This specific swim company does a great job of creating an illusion of a "family-friendly" oriented business. I worked with this school for years and I left the company due to numerous reasons. 1. I was responsible for training a manager that would be sent out to a location in Austin. She ends up coming back 4 months later due to how harshly everyone at the Austin location treated her. She was looked down upon because of her skin color, and was told she would never make it to management. I don't believe that the people up in Austin were ever held accountable. Even despite that "holding people accountable" IS one of their core values. RACIST! 2. Let's not forget the make up lessons! At first you could schedule a make up if you missed it. Then, you got a make up token if you missed it. And then, there was no make up tokens, unless you bought them for $15. I happened to have my sibling signed up to swim, and on the last day of the semester he was enrolled in, they had a code brown (pretty frequent in this location). I was contacted by the lifeguard (not the customer service rep or the manager) that they would call me back to schedule a make up lesson and I have been waiting for 2 years now. I doubt Elmer would be willing to offer me the lesson that I paid for! Seems like Elmer went full corporate. 3. This is not a safe location at all! My ex boss's pick up truck was stolen in broad daylight right from the parking lot during business hours! This happened back in 2021. One of my ex-coworkers car window was broken into in 2022. Police never arrived, duh, Dallas. 4. I WAS FORCED TO TAKE A COVID EXAM BACK IN 2020 AND I HAD TO PAY FOR IT OUT OF POCKET. CORPORATE DEMANDED THAT I TAKE A TEST AFTER A SATURDAY SHIFT. I DID NOT GET COMPENSATION FROM THE COPANY. I PAID $400! 5. The final straw. I left the company due to how corrupt corporate EMLER became. Their own core values were violated by higher ups, Haydon Smith and Melissa Magee (don't forget Austin location) to be specific. The "hold each other accountable" is the most hypocritical statement that this company makes its employees recite at the beginning of every meeting. My coworkers mentioned to me that they wanted to form a union, and I agreed. Although, my co-workers, carried this conversation into the staff room, the camera's "microphone" picked up the audio and it seemed like someone was on the other end listening. Bear in mind that it was a private conversation between two adults that are now getting ready to lock the building & go home. It was after business hours, that's a fact. Well long story short, they got fired over the weekend for "low performance". I was not told why, or when, or even given a good explanation as to why corporate decided to sweep people under the rug. Forming a union is an American right and this company aught to get BOYCOTTED for firing people over this. 6. Swim lessons are expensive and will not get any cheaper! This company was bought out in 2022 so it's best to take your kids to a small business instead. Lessons in California are not as expensive as they are here and teachers are able to make more money in California than in this company. This is coming from a conversation I had with someone who owns a swim school in San Francisco while I was teaching their kid! P.S. EMLER will also make you sign a waiver where if you were to go out and teach lessons outside of the contract, you can get sued for this. EMLER really wants all the monopoly. They have a pay cap. They will not pay you more than $20 hr, but they are steadily raising lesson prices? I came to find out that many of my coworkers, neighboring schools, did not get payed for the work they did. For example, I had a ex-coworker (Walnut-Hill location) & was pushed to do management duties while being paid as a porter for 1 full calendar year. I've had my fair share of good moments but this company is not what it used to be, it's corporate greed. read more

Emler Swim School of Dallas-Preston Forest - Inside the pool room - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Dallas, Texas

If you're going to enroll your 2-yo in an activity, why not teach her something that could potentially save her life while she's having fun? And Ms. Kerin definitely makes it fun! Even at 3 weeks, we are already seeing progress among all 6 of the kids in the class, including mine! My child is way too aware to be easily dunked, so Ms. Kerin takes it slowly to make sure swimming is still enjoyable for her--which is as much a mercy for me as it is for my kid. All the teachers seem engaging and sincere in their joy of teaching swimming. The only downside I'd point out is the lack of real showers. For what we're paying, it would be nice to leave there squeaky clean so we can confidently enjoy the rest of our day, including lunch at the many great places nearby (Torchy's Taco, Meso Maya, Snappy Salad, and more) or just the long ride home. But we make do with the rinse shower. read more

Emler Swim School of Dallas-Preston Forest - No disposable diapers! - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Dallas, Texas

We just love Emler! My boys have been swimming at Emler since they were babies, and everyone here is just incredible! My boys' current / recent teachers, Kerin, Priscilla, and Lynette are all so amazing and incredibly patient. In particular, my oldest went through a few months where he was having a really hard time transitioning to a new class, and everyone was so positive, reassuring, and patient. We highly recommend Emler if you are looking for swim class for your kids! read more

Great swim school! All three of my kids from age 16 months to five years old from here. They are really excellent a tracking progress and making sure that the kids get the next level throughout each course there in. The teachers are extraordinarily patient with the kiddos. They also very much have a customer oriented culture whereby clients needs are always addressed. read more

I am beyond impressed with Emler Swim School! My 2.5 yr old daughter enjoys it so much! We started this week and I cannot believe she's already going under water and she doesn't even cry! The staff is absolutely wonderful with the kids. I highly recommend enrolling your children here! read more

The teachers are patient and they work hard to keep your child focused and make sure they correctly learn proper swimming techniques. They have deck managers who watch both the children and instructors to make sure that your child is learning or identify areas of improvement. If you need additional help they will give you an opportunity for more classes to help. My child looks forward to coming and enjoys his experience here. Lastly, they have a practice pool that allows your child to practice their new skills. I look forward to enrolling my child in more classes. They also have bilingual instructors if you need them. read more

I just enrolled my 5 month old...we both enjoy the class. I'm so glad I made this choice. Staff are super friendly an helpful read more

Emler Swim School of Dallas-Preston Forest - 5 month old waterbaby - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Dallas, Texas

My grandson has taken swim lessons here for several sessions and we couldn't be more pleased. All of the staff are incredible with unlimited patience and tons of positive reinforcement. His current teacher Nicki is absolutely fabulous. He loves her and so do we. I highly recommend Emler if you're looking for a swim class! read more

We love going to Elmer and seeing our children continue to make progress in their swimming ability.

We love Emler! Our teacher Ms. Kerin has been great with my daughter and we can't wait to start our summer session on Monday.

Teachers are awesome and the program actually works. The only thing they don't teach is dive in. We haven't had a bad teacher and kids love to go. Practice pool is free with enrollment and kids love it. read more

My younger kid is now taking clases and the instructors are great as always and so good with kids. The only bummer I got (and the drop on a star) is the practice kiddie pool is now only to be used by current students. We loved arriving early or leaving late so both kids could play for 20 to 30 mins. Oh well, you can't win them all. read more

My 5 year old loves her swim school! She has always. Even comfortable in the water but we could never get her to stretch her arm. They're very patient with her and we are seeing an improvement in her arms. The practice pool is awesome, we usually show up early and leave late to swim in there. I understand why only enrolled students can swim but would be nice if a waiver could be signed for non students who would like to swim. I bring my nephew on occasion and we always have to leave right after as we don't want hurt feelings. There is a rowdy student in my daughters class but what can you do if the parents don't try to control their child? My daughter loves Emler and I'm so glad we chose to enroll her read more

This place is a perfect place to take your beginning little swimmers. The staff and teachers are kind and very knowledgeable. We brought twin 3.5 year old in for private lessons and they are becoming little fishies. I would recommend this place to anyone wanting their children to learn how to swim. read more

We have been going to Emler for many years now and love their program!! Our son had a rough time when he first started, but with the gentle encouragement of the instructors each week, he started to warm up. He now loves going and has made such amazing progress with his swimming skills. I highly recommend Emler for swimming lessons- they are the best at what they do! read more

Our kids have been going here since they were babies. They both love swimming and are little fish. We looked at other programs; they were some combination of people that didn't have experience with kids, pretty harsh, or just not very skilled. Not at Emler! Every single person that works with the children is great with children, kind, and knows exactly what and how to correct them on. Miss Kerin is our absolute favorite teacher. You get what you pay for, it is not cheap, but it is worth it! While all my friends were nervous about sending their six year olds to summer camp at the pool, I was taking it easy! read more

Absolutely love Emler. My daughter started at 5 months old (7 months now) and is definitely making progress. The classes are small and everyone gets the attention they need. I highly recommend Reed as a teacher; he's engaging, patient and experienced. This location also has a play pool that you can swim in anytime during the week during business hours - perfect when we have free time. The salt water pool is also gentle on my daughter's eczema. Pricey because you pay by the semester rather than the month, but it's worth every penny. read more

I agree with Arnold L's review that this place is great. I wonder why we waited so long to start here. Yes it is pricey, but if you can afford it, you are paying for your child's safety and comfort around water. I am amazed at what our child can do after 1-2 semesters. It is a great concept... up to 4 kids in a class. My only complaint is that in a thirty minute class he may only get 7-8 minutes of swim time. Their practice pool is great. I highly recommend Missy as an instructor. read more

I would definitely recommend this school for any young children just getting started! All the instructors we've had have been loving and affectionate, but at the same time stern! read more

I absolutely loooove Emler swim school. My daughter and I have been going there since she was 3 months and we both love it. Her teacher Kerin is amazing!!! She watches the progress of each baby very closely, and takes her time to explain every single detail to the parents. I've made some very good friends in these classes, and we will continue to come as long as we can! Definitely recommend it! read more

The folks at Emler were incredibly responsive, reaching out multiple times to make sure we could fix the customer service issue I had (apparently, the folks I talked to originally were with their call center). Jen Brown was especially pleasant to deal with and I appreciated their efforts to resolve the situation. We are happy to be enrolled back in the program and look forward to my daughter's classes. read more

Place is small, stuffy, not clean, and staff, especially Emily Smith and Jessica Dansby were so rude to me, considering filing a complaint. Just a waist of time to go here. So many other places with bigger pools and better facilities and safer regulations. read more

I have been bringing my 3 year old here for over 2 years and I can't say enough good things about Emler! The teachers have all been amazingly patient and engaging! My daughter has learned so much and loves going to class every week. She is not afraid of the water and has gained so much confidence in a short time. She continues to become a stronger swimmer each semester and I can't imagine she'll ever want to stop coming! I feel much more comfortable with her in the summer in our own pool and she always wants to show off what she can do!!! read more

Emler is a great school! My daughter is 4 and has been going since she was 18 months old. She is amazingly confident in the water and we owe to Emler! Thanks! read more

My boys have been taking lessons at Emler for years and they LOVE it! The instructors are fabulous and make lessons fun while teaching the kids how to swim and safety techniques. Every week, the boys look forward to our trip to Emler. Thank you Emler for being so wonderful! read more

Love, love, love Janine. Our daughter has been taking swim lessons with Janine for nearly two years and is doing great! Janine has amazing patience and skill with little kids. read more

I highly recommend Emler, if you want to either introduce your kiddo to the water or give them advanced swimming and safety skills. The staff is so friendly and really seem to love their jobs. I just enrolled my almost 2 year old in their Waterbabies class, because of how much my 5 year old has progressed in her 2.5 years at Emler Dallas. read more

Simply the best in the business. I've been taking my son to Emler since he was three, and he has developed into a great swimmer. The staff is first-rate, friendly and professional. It's very evident that the instructors all love working with kids and have lots of fun with them. One can hardly beat the 1-4 student-teacher ratio, and their attention to the details of your child's strengths and weaknesses. There's also a practice pool available for all students to play and relax. We thought briefly of going somewhere closer to our home for the summer, but dismissed the thought 30 minutes later. read more