our schedule like that there is a different instructor. I was initially concerned that a new instructor meant having to re-learn trust and teaching styles, but all the instructors here appear to have been trained to use the exact same techniques, even down to the words they are using for instruction and the super friendly smiles on their face. You can essentially drop in to any of the classes and the instructors will pick up in the same place that you were when you left your last session. Aquatots does a great job with consistent teaching, which I feel is super important at keeping a routine and making learning to swim comfortable for your child. I will say that getting someone to answer the phone when I was first trying to inquire about classes was a challenge. I called, left a message, called again, and finally got a hold of someone, asked some questions and scheduled a class. If I were making the decision to take my child to a swim school again, I would have definitely made that choice one or two summers ago, because I really do feel like they're having to combat some of their fear of the water more so today than they would have a couple years ago had I just made the choice sooner. Looking forward to next week's swim class! read more

Aqua-Tots Swim School Central Phoenix - Graduated to LVL4!!! - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Teachers are so supportive and knowledgeable. They really make the kids feel good about swimming and feeling confident in the pool read more

Aqua-Tots Swim School Central Phoenix - Ollie the otter is helping the kids learn! - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I have been coming here for about a month (baby was around 6 months old when we started) and my daughter's instructor, Alex is FABULOUS!! She is not only super sweet, she makes us feel really comfortable and safe. I'm a brand new, first time mom to a so while I'm not normally an anxious person, holding my baby in the water and learning to help her submerge completely is fairly daunting and intimidating. Alex has really made this such a fun and pleasant experience and my little girl completely submerged for the first time last week and did GREAT!! She absolutely loves coming for swimming lessons and it's something we will definitely keep up with for a long time!! The facilities itself is fairly old and could use some upgrades in their bathroom/changing areas but having a staff who demonstrates that they really care and know what they are doing makes up for any and all deficits in that area. All the staff members I have met so far have been kind, helpful and professional, and I'm very very happy with our decision to go here! I love that the classes are small (no more than 3 other kids/parents) and I feel like my little girl gets a lot of attention that would be lost in a larger class size. I really could not recommend this place more!! I would suggest that they carry towels or stuff we can buy for spacey moms like me who have forgotten their swim bag (whooops) but seriously this is place is great!!! read more

We recently enrolled our almost 3 year old daughter for once a week lessons. After comparing prices between here & another swim school - prices being very similar - I chose Aqua-Tots simply because this location is more convenient for us. Signing up for the first class was really easy! I called, they offered some options & just like that, she was on the schedule! They sent detailed emails shortly after, letting me know what to expect for our first visit & what to bring. I also got a reminder email the day before class. Currently, you are required to wear a mask while in the lobby & they take everyone's temperature when entering the building. The staff are all very friendly & smiley, & they make the atmosphere welcoming. Since my daughter isn't 3 yet, they suggested we start in Level 2 which requires a parent to get in the pool as well. My husband was really excited to participate with her! We've been to 2 classes so far & have really enjoyed it! We had to reschedule the 2nd week, which they were really easy about (I saw some reviews that said otherwise). I called the morning of our scheduled lesson & asked for another option within the week. They got us in the next evening. Both instructors were great & seemed really comfortable with our daughter! They've decided to graduate her to the next level & they did a cute little ceremony of a certificate, a photo & ringing a bell! I highly recommend! P.S. We don't have a pool at our house & we really don't go swimming all that much, but my daughter LOVES the water in any form. She's never seemed afraid of it & she happily gets water on her head & face. I'm sharing this so you have an idea of her outlook about swimming lessons: she was ready & willing! Along with all the awesome elements about Aqua-Tots, her attitude definitely makes the experience relaxing & so much fun! read more

Aqua-Tots Swim School Central Phoenix - Waiting for class to start! - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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We love this place and people who work here. All the instructors have been amazingly friendly, knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile to help (Daisy, Abigail, Matthew, Travis, Alexis, Jessica). Our boys love coming here every week to learn new skills. Their current instructor Rebeka is such a wonderful person. We love her enthusiasm and great energy while teaching them to swim. We will continue to bring our boys here and look forward to seeing them advance and becoming the best swimmers in the Valley!!!! read more

Aqua-Tots Swim School Central Phoenix - Aqua-Tots 12th Street & Northern Ave - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Honestly, this place is a rip off. I will say the front desk is always friendly and helpful. On another note, my child has missed many classes due to instructors calling out. The first time this happened, they notified me while I was already waiting in the lobby. The second time, they called and told me while I was on my way. The third time was the same, I was notified while I was already driving to Aqua tots. He's also had two classes that have started 5 min late. The first time this happened, no additional time was added on to class. Now today, the teacher was 5 min late and ended class 5 min early. This is a complete joke and waste of money. read more

We LOVE this place!!! They have been AMAZING with our daughter who had a traumatic experience with water. They are super patient and sweet and communicate so well. I regret not starting here sooner. The facility is clean and fun for kids. We love it here. read more

I only bother to review businesses when I think they are awful or amazing, and my experience with Aqua-Tots at 12th street has exceeded my expectations in every way. Imagine my surprise when I went to review this business and saw that it only has a 3.5 star rating and 4/12 of the reviews are highly critical. I was so shocked that I read each 1 star review word for word, and I am left seriously questioning if those reviews are fake. I'll share my experience and why I don't trust the negative reviews. I contacted this school mid summer 2018 and expressed interest in signing my 10 month old up for swim lessons. The person who answered the phone offered a free class to let me assess whether lessons would be a good fit and told me to drop in any time, which I did the next week. Angie was at the desk and was unaware of my conversation with the other employee, but enthusiastically got us right in to the Tadpoles (recommended for 4 to 12 months). When it was apparent that my daughter already met the goals for that class, the manager (Angie) offered to let us stay and try the next level class for free also, the Minnows (13 to 30 months). Both classes involve parent participation. Given my daughter's comfort in the pool, I was skeptical that lessons would boost her skills much more than me simply making time to play with her. But I was interested in having her in a social pool activity, and I didn't want her to lose her comfort once pool season ended. The instructors are very experienced, engage the children in fun skill-building routines that include songs and colorful pool toys, and have helped my daughter improve her skills with just 1 class per week. Although my daughter is generally comfortable in the water, she is a baby and strong-willed. Anytime she has expressed resistance to an activity, the instructor has suggested a modification that allows her to participate in a way that she enjoys. She has never encouraged participation in a way that is unpleasant to my child!! In addition to being happy with our classes, I have experienced exceptional customer service. My daughter has an unusual fondness for Angie (the manager), and it's cute that they are "friends", but mostly I appreciate that the environment is very welcoming and fun. I appreciated the flexibility that they were willing to put my child in a class based on her individual needs and not simply her age. I've also experienced flexibility in other ways. During our first paid swim class, my daughter experienced an unexpected allergic reaction. I doubted it was due to the pool, but Angie agreed that if she experienced a problem the following week (which she did not because it was a food reaction), she would refund our fee. The school even called to follow up on how my daughter was doing later that day. On another occasion, Angie happily rescheduled a class on short notice. Everyone I have ever interacted with has been awesome, and my daughter and I just love this place and all of the staff! I found the 1 star reviews to be highly suspect. One review says this facility is not safe. The mom gave an example of how her "almost 2-year-old walked right off the ledge and went under water." I don't believe this because all classes for almost 2 year old children require parent participation! So if this claim were true, the mom obviously omitted an explanation of why the parent participant allowed this to happen! It appears that another 1 star review came from the supposed husband of this lady, and they both talk about how traumatized their child was. For this age, the instructors have very little physical contact with the toddlers. Participation is parent directed. The husband seems to acknowledge he was in the pool with the child during their second lesson (demonstrating the parent participation requirement), and he claims that the instructor removed the child from his hold and further traumatized her. I don't buy that either! The classes have a specific format where one skill after another is practiced (and to songs). The class begins with a fun introduction song and continues through several sets where the parent is directed how to support their child in practicing a skill. The only time my toddler has ever been independently handled by an instructor is being passed back and forth to me at the end of class once she is comfortable. On a couple occasions when she was moody/tired, the instructor skipped this. This is how much my baby loves Angie (one of the sweetest humans I've ever met)! read more

Aqua-Tots Swim School Central Phoenix - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I enrolled my daughter in April and started with the 1x a week class with plans to up it to 2x a week depending on how it went. My daughter cried the first three classes and I was pleased with their patience, However I think part of the problem is she was with a different instructor every time. This never changed. It finally got to a point where not only did I have a different teacher I was lucky to have a class at all. The last 3 of 4 classes I had there were cancelled, often last minute. And I probably had 3 other cancelled between april and june. Although they were willing to refund/reschedule it became very annoying. I work and don't have the luxury to just go to any class. I ultimately just cancelled it and won't be back. If it weren't for the constant change in teachers and schedule I would have been satisfied. read more

The swim lessons were fine if you had an experienced teacher. Several lessons were cancelled due to pool temperature. Most of the office staff was nice. One day when I went to swim I saw two parents with holsters and guns getting their child ready after a swim class. We don't think it is appropriate to have guns in a children's swim lesson school similar to guns not being allowed in children's schools (knowing we live a pro gun state). We left messages for the manager three times and each time we were told he would contact us. Finally on the fourth try he said they are gun friendly. He also said based on statistician if you hang a no gun sign you are more likely to be targeted. Really? When probed further he could not explain this statistic. We were never able to get refunded before we left although they said they would. read more

Though we had a lil issue a while back. I feel the owner really listened and the staff is great! My youngest in enrolled along with my 5 y/o and I feel like we wont have any issues ever again. Thank you, Aquatots for listening and taking that steps to improve. read more

Very good baby lessons with parents. And we started at 4 months. Now we are in toddler class and doing very well. Each lesson the toddlers learns and builds more skills. The coaches are calm and really help the swimmers develop. read more

My daughters been going here for about 4 months now,she really enjoys her class & coach Justin is amazing (my daughter is 8 months started at 5months) he works great with infants .But on the other hand ,every time you call you can NEVER reach anyone. Not only that I've showed up multiple times & class has been canceled. But never bother to call or let anyone know . They also put my daughter in the wrong lessons for the first 3 lessons & then finally decided to say something .They have terrible communication ,I've literally rescheduled my daughters class 2 times because they either don't have a coach or something going on,and they don't even tell you until you get there. read more

they don't really teach your kid how to swim they just drag them underwater very rude not worth the money now I see why they're than cheaper company read more

Buyer beware. They have a 30 day cancelation notice that I'm sure is in tiny print somewhere but is not pushed out to customers. Also, well aware of staffing issues due to COVID but this business is particularly affected and with no way of rescheduling canceled classes. read more

Unsafe. Unprofessional. Unresponsive management (Nicholas). Would give negative stars if we could. My daughter was excited and happy walking in for the first swim lesson, and she now shakes in fear when we pull into the parking lot. First, we signed up for Friday lessons. They had us pay her registration fee and the month in advance. We found out THE NEXT DAY they didn't have enough students for Friday lessons and were likely going to be canceling all Fridays (which ultimately did happen). Since Fridays are the only day we could come, I immediately asked for a refund -- but was told the contract stated there were no refunds-- just class credits. Absolutely unscrupulous--they should be ashamed. Second, they are NOT safely supervising our kids! Like another reviewer, I watched in horror as my almost 2-year-old walked right off the ledge and went under the water because nobody was paying attention. Meanwhile I was trapped watching on the outside of the glass--nightmare. She was so frightened when she was finally pulled out that she tried to run to me, not understanding there was a glass partition. I watched my toddler run full speed ahead right into the glass. Huge bruise on her face after. The teacher (Either Jessica K or Nicole, it changed) had no handle on the kids for this to happen. She also had the audacity to tell me those were 'fake' tears and to ignore them. Yep. Class act. Third, her group (Younger Leapfrogs) is supposed to be 4yrs and under. There were two much bigger boys (5-6 years old) in her class. Angie (aquatic manager) acknowledged it was a poor pairing and done per the other mothers request--but also said Aqua Tots didn't specify age groups. What?! I have attached a screenshot from their website which clearly states that the groups are separated 4 and under and 5-12. Give me a break! David (awesome) did offer to accommodate us at a different location but specified it had to be the Pinnacle Peak one--we gave it a try but couldn't keep up driving an hour each way for a 30 minute swim lesson. So we gave the 12th St. location one more try, prepped our daughter with the instructor's name, practiced saying her name all week so she would feel comfortable, and what do you know. Walked in and a man 'Archer' was our instructor, not Lauren. Guess they decided to switch shifts. Management said they had no idea Archer was even working that day and that they were caught by surprise since employees aren't allowed to switch shifts on their own. Our impression- an irresponsibly run pool with little control over its staff and major safety issues. We walked in with an eager, excited little girl and left with a little girl that is afraid of the water. Manager Nicholas never returned our phone calls. After waiting 3 weeks for his call, decided to leave this review. Makes my skin crawl that another child might have a similar awful experience. Run far far away from this ripoff!! read more

Aqua-Tots Swim School Central Phoenix - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

The care and interest in the children and also their honesty. These are hard times for small businesses yet this Aquatots and the store manager Nicholas go to the trouble of keeping track of all your child's make up classes. Even after a large amount of time passing. Instead of trying to bill you, they track and ensure all of your makeup classes are first exhausted. They truly care about their customers and we would never go anywhere else. read more

First, have to say the ladies who work the front desk have always been exceptionally friendly and helpful. Great customer service. My 14 month old tried the Minnows class (4 babies, with parents) for a few week. Word of advice: the classes move fast... packed with activities, lots of singing, not much time for dedicated instruction. Our little guy had never even gone under water before, and the repeated dunking on day 1 left him with a strong fear of the class and water that lasted for weeks. We ended up having to cancel our membership. This isn't so much a criticism of the instruction, just a note that if your tot doesn't have a lot of underwater pool experience, the speed and structure of the class can be prohibitively overwhelming. Do have to give Aqua-Tots credit for agreeing to "credit" the rest of our month to future classes when our little guy is ready to come back. Hoping we can practice at home at a slower pace, and come back at a later date. read more

Been going for a while. Almost a year now. Its okay but nothing to brag about. It really depends upon who teaches for that day. There are a lot of last minute cancellations. This is really inconvenient. The phones are terrible. Horrible. I've never received a call back anytime I've left a message. Without exaggeration. I called three times last week for private lessons for my youngest. Not one returned call. So, save yourself a bit of frustration and keep calling if you get sent to the voicemail doom. read more

Just want to give a shout out to the staff at this particular aqua tots location. My 3 year daughter and I were both pretty emotional because she was afraid to get in the pool. But they kept encouraging me to encourage her. Even though my daughter pretty much cried the whole half hour, by the time she got out I could tell she was really proud of herself. I'm really grateful they helped both of us persevere:-) More appreciation for Nicolas the manager who helped resolve a billing issue before I even asked :) read more

The staff was really friendly upon walk in, the prices are not that bad for twice a week at 148$ a month. My daughter was treated very well for her first day and the instructor calmed her down and made her feel comfortable. I love the pool area and the glass views are very convenient when keeping an eye on your children. Can't wait to continue the learning process! read more

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The teachers and staff are fantastic! The facilities are clean. It's easy to schedule classes and make-up classes. We really appreciate that our son has been able to keep the same teacher as he has moved up levels. read more

I've been very disappointed with the policies at Aqua Tots. I enrolled my child and we went to class for about two months and then his naps changed schedules so we called in several absences. We ended up canceling the class altogether because the times didn't work for us. Now when I try to schedule a make up class that I am entitled to and paid for already, they say I can't unless I have an active membership. And they refuse to refund me the money I've already paid for the make ups on my account. This company is unwilling to work with families. I would not recommend Aqua Tots at all. read more

Can't say enough good things about Aquatots Paradise Valley location. I put my kids in for the past two months while spending time in Scottsdale. My son was very scared of the water and the transformation he has made and confidence he has gained since he started swimming lessons here is unbelievable. Coach Sabrina is patient, warm and encouraging. The facility is impeccably clean, the water is warm and change rooms are well laid out. I highly recommend! read more

The facility is great but I have been disappointed with the level two instructors. It is hard to find an instructor on the weekends who stays with the company for more then 1 month. Since April 2019 we have been taught by six different instructors. Some teachers don't know the words of the songs or the exercises. I am looking into switching to Hubbard. I hear their teachers have been there long term. read more

Enrolled my 8 month old daughter about a week ago and had her first class Wednesday 1/20/16 and her coach was amazing. her class was well organized and structured my daughter had a blast and I feel that you get your money's worth. Shopped around at other schools and I feel that aqua-tots have the best prices in the business. Everyone at this location is pleasant and I would highly recommend parents to take their children here. I see me and my family at this location for years to come. read more

I want to add a few things to my wife's detailed review of this abomination of a swim school. When I took our daughter in for that last lesson several weeks ago, she started shaking and crying (she even peed her pants) as soon as we walked in the door. We were supposed to have a lesson with Lauren, we checked in, and a guy named Archer came out. I asked where Lauren was and he told me they had switched shifts. We got into the pool, and I explained to Archer what had happened previously and why my daughter was so scared. He assured me that he had more than 10 years experience and he had dealt with this situation before, "I've handled worse". He proceeded to take her out of my arms, and when she cried and reached for me he practically yelled at her that he wouldn't give her back to me unless she stopped crying, which made her cry louder and louder for a minute or two before I finally intervened. I wondered why he didn't just give me 5 minutes with her alone in the pool to see if she would calm down before taking her away, but I foolishly trusted this "professional." After Archer upset her more, I gave up and took her out, stopping to talk to the girl at the front desk. I asked what happened to Lauren, and told her what Archer told me. The front desk girl apologized and explained to me that the instructors are absolutely not permitted to swap shifts on their own and that the Archer-Lauren switch had not been cleared with management. We have left numerous messages for management since that last horrible lesson. Not one return phone call. Do yourself and your child a favor and stay far away from this place. read more

If there were a way to leave poop emojis instead of stars I would do that in a heart beat. This place has completely gone to crap, the lack of respect for time and money is characteristic of this deplorable establishment. My daughters have swam here for about a year and in the recent months they were not upholding the time that I pay for. Starting late and ending early!!! What the hell is that about!? All i got were apologies and excuses no solutions. 30 minutes of swim is not a lot of time. I requested on several occasions for the issue to be rectified and I was told that they were doing the best they could. I requested a refund and was told that it would be ready in a few days. I went to pick up the check and it was not there and there was no record. COMMUNICATION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF ANY AND ALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE BASED AROUND PEOPLE!!! Do not waste your time, or your resources and your children's growth here. Try Hubbard, The Kroc Center, or your neighbors backyard. Just don't go here! Save you money and the headache. So many families have left. We tried to stick it out since we've been here so long, no more. Horrible establishment. Horrible customer service! Disgusting management!!! read more

We have a pool in our backyard so we wanted our daughter in swim lessons in the event that she fell in the pool. That very thing happened several months after she had started lessons and she knew exactly what to do. It was a scary moment but a proud moment when she used the skills that she learned at Aqua-Tots to get to the edge of the pool. We started attending classes when it opened in April 2015 when she was one. My daughter loves going and has achieved so much during her time here. The swim instructors are awesome and the staff is too! read more