We signed up for penguins 1. In the third class, my son was a spectator for the entire session where the instructor was baby sitting another child. By baby sitting I mean the child was in the instructor's arms and she didn't stop crying until the end. It was a waste of money and my time. The least the admin could have done was to offer a makeup class because at least 3 different supervisors/ managers witnessed the incident including the instructor himself. Tom Dolan are the worst experience I've EVER had with anything. I would not recommend them to anyone I know. They have no class and they are liars. Hi, Thanks for reaching out. First of all, I would like to point out some facts on having empathy towards the child. Never did we once say anything to or react towards the child. It was her mom's mistake to enroll her in the wrong class or at least you all are to blamed because she told it was Tom Dolan swim school staff who had advised her to leave the crying child behind and I was also told this was the child's third lesson which is even more surprising because you all should be focusing more on exhibiting a little more empathy towards the poor child who's only 2.5 years old rather than forcing her to go through literal trauma every Saturday. If the supervisor Sessia had acknowledged our situation and not told us that it was very "normal" for it to happen and that "it was not her problem" (as part of Tom Dolan) that the child cried the whole time and my son's experience at that lesson was reduced to being an awkward, very uncomfortable spectator in the pool because remember he is also just a 4 year old who is just beginning to learn how to swim and he's hoping for it to be a fun learning session instead of one where he was left cringing at times. What you have in mind by letting that poor child cry is not something I can understand because I do have a child and have empathy towards any child whether he/she is his age or not. By being fearful and terrified in her moms absence you made sure she did not learn a thing as only a relaxed atmosphere is conducive to learning anything. Well known fact: Fear is not conducive to learning. Please get your facts straight and spend some time hiring staff with better customer service skills, just my two cents. Your supervisor on duty escalated the situation by being ignorant and totally thoughtless towards us when we raised the issue to her. She is rude and I'm sure you'll hear that again if you haven't already. That child should have been enrolled in water babies II. Read your website to see what and for who that class is for. Cheers read more

I agree with the previous reviewer about the phone receptionists begin a bit rude and hard to talk with. We had also purchased a Certifikid deal and it was impossible to get a hold of scheduling over the phone. We finally were able to and just recently went in for our first swim lesson. The actual location is like a swimming factory for young children, it was a little bit overwhelming, as there were so many children. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be like this. The actual staff that were teaching the kids to swim seemed enthusiastic and helpful. We have several swimming lessons ahead and hope that the experience gets better. read more

Instructors leave continually. As soon as kids get used to one, she or he leaves without notice to the family or kids. For young kids that is discouraging and impersonal. Customer service level varies depending on the staff. The swim lessons: focus is too much on technicalities rather than learning to just Swim than its almost discouraging and boring to young kids. It is good for big kids bit not tailored to younger toddler age. Communication is zero with the instructor! Kids get in and out before we can say even hi or bye. It's like a factory assembly line. In, out, next. In, out, next! Focus of the instructor almost always is on the trouble kid, trying to babysit or manage. Hence good students waste time standing by and being ignored and bored of course till they get too bored they do something they shouldn't( like splashing or jumping or moving in water) then they get the attention of instructor to be scolded! Negative attention and bordom is not a constructive class environment I would wish for my kids! Fees: too high for quality and servi ce one receives. They even Charge $5 for missing card and if you don't have a card with you, they treat you as a criminal at the front desk! Pros: Flexible cancellation policy. No annual contract, though they charge an annual fee. If you have a 8 or 9 year old kid with good Swim skills, this is a good place to perfect the skills. But it's not designed for Toddlers or preschoolers, or even kindergarteners' age group. read more

Facilities are very nice and clean. Some instructors are professional. My kid was scared of water at first but finally he can put his head into water. He has been with this school for almost two years. However putting his head into water and swim under shallow water were the only breakthrough. He stuck in the Seal level for almost a year. We can see his right arm is not straight but the instructor didn't correct constantly. He is still far from intermediate level. When he attends friends' pool parties, he never able to pass swim test (always put in beginner level swimmer). I feel this school is mainly for the kids who can swim under deep water but need improvement on skills. Too much emphasis on skill rather the ability to swim in standard pool. read more

Awful. Teachers change every week and many seem like bored college kids. The monthly fees are crazy for the quality of the lessons. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more

We have been using them for years and their office could use way more improvement. When my son broke his arm, they wouldn't let us suspend his membership without a doctor's note and at the time they didn't have a fax machine so here I am with a son with a broken arm needing to ask my doctor for a note to excise him from swim class. Over time we have noticed a tremendous amount of turn over in instructors. Depending on who you get, your child could a lesson from someone really great or from some young kid who looks like she has better things to do. Last year during the snow storm, our street hadn't been plowed yet but Tom Dolan was open so they were holding classes and if you didn't go, well then you had to make arrangements to do a make up class. Which I guess is nice since when we first started years ago they didn't offer make up classes so there was one session down the drain if you were out of town or sick. Make up classes are also difficult to schedule and they can cancel them up to the day before which also makes planning difficult. We have two kids in their and finding a time to accommodate their different skills has not been easy. They don't try to accommodate you and some of the people working the front are nothing short of incompetent always blaming a new computer system. If this is the case then they just have had 5 different computer systems in the past year. The quality of the classes is not bad but I don't have a comparison since this is the only school we have been to. I've comparison shopped price wise and Tom Dolan is definitely in the expensive side for swim schools. You would the they would invest more time in training their front desk and try to avoid such frequent turn over in instructors. Sometimes just when your child gets used to someone, they quit or get fired and they have to waste one entire session getting new to another instructor. This is a huge disadvantage for young kids. Also when you call to ask about class availability they try their hardest to get you to check their schedule on line, almost as if they don't want to help you, this is not all the time and may depend on who answers the phone. All in all, decent swim school if you don't have to deal too much with front desk and if you luck out and get an instructor who stays for a while. read more

We have been with Tom Dolan for about a year and are very pleased. Very nice, clean facility. I have always found the front desk folks very friendly and helpful. Pool and air temperatures are always comfortable. Would definitely recommend. read more

My girls have progressed so much this summer by taking a few weeks of lessons during their summer clinics. We've tried a couple of other options in the past (Fairfax Co Rec centers - cold pools, big classes, and Goldfish) but this exceeded our expecations. The instructors are wonderful (Austin was particularly great with my girls) and the pool deck supervisors offer additional helpful hints to the swimmers and parents (Sue who was there this week was wonderful.). For my younger daughter in particular, the shallower pool has boosted her confidence tremendously. Also, I really like how they teach the children to side breath during freestyle. At Goldfish they teach the kids to flip onto their back first to breath - while good for short term safety, it was something that my older daughter then had to unlearn.). Also, perhaps because of the shallower pool, where the children can stand, they are able to get a couple of children swimming at once. This leads to getting in many more "laps" per class, which is great. read more

I'm increasing my rating for TDSS, because I feel the owner, who commented thoughtfully on my original review and also had someone contact me directly, really cares about his business, about his customers, and about teaching kids to swim. TDSS wasn't a match for me or my child, but it might be for you. read more

Disappointed with their service, Didn't thought that getting my kid here for 2+years now would turn out to be such a waste of time and money. They would keep the kid in same level for months to years.. and never communicate you about their progress.. it happened with us, we didn't paid much attention to what's her progress in 2018, and when started to monitor closely recently, realized for basic swim skills taught in Angle fish 2 level, my 10yr old kid is kept this level for more than a year for my surprise!! It seemed like they purposefully do it. She is promoted only after i asked about their process and duration to promote the kid!! Send your kids if you can really monitor what they are teaching in every class, discuss kids progress with teacher and a mentor who (supposedly) keeps track of progress, and discuss readiness to move to next level every month then send your kids. Don't expect them to communicate with you first! read more

My son has been at TDSS for about a year now, and we couldn't be happier. He first started last winter, when he would only go in the water while attached to me like a barnacle. By the summer, he was trying to boogie board at the beach and cackling as the waves crashed over him. That life-long comfort in the water came from swim school, and it was worth every penny. The model is different than the traditional 6-week course of swim lessons that I grew up with, so it took some getting used to. But it seems like the teachers here really focus on getting the kids to master skills and feel comfortable in the water, so it is a welcome change from the norm. Plus there is no competing with adult lap swimmers or swim team kids and coaches for space (in or out of the pool) or pool temperature. We drive from DC every week, and we'll continue to do it! read more

My children have been going to the Tom Dolan Swim School on and off for two years (we take late summer and fall off with vacations and other activities). The facilities are first-rate, designed to facilitate learning with the right water temperature, pool depth, and the instructors are great. Both my kids have benefited tremendously from the school. While it is not the mission of TDSS (which I believe is a plus) my oldest's improvement on her summer swim team has been very noticeable to the coaches and even her untrained parent's eye. My youngest was afraid of the water when we started and is now thriving in the water and learning to swim. That is the point of TDSS. Most importantly, they have fun while learning to swim and look forward to going to their lessons. That is the best indicator of a good program I can think of. read more

Update: I can attest to the fact that the school is very professional and they do care about their families. I was promptly contacted by Stacy, who wanted to make sure I felt comfortable and fully understand the school's technique. Safety and body awareness is taught but at later levels that my son has not yet achieved. I updated my rating to 4 stars because after receiving an explanation and breakdown of levels and expectations, I do feel better and more confident. It is frustrating that my son isn't "safe" in the water after 9 months but I do understand the teaching philosophy behind it, which is to teach technique the right way instead of having to undo poor technique later. read more

Terrible experience. No concept of customer service. Rude staff. Will not recommend to anyone. Hi Tom, I appreciate you reaching out to us. All we did that afternoon was to reach out first to the supervisor on duty to acknowledge the situation, hoping she would at least acknowledge that we had paid for the class and we wanted all kids in class to learn from it. We were not rude to any of your weekend staff. You can verify from the instructor, the two staff members at front desk and also the other supervisor on call. We raised the issue in a polite way and we also felt bad for the instructor and the little girl. Needless to say, we did not blame the child for anything as we know she is a baby. To the mom of the child, I told her "wish you were here the baby cried throughout the lesson". Likewise, nobody was rude to us except for Sessia who was ignorant and was rude in her response. When we told her that Leslie had acknowledged our situation after she witnessed it first hand when she came over to the pool area, Sessia said "people at front don't know anything because they are not at the pool and I am the supervisor and this happens ALL the time". It only takes one employee to tarnish the image of the business as it got ugly for everyone because of the way she handled it and bad mouthing or discrediting your fellow employees in public is not professional and it is also not good for the business. Yes, we had a good session on Sunday. If the issue was addressed with a makeup class to begin with, we would not be having this discussion in public. Best, Bill read more

I really love bringing my kids here. Ive never had the same problem with the people at the front desk as other reviewers have had. When i first signed up they didnt have a class time for my kids to be together so i scheduled them on different days just to at least get them started. One day a lady from the front desk asked me if i wanted to check new times since people were starting to leave for the summer and spots might be opening, when she checked sure enough there was more openings and she got me the spot i wanted. It was really nice that she noticed and took the time to help me. Also, My kids have a really good time in swimming class. One time we did have to miss because my car was acting up, and both my kids days were just thrown off after i told them we couldnt go. They have really learned so much from their teachers since we first started. My youngest son started off as a scared Penguin and after 4 months became a Minnow. They were all very happy for us and gave him an award thing. I tried taking my older daughter to a Rec center by our house for lessons and it was an absolute waste of time. These are real deal lessons and I think that is why they dont really do make ups. Most people, i dont think understand the difference between this place and other swim programs. They take each swimming level step by step. Work on their breathing and skill rather than just 'swimming'. Ive seen moms get so upset that their kid hasnt moved up and start throwing fits to the front desk when really they are doing it for your kids own good. If they were like other schools they'd just do what ever with your kid and move him up with out a second thought. but instead they take how ever much time your kids need to learn. The teachers are always friendly and make it fun. read more

Isabelle is now a Penguin at this swimming school. We had tried 2 other swimming schools where the facilities where borderline. In 3 sessions, she went from scared and crying to jumping in he water, running on the mat and having so much fun. And the facility? Just a dream. Great locker room, great installations. You know it was designed by someone that use dot swim and understands what makes the difference between a great or bad experience. We drive from Arlington every week end just because fit is worth it. Pricey? May be. It is the only skill that will save your kid's life, no i am not bargaining on it. read more

We have been attending the Water Babies class since my son was 3 months old. They captured me when offering free classes while my child was 3-6 months and we have NO plans on leaving any time soon! Our son loves his teacher and even at 8 months old becomes so excited the second we walk through the door. Everyone at the front desk have always been so warm and welcoming and I appreciate they try to remember our name (I'm sure they seen tons of families each day)! I can't even say enough great things about the actual class. My son is still young but we have already seen him learn so much. I see the older babies in his class and get so excited that he will know the same skills once we hit that age! My only downside is the lack of changing tables. But waiting my turn for no more the 3 minutes to change my child out of his wet clothes is truly not a complaint! WE LOVE TDSS and feel so lucky to be apart of the organization!!! read more