THE BEST OF THE BEST My daughter celebrated her 10th birthday here just recently. I couldn't be any happier with how the party had turned out. From the get go, the staff had been very helpful & courteous. They helped us bring the food from our car into the venue. When we arrived, everything was prepared already. Chairs matched the table covers & the place was clean & organized. Special shout-out to Gio, Kylie & Ariana who went above & beyond in making sure that we had the best party experience ever. I've been to a lot of party places & had organized birthday parties for my daughters, but Gold Fish Swim School is by far THE BEST. I think it's a requirement for those who work here to be EXTREMELY NICE because they all are. Lol. The staff made sure that we, as parents aren't stressed out & could get into "the moment" without having to worry what other stuff needs to be done. To the owner / CEO of Gold Fish, thank your lucky stars to have such hard working & just really nice people working for your company. I surely would love to celebrate another party here pretty soon. And for all parents out there who are looking for a stress-free & worth-every-buck place to celebrate your child's birthday, this is THE place to be!!! read more

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I'm here to warn all the parents of special needs kids, do NOT take your child to Goldfish Swim School - Farmingdale because they are not equipped or educated on inclusion. I had a horrible experience with my special needs son at Goldfish swim school in Farmingdale, NY. I would rate this place a zero if I could. My son attended Goldfish as an infant at the Garden City, NY location. We had a wonderful experience at that location. We cancelled classes due to pandemic. We have since moved to Wantagh, NY decided to enroll him in a group class at the Farmingdale location. I decided to call the manager to let him know my son is autistic, mild on the spectrum and to make sure they could accommodate and to let teachers know. I explained that he has taken private and groups swim lessons at our home pool and at goldfish in the past, that he attends pre-school, and takes gymnastics classes. The manager seemed receptive to see how our son would do in a small group class of his peers. He explained to me that safety is first, but that for the first few weeks they would slowly integrate him and see if he would acclimate to the class. I was told that for the first 2 weeks or so, they would allow his caretaker to walk to the pool with him. I was told there would be a 2nd person on hand to assist and redirect him to sit as needed, until he gets used to routine. The manager told me that if he couldn't follow instructions after a few weeks, I could cancel enrollment. My son had his first class this week on Wednesday 1/18/23. Our babysitter said he was very excited to join the class, and after she said that he did well and though excited about the new surroundings he participated in the class. There was no negative feed back after the class either. The sitter mentioned that there was a 2nd person there outside the pool area who redirected him twice because he stood up in place when she said he should be sitting. The instructor seemed annoyed and impatient and told him he had to listen. So my caretaker went over and explained that he was autistic and that if she could be patient and speak to him slowly, he responds well. The instructor said she had not been told he was autistic. Which was disappointing because I had specifically talked to the manager about this, and assumed he would share this info with both instructors. As I said I never received any negative feedback from the school and was planning to continue the next week. I decided to call 1/20 to get feedback on how he did, and a lady who answered the phone immediately said she remembered me and that she thinks he cannot NOT continue taking the class because he could not sit the whole half hour during the session. She claimed safety was the most important thing. And that they don't have the staffing to "deal" with him. I was shocked by the conversation. I expected that a manager himself would be the person to give me this info. I expected they would tell me that he wasn't perfect, but that they could maybe see how he would do with a few more classes. I was speechless. I immediately asked to be re-imbursed $130 as the manager had told me he would if it didn't work out. They immediately agreed to a partial re-imbursement, and encouraged that I take advantage of the "family swim". Family swim is a free pool time where parents and kids get in the pool. Why would I pay $130 to swim at their school when a local YMCA offers swim at a much cheaper cost. I expressed my dissapointment that in this day and age Goldfish makes ZERO effort to try and accomodate children with special needs even though the goldfish website touts their accessibility, flexibility and programs for special needs but the franchises don't actually offer ANYTHING for kids like my son. The lady immediately changed her tune, and said they could try one more time. But I said NO thanks. Why would I want to send my son to a place that didnt want or care to work to acclimate him, that is telling me they are unwilling and unable to have staff to support a him and keep him safe??? Your website says "Goldfish Swim School is committed to providing individuals with disabilities access to information, goods, services and privileges offered on this website, Goldfishswimschool.com". It's great that your website is accessible, but your actual storefronts, do nothing to be inclusive of children with special needs. Your website also says "We're constantly evaluating our students and are very flexible when it comes to working with each child's individual strengths and weaknesses," I guess this statement does not apply to children with special needs. I will be sharing this information with my large special needs community, on facebook and anywhere there are ratings options. I hope someone at corporate is listening. read more

Everything about Goldfish Swim School of Farmingdale is amazing! The facility is very clean, lots of changing rooms, well kept, and it is huge! We have been members for a year and started in their Garden City location. In a year my 4YO son can now swim the entire width of the pool on his belly and his back without assistance. He has gained so much confidence in the water and enjoys going there every week. One of the amazing benefits that sold me was their daily open swim hours from 12-1pm. This allows for more practice in the water in a more casual atmosphere. Now about the staff... they are the friendliest and most approachable people you will find. The management is top notch. Dan, the GM, Jessica, Assistant GM, Rob, the sales manager, and Katie also one of the managers are beyond accommodating. They really value every inquiry and concern from parents. I recently had a small issue that was quickly remedied. They were fast to accommodate and made sure that I was happy about a scheduling issue. I am one of your loyal customers and will be here for the long haul. Thank you to everyone at GF for your efforts with my son. We love you! read more

Goldfish Swim School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Farmingdale, New York

I would give this place a zero if I could. My son attended Goldfish as an infant at the Garden City, NY location. We had a wonderful experience at that location. We cancelled classes due to pandemic. We have since moved to Wantagh, NY decided to enroll him in a group class at the Farmingdale location. I decided to call the manager to let him know my son is autistic, mild on the spectrum and to make sure they could accommodate and to let teacher would know. I explained that he has taken private and groups swim lessons at our home pool and at goldfish in the past, that he attends pre-school, and takes gymnastics classes. The manager seemed receptive to see how our son would do in a small group class of his peers. He explained to me that safety is first, but that for the first few weeks they would slowly integrate him and see if he would acclimate to the class. I was told that for the first 2 weeks or so, they would allow his caretaker to walk to the pool with him. I was told there would be a 2nd person on hand to assist and redirect him to sit as needed, until he gets used to routine. The manager told me that if he couldn't follow instructions after a few weeks, I could cancel enrollment. He had his first class this week on Wednesday 1/18/23. Our babysitter said he was very excited to join the class, and that overall he did well. She mentioned that there was a 2nd person there outside the pool area who redirected him twice because he stood up, when he should be sitting. The instructor seemed annoyed and told him he had to listen. So my caretaker explained that he was autistic and that if she could be patient and speak to him slowly, he responds well. The instructor said she did not know he was autistic. Which was disappointing for me because I had specifically talked to the manager about this, and assumed he would share this info with both instructors. I called today 1/20 to get feedback on how he did, and the lady who answered the phone immediately said he could NOT continue taking the class because he could not sit the whole half hour during the session. And that safety was the most important thing. And that they don't have the staffing to "deal" with him. I was shocked that the conversation didn't go differently. I expected that they would tell me that he wasn't perfect, but that they could maybe see how he would do with a few more classes. So I immediately said I want to be re-imbursed. They immediately agreed to a partial re-imbursement, and encouraged that I take advantage of the "family swim". I expressed my dissapointment that in this day in age Goldfish makes ZERO effort to try and accomodate children with special needs. The lady immediately changed her tune, and said they could try one more time. But I said NO thanks. Why would I want to send my son to a place that doesn't want to work to acclimate him, that is unwilling to have staff to support a him and keep him safe??? Your website says "Goldfish Swim School is committed to providing individuals with disabilities access to information, goods, services and privileges offered on this website, Goldfishswimschool.com". It's great that your website is accessible, but your actual storefronts, do nothing to be inclusive of children with special needs. Your website also says "We're constantly evaluating our students and are very flexible when it comes to working with each child's individual strengths and weaknesses," I guess this statement does not apply to children with special needs. I will be sharing this information with my large special needs community, on facebook and anywhere there are ratings options. read more

Very disappointed in this place... On the same day both my daughters had incidents of struggle under water, where one of them was under for a good 7-8 seconds, and when you see this as a parent that's a long time. If it wasnt for me drawing attention to the lifeguard (who obviously wasnt paying attention either) who knows what would've happened. Instructor never realized what was happening until the lifeguard pulled my daughter out of the water. This was the scariest moment I've ever had with both my kids, I dont wish that on anyone. Trying to find somewhere else to take my kids for their swimming lessons... ***Parents pay close attention to your kids during their class. read more

We really like coming here for the mini twos and mini three classes. The only disappointing part is that the classes are 30 minutes long which includes the intro and departure. I wish it was a little bit longer maybe 4045 minutes that included everything would be better but the people teaching my children are amazing read more

My daughter came here for a party a while ago, and even if it's winter, I thought I would get a jump on some swimming lessons for her. They are great with little ones. Also great being local and near every thing. read more

My daughter is currently attending GSS and we've had two incidents happen where she was unattended by the instructor and began to struggle under water. This place is currently run by a bunch of teenagers that are clearly not well trained. I would appreciate getting in touch with the owner of this establishment since it seems nearly impossible to do so over the phone. read more

Amazing!!! Cannot say enough nice things! Came in for open play and to check the place out my daughter loved it!! They are so clean provide hairdryers - bathrooms are convenient! The toys are fun. Their hot water wasn't working and because the staff just politely apologized I didn't even mind ! A+++++ for excellent customer service and a super pleasant experience!!! 1st time and definitely not my last!!! read more

I totally love goldfish. I totally recommend this place to everyone who has a child. I wish I could live closer to have my child registered. We went there for a trail day and we loved it so much. It was great atmosphere and environment. The prices are great too and if you compare them to any other swimming school this one beats everything: read more

My son has been taking swimming lessons here at goldfish for about 4 months now. Although the school is clean and staffs are friendly, I haven't seen much progress in my son's skills. And I couldn't agree more with the other reviewer that they took away a full 5 mins at the end of each session to discuss their progress is totally unnecessary. Progress reports generally last no more than 30 seconds per child (from my experience.) With 4 kids sharing the 30-min session is clearly not enough time for the kids to learn. This is our first swim school, we may have to look elsewhere... read more

I really want to love this place. However, the customer service is really poor. I've been trying to speak to someone for over 2 weeks about my son's fear of the water and how to overcome it, and to cancel our spot in the Jump Start clinic because I have concerns that he is not ready. I left a message with a girl at the front desk at our last lesson who said she couldn't help me with canceling our spot and would leave a message for the manager. I never got a call back. Phone calls always go to voice mail, and they are slow to respond. I'm just disappointed. The facility is really nice, and the community of other swimmers seems so friendly. I'm just frustrated with the quality of communication and service. UPDATE 6/23/21: I was finally able to get in touch with management to express my concerns, and feel a lot better now that a plan is in place. read more

This is such a great school. My 4 year old daughter just loves it. It is exactly what I would want my child's swim school to look. We can't wait for her party there. read more

Absolutely love this swim school. My girls can't wait for their classes every week. Instructors are great! Less than expensive than other swim schools and better quality. read more

Goldfish Farmingdale rocks! The staff is amazing, the instructors are friendly and knowledgeable and the location is clean, bright and welcoming. If you want your child to learn to swim in a fun and engaging environment, this is the place. My daughter wanted nothing to do with water and now we can't get her away from the pool. Thanks, Goldfish!! read more

Clean, fun classes; love it!!! I hated saf t swim because of the cholorine smell - I walked into this school and I can't even smell anything!! Teachers are patient and QUALIFIED. Love love love read more

Goldfish Farmingdale continually exceeds my expectations. Each and every staff member is knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. We feel welcome from the moment we check in to the moment we leave. The facility itself is clean and well maintained. The teachers work well with my daughter. They don't let her get away with silliness and appropriately challenge her. As a result, she is learning how to swim correctly. Also, scheduling is easy, including make up lessons as needed. We are happy with Goldfish and recommend it to anyone looking. read more