My son Jackson has been a swimmer at Emler for a year and a half since he was 6 months old. He is so comfortable in the water and has learned so much from his wonderful teachers. Miss Hannah is his current teacher and she is so kind and patient with all the kids and Jackson loves getting to see her each week! We highly recommend Emler to everyone as water safety is so important! read more

We've taken both our boys to Emler at a young age and had fantastic experiences with both. The teachers are very attentive, managers take advice ti heart and act quickly, and the facility itself is well maintained. Make sure to check your email before heading over every time as they have infrequent closures due to all the infrastructure it takes to run a pool full of kids at this temperature for this long, but honestly I can't judge them for it all things considered. We've only really done water babies and aqua tots, but the older swim classes look very serious and the kids have all seemed like great swimmers! read more

we've been bringing our toddler since he was four months old and I love Emler's approach to teaching little ones how to swim and be comfortable in the water. We've had great instructors that my toddler has trusted in the water. Miss Kylee is his teacher now and she has helped him advance so much in just a few months! read more

I can't say enough good things about this place. My almost two year old has been coming here for a year now and loves it! The instructors keep us up to date on their progress and are so patient with their class. Maci, the manager, is so nice, too! I've seen her wherever she is needed to help keep her team motivated and successful. read more

This swim school is so awesome. They are organized, professional, proactive, patient and caring. My toddler truly looks toward to attending her swim classes. Mr. Jacob couldn't be a better instructor. Mr.Jacob is so optimistic and personable. He immediately takes the time out to learn each child name. He is also so consistent. I'm so pleased with my daughter having him as an instructor. The changing area is so clean. This school even offers wipes and bags if needed for your little ones. This swim school at this specific location is phenomenal. My toddler has made tremendous progress. Enroll your child you will not regret it. We truly appreciate you Mr.Jacob. read more

Emler Swim School of Houston-Clear Lake - Pool - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Houston, Texas

There is racist staff at the Clear Lake City location. My daughter is only 10 years young and I had to correct the swim instructor about addressing my daughter as "girl" instead of calling her by her name. I believe the instructor's name was Josie or Josephine. The behavior of the swim instructor was disgusting, inappropriate, and ignorant. It was a disconcerting experience. In addition to addressing my child as "girl" the instructor was very dismissive when engaging with my daughter. It is not a diverse facility and it is evident people of African American decent are not welcome. As a result, I made the executive decision to transfer my daughter's swimming lessons to a different location. read more

My daughter started bathtime babies here at 3 months old. Now she is 6 months and got moved up to the waterbabies class, so I feel like I can give a detailed review in bathtime babies class as well as the location. Preregistration: They provide a few communication methods to obtain information along with answers to your questions. I signed up and attended a zoom meeting with an employee and 2 other moms. Got a nice detail on how the class agenda goes, length of class, things you need, dates and times available, COVID safety implemented, make-up class, etc. They also followed up with me by phone and email to make sure they answered my questions and if I needed help signing up. They did not have a Saturday bathtime baby class available at the time so they put me on a wait list to see if they could get enough participants to open a class. I only waited a couple of weeks I believe. Easy to sign up and get started. Bathtime babies: Offered for 2-6 month old babies. 30 min class and it's free! All you pay is the registration fee of $30 (unless the price changed from when I wrote this and you read this). There are different activities that you do in the water with the babies and my little one had a great time! I definitely felt like it got my baby use to the water and enjoy bathtime at home. It took a couple of months but by 5 month she gets happy and smiles when she realizes it's bath time. Nothing like a smiling happy baby that melts your heart! We had 2 different instructors and love them both. I honestly can't remember the young lady that we primarily had as an instructor but Baby Q loved her! She was friendly, talked to my baby, and overall happy! We did the same activities each time and wish we switched it up a bit but that's a minor suggestion. Probably mainly a "me" thing and the repetition is probably better for the baby. I don't really know. Towards the end we had Aidan - he changed up the activities from class to class, which I like. Friendly and kind to the parents and babies. There is no make-up class if you miss one since it's free. Waterbabies: We have only had one class so far and we are lucky enough to have Mr. Aidan as our instructor again. Since he knows the ages of each baby he instructs us on each activity individually because the ages vary and may be at different levels. Such as, one baby can hold her breath under water for 7 seconds and my baby has not even done that yet so our goal was such to splash water on her face and get use to it Now this is where you start paying - call and check on pricing because it changes and ask how many session. Since you pay they do have make-up classes available if you can't make the original class that you sign up for. Room for improvement: It would have been nice at our first class that we got a tour of the facility and escorted to our class in the pool where it was held at. We kinda walked to where I thought he pointed to and asked if this was the bathtime babies class. Also just walked to where the babies looked the size of mine. Haha We literally came in, gave them our names and the guy behind the counter said all right you can go ahead in. I was like where to? How does this work? He still didn't leave the counter and just pointed to where our class in the pool is at. The facility isn't big and after a couple of time you kinda figure it out. Another nice thing would be an email ahead of time saying who the instructor would be, the activities that may be done in the class, and words to the songs that we sing with the activities. So far in both classes only one parent seemed to know the words. I can honestly say I only know the bye bye song. I can't comment on the bathrooms or dressing rooms since I don't use it. My house is 5 minutes away so I just dry up my baby, change her into a cover-up, and get her right into the shower. She has eczema so washing off the chlorine on her skin is time sensitive! Haha read more

Great place to take your kids/babies to taught the basics of swimming. Awesome instructors that makes the class very fun and enjoyable.

We have had an amazing experience at Emler over the past year. Our son is greeted by name, his instructors have been very aware of each students abilities so they challenge them to continue progressing. I love how involved the managers are. When we've had to miss a class or a class gets cancelled for facility reasons, there are always plenty of make up options. We plan to enroll our second child here when it is time! read more

My son first started swimming at Emler at an early age to learn basic water surviving skills to prevent from drowning . Since then he likes it so much he joined the swim team. His Coaches Kain and Jesus makes his practices fun and enjoyable. I guess he lucked out having two great coaches. That's something you just can't find just anywhere. read more

Very clean super friendly teachers and great location. We have tried 3 different local places for swim lesson. We loe Emler. It's convenient, the teachers are friendly and the facility is clean and has convenient places to change the kiddos. I like that we get a brief update on the kids skills after every class so we can know what is being worked on. Very satisfied. read more

This is the best swim school I have ever had my child in. They make it fun to learn how to swim and they are very patient. If for some reason your child is not catching on, they will spend private time just until your child is caught up. The staff is so polite and amazing, I almost feel like each person is a personal friend of mine. The school is always clean and if you have a question, they have the answer! read more

I spent over $300 for Emler swim (school?) Clear Lake to teach my granddaughter next to nothing. During the half hour classes, that were often cut short, she was only in the water 3 or 4 times, for less than a minute. She spent more time learning how to "high five" and splash water with the guy that stood at the edge of the pool with the seated students, than with the "instructor". No wonder they have such a stringent "no refunds" policy. I imagine they have at least 50% of their clients wanting their money back. read more

My daughter is my strong-willed child. I was nervous, bc it takes a lot for her to do things that she's not comfortable with. During the evaluation, she was so excited and didn't want to leave. Emler is great with kids. She started panicking and crying yesterday, bc she didn't want to jump in the pool and submerge her head. The manager came and talked to her and got her to modify it and go back in the pool. I was amazed!! She went from floaties only to kicking with a kick-board and blowing bubbles in 5 days. I just signed her up for another session. I totally recommend this place! read more

This is a review of the waterbabies class, and maybe some of it is applicable to other classes offered. The good/great stuff: - The instructors are friendly - The location is clean, convenient and accessible - There is always room to sit - either in the pool area or outside of the pool area - They're great about makeup classes The "meh" stuff: - They have four infant changing areas all out in the open with no changing tables in the bathroom stalls. If there is a poopy diaper everyone gets to witness it, smell it, and stare daggers at you - There are two changing tables in the pool area directly next to the changing area, showers and cubbies. After baby swim classes, it's a complete hit or miss whether you're the lucky parent to nab one of the two of them. Additionally, that area gets clogged up with everyone: instructors, kids of all ages and levels, babies, their parents, people just watching. It's crowded. A minor inconvenience to be sure, but pretty challenging if you're going to infant swim classes without a second pair of hands to help. - If you sign up online, the first day of class is metaphorically sink or swim. No tour, no instructions...just show up and figure things out. There was a really bare bones email I received but nothing that prepared me for day 1. No one tells you the rules, or maybe its up to you to look it up on their website. For instance: you're not supposed to carry the baby into the pool. Oh well. Also, they told me the kind of swim diapers they wanted but not how many. Yes, here they require you to double up swim diapers for added protection. I wonder how that is supposed to work...I missed the first ten minutes of first class just staring at the infant lane not realizing they held up a sign and i was supposed to switch out with the other parents like a relay race. I didn't know until week four I'm supposed to check in at the front desk every week so they can mark attendance. The "dislike" stuff: - The one swimming pool is split up into 8(ish) foot lanes. You're cramming up to 6 adults (4 parents, 1 teacher, 1 assistant) and 4 babies into this tiny space. I mean..it works, but you're actively avoiding people the whole time. I just moved here from NYC and it felt like NYC...like if a swim school was a conveyer belt. - Every week of waterbabies is EXACTLY the same. I'm not kidding. EVERY WEEEK. You don't learn anything new. You don't do anything new. It's the same 5 stations you rotate through and you're rotating so quickly you don't spend more than a couple minutes at each station before you move on. Three out of five stations are just hanging out with toys - what my kid does in the bath tub. Whats the point of the makeup class when i know exactly what we missed and plan on doing next week? I wish they changed it up - work on the same skills but do ANYTHING different to keep it interesting. - There are children wayy out of their comfort zones and children that are over it by week three. They should provide options to modify the stations to accommodate those varying comfort levels What I would change: - A better "orientation" - even in the form of an email - would be helpful. - offer variety for teaching the same skills (don't have class be the exact same from September to December) - offer children the opportunity to step up/step down the skill level given you're doing the same thing every week - have the class be 45 minutes, not 30 - too fast, too little value. - Instead of cramming in however many lanes and classes, cut back a touch. Double the size of each swim lane, double the number of spots, offer half the number classes per time slot. It will feel more like a class and less like this place has been six sigma'ed for the optimal number of swim lanes, students, cubbies, showers to manufacture little swimmers to takt allowing the business to maximize profit, class selection and customers onboarded. It feels like they spent a good amount of money hiring a consultant to tick all the boxes creating a product that feels manufactured and soulless. Thats well and good at a price point less than 300 dollars. If youre charging that much for babies to have bathtime in a big pool, you need to create more value Bottom line: Waterbabies is a way to introduce babies to deeper water. It's repetitive. This is a business. Frankly, half an hour of free swim with the baby and some toys could easily replace this class. read more

This facility is the best swim school around the area. The instructors are amazing. They are patient, nice, friendly and professional. The facility is clean and well-decorated. I highly recommend this place! read more

First off let me start by saying that the staff here is wonderful and my daughter loved her swim teacher. I'll give this place three stars because the facility is so nice and I'm sure that their program is great if you have the time and money to drag it out or get private lessons. I brought my 3 and a half year old here this past summer because I wanted her to learn her basic swimming safety and skills. I thought after 3 months she would at least know what to do if she fell into a pool, unfortunately that is not the case. My daughter was one of four children in her class with only one teacher. I think the four students to one teacher ratio is unrealistic. The teacher looked like she was just trying to give each student their turn quickly and then deal with the one kid who would not stop screaming and crying in terror nearly every week. The class consisted of the kids being held or jumping from an underwater platform and paddling about 3 feet back and forth from the platform to the edge of the pool. When I paid nearly a hundred dollars a month for swim lessons I expected that she'd at least be able to doggy paddle, or even float on her back independently. I don't blame the teacher, but I think rushing through 4 kids in 30 minutes is an outrageously unrealistic task to put on one person. By the end of the classes my daughter learned nothing new. She was dunking her head underwater for a few seconds, but she was already doing that on her own before, she just didn't really care for water one her face. I'm not just saying this because I'm her mom, but my daughter is super smart and picks things up very quickly. I feel like she needed to be pushed more, but the style of teaching here is very gentle. I know that in 3 months there's no reason why she shouldn't have been able to learn to at least survive if she fell into a pool. That is the absolute most important. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children one to four and I want my daughter to be safe, so I'm obviously going to spend the money, but I feel like this school is for people who want to drag the lessons out for years, and I want my daughter to be safe NOW. I try to teach her on my own, but I'm not a swim instructor. Also, it wasn't just my daughter, none of the kids progressed all that much in the class, besides being able to hold their breath for a couple more seconds. That doesn't really help if you're sinking to the bottom of a pool and don't know how to swim up. Again, I blame the ratio of students to teacher. If you want your child to learn it quickly, maybe opt for private lessons at this school. I know that these places need to make money, but we need to make sure our kids are safe, and we bring them to places like this hoping for help. We're a military family, so we are not making the big bucks and can't fork out for private lessons. We've since moved, but we would have probably opted for a different school if we were there. Again, the staff and facility are so great, this just didn't work for us. Update: I was refunded for my daughter's swim lessons and informed that they have switched out some staff and made improvements to the program. read more

Emler's staff is friendly & professional. I love watching the children swim, learn, & have fun. I only give 4 out of 5 because I think 4 children per lane is too much. 3 seems like a more suitable number. I do recommend checking it out for yourself. read more

My daughter has been coming here almost 2 years now and she has learned a lot. I was excited to learn there was a swim school opening closer to us and then Hurricane Harvey happened and the opening was pushed back. So I waited patiently and it was the best decision I have ever made. My daughter is shy at first with her teachers but then she really enjoys there class. She is now on her last level of swimming and next semester she will be in Swim Team so I know it is going to be challenging but she is excited and I can't wait to see how far she can go. Thanks to all the staff and teachers for making us feel so welcome. read more

My 7 year old has had swim classes at another facility and it was much smaller in size. The waiting room was so cramped you were elbow to elbow with other parents and at times was standing room only. At Emler there is an abundance of seating in a clean and inviting environment both inside the pool area and outside. There are windows the length and width of the pool so you can keep.an eye on your kiddo at any angle. The staff is AMAZING and so kind. Always willing to answer any questions I have. The swim evaluation is FREE so they can see where your kiddo(s) needs to be placed. We are so thankful we stopped in and signed up. read more

We've only done the (free!) Water Babies orientation so far, but every staff member I've had contact with has been very friendly and knowledgeable. I'm excited for my 5 and 2 year olds first lesson later today! read more

Such a great faculty and staff! My son loves it. We plan on coming back in the future too! I would recommend it to anyone. !!

I highly recommend Emler. My son was afraid at first to get in the water, but the teachers were very patient with him and worked hard to help him become comfortable. The director, Tiffany, is wonderful and really listens to any concerns you may have. Josh is extremely talented with helping a child to have fun in the water. read more

Sarah has been such an amazing and instrumental teacher in developing my son's love for the water. Submerging into the pool can be frightening for many toddlers, and if it were a different teacher/school, I could easily expect my son to develop a fear of swimming. Sarah took her time in easing my son to each of the lessons for Waterbabies and Superwaterbabies. Her calm, joyful, and patient demeanor helped build my son's confidence and swim skills. We live on a lake, and though we are glued to our son's hip whenever we are near the lake, as a parent there is always a concern for drowning. I can confidently state that this class has instilled in my son the necessary reflexes to hold his breath underwater and use his instincts to find and grab a hold of of any solid surface until help arrives. I highly recommend Emler and teacher Sarah to any parent of a young one who wants their child to build basic swim skills either for fun or survival. read more

Great place for adult swimming lessons. The whole place is very clean, pool area is clean and warm and pool is salt water so no awful chlorine smell. The staff is very friendly and the instructors are great, especially Megan. I have tried to learn how to swim before but couldn't get over my fear of water. Megan has been very understanding and supportive while challenging me at the same time, and I'm definitely making progress. I'm so glad I walked into the facility and decided to give it a try. I highly recommend this place. read more

I started bringing my baby here when she was 11 months old. We love it! The staff is super nice and very patient with the babies! We have only been coming here a couple months now but I have noticed my daughter learning how to float and hold on and pull herself up from the edge of the pool. I would recommend this place to anyone! read more

Our first day at Emler was great. Our 3yr old son really liked his instructor and was already making progress, more than he did at his last school. Unfortunately after that first lesson it went all down hill. The next classes had a different teacher each time and after trying to get our son acclimated to the new teacher, the next week it would change again. We would make the 20min drive each week only to find that we would have to start all over. Our final straw resulted in us getting a refund back without any issues and them asking us for another chance. After the refund was issued, the next lesson day came up and I received a voicemail saying the usual teacher would be there this time. (The courtesy call finally happening after my complaint of not getting one after the staff knowing the instructors assignment issues) That Monday we decided to refrain from going. Fast forward to the next lesson, I get a call saying he would not be there for that one. Here we go again... Qhat promoted me to leave this review was an email we received a few days ago stating that the instructor would not be represent this week for lessons. Can we keep driving the nail into the coffin already? This may not be a common occurrence for people who have used Emler, but just keep this in mind if you start to see an emerging pattern. read more

This school has the best summer programs to accelerate our kids' swimming skills and has always been way better than what we got out of the YMCA swimming programs. Our oldest son and daughter have graduated to swim team and have their first meet over last weekend while our youngest is still continuing his summer programs. Kudos to all of the excellent teachers that have taught and helped our kids to advance their swimming. read more

I love Emler's so much! The bath-time baby class was a wonderful introduction to the swim school & were now in the water-babies class. The teachers are all extremely knowledgeable, sweet, & great with the children. The pool area is warm & has easily accessible changing areas/baby changing tables too, which is a big plus. Everything is incredibly clean as well! read more

Emler swim school clear lake is excellent!! My shy timid son absolutely loves Emily and Riley! They are flexible, sweet and truly love kids. I will definitely be returning each year read more