Still wearing masks?!? The instruction is good, but they still make the kids and parents wear masks. Other sports/sports venues in the area have dropped this requirement. Restaurants, stores, barber shops, salons, gyms, etc. All places with similar or closer contact. People got the vax so they wouldn't have to deal with this. If it were 2020 or early 2021, I'd deal with it. If they were just following a state mandate, I'd deal with it. But not now. We will be looking for lessons elsewhere... read more

We love this school. They are very receptive to my autistic son's needs when he needs to change teachers. There's been some turnover which is expected and my son would move to a teacher until he found one he was comfortable with. We love the program, the warmth and the viewing area. They also do special events. Family swim is fun for a rainy or cold day. read more

Goldfish Swim School - Okemos - The wait in area with play space. - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

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I signed up my daughter for swim lessons. Unfortunately before we could start, my son got terribly sick and was in the Pediatric ICU. I called the swim school and explained my situation and informed them that I could not do the summer swim lessons now as my son was in the hospital. The manager called back and informed me that I would get a credit and not the money back. I told her I wasn't sure of my situation and how things would be. She called me back after speaking to the general manager and said that I would get refunded for the classes but a credit for the jumpstart clinic. After this experience, I would never take my children here, credit or not. During a highly stressful time, they added unnecessary stress with back and forth phone calls and not giving our money back. Summer swim lessons should be the least of my worries while my son is in the PICU but not so if your child is signed up at the Goldfish swim school for lessons. They have to get their money regardless of what's going on in your life. Update: They called and left a message. I returned their call and left a message. I've yet to hear back. read more

We had a fine experience with the lessons, but the cancellation policy is EXTORTION. They will not allow cancellation on line, by phone, or by mail. You must go to the facility and physically fill out a form. You can sign up, change classes, reschedule, make payments, etc., on line or by phone, only cancellation has to be in person. This policy is ridiculous and designed specifically to extort money from customers. read more

We love the comprehensive, personalized instruction at Goldfish Swim School. In such a short time we have seen huge growth in James's swimming skills. In addition, his confidence has grown tremendously in all areas. read more

I love this place. Their facility is phenomenal. I cannot overemphasize how much a difference it makes for small skinny children to not have to swim in water heated only to temperatures suited for adult lap swimmers! We have done a few months of perpetual lessons and a jumpstart clinic, and my kids have made so much progress. My older son had tubes in his ears a few years back so was afraid of water since we basically did not get his face wet for about 2 years. We had to drag him into the shower every time we bathed him. We did several sessions of lessons at the Y and he made NO progress. After two months of lessons at Goldfish, he is voluntarily putting his head under water and is practically drown-proof! Their instructors are well trained and skillful. They all seem to be really happy to be there teaching small children to swim, and their cheerfulness helps my kids enjoy it too. They seem to hit exactly the right balance between helping the kids really love being in the water while also pushing them to progress. The small class sizes and props they use are ideally suited for teaching swimming. It is obvious that everything about the classes was thoughtfully designed by people who know what they are doing, and that the employees have been well-trained to implement the classes. Obviously it is more expensive than other options (I get an employee discount at the Y that makes lessons there less than 1/4 the pr-minute cost of Goldfish), but when I factor in the time and energy cost of getting everyone there on time and in their suits, not to mention having to then get them showered, out of their swimsuits, and back in the car, the quick progress my swimmers have made with Goldfish make it well worth it. I have a 1 yr old in addition to my older 3, and due to the genius design of the space she can happily and safely wander around playing with the toys in their sibling area while I can sit and watch my others swim (or maybe even read my book). Their abundance of changing rooms and bathrooms mean you don't have to stand around with dripping kids waiting for a room to open up, and there is no long trek with wet-haired children in the snow since they have lots of convenient parking. Finally, their policies are so family-friendly. If you miss a lesson, you can make it up with no hassle: there is no incentive to take a slightly-sick child so you don't lose a lesson you have paid for. If you get there and your kid refuses to get into the water, there is no pressure to force them in (GET INTO THE POOL OR I WILL SPANK YOU), you just make it up later. Recently I misunderstood a policy, and as a consequence missed out on something, and when I mentioned it to them they just went ahead and credited my account, even though they definitely could have just told me "too bad." It is rare for businesses to be so open-handed and gracious and treat their customers the way Goldfish does, and it makes it a pleasure to patronize them. We went to a birthday party for a 4 yr old here, and it was so fun that I sort of want to have my (38th) birthday party here too! The only note I have is that you have to cancel in person 30 days in advance. I think they should change this policy or emphasize it more when you register, but I registered with 4 children swarming around my feet so *may* not have read all the fine print. It seems like most the unhappy patrons were surprised by this policy so changing it would probably get rid of all their negative ratings. However, if you have 5 absences you can swap them for a Jump start clinic (a week-long every day summer session), so if you do need to cancel unexpectedly this might be a good option for you. read more

I LOVE this place. My son (almost 2) has a blast in the Mini 2 class with my husband, and my daughter (4.5) has learned to swim in 7 weeks. She's 4.5, started in Junior 1 and bumped to Junior 2, Junior 3, and now Glider in 8 weeks. She's had several different instructors, all of whom are excellent, and she love love loves going to swimming. I'd looked into ISR before I found this place, and they don't have anything close to the Lansing area, plus they can be too intense and make kids not like swimming. Both of my kids are still super excited about getting in the water, and I'm just floored by the huge strides they've made. I thought it was a little expensive when I signed up, but it's nothing for the peace of mind that my child can swim. Worth every penny and then some. read more

We love Goldfish! Goldfish has always donated to the causes I support and when I ask for a donation they always give without a doubt. We hosted my sons birthday party here and it was fantastic. They are very helpful throughout the whole party process! It is pricey but I highly recommend it if you are looking for somewhere to host a kids party! The cost is worth it and the extra help with the party allows the adults to enjoy the party too. read more

Up until we decided to leave we had a decent experience. One particular instructor though had an attitude every week with our four year old son to a point where he didn't want to go anymore if he had to be with this instructor. The other instructors worked well with our kids. When we decided that our kids had learned enough my wife called and talked with the same instructor mentioned above and told him that we wanted to be done. At no point did he say we needed to do anything else. The next month we were billed again for another month. After several calls, the manager finally called back and said there was nothing they could do about refunding any money even though we hadn't been there for over two months. Supposedly, there is fine print on their contract that says you must provide written cancellation. She said she would check with corporate regarding a refund and to date I have not heard back. read more

This place is great! They had my two-year-old daughter swimming in less than 3 months. It's on the expensive side -- but, it works and it could save her life someday. I took her out of gymnastics so we could afford classes here, and I don't regret it one bit. She begs to go to swim class all week and has a wonderful time when she's there! read more

This is what I hate about companies that have direct access and ability to withdraw from your bank account, when THEY make a mistake and can take from your acct.....Around 4am this Sunday I received a text saying that $60 were withdrawn from my account from goldfish swim school even though the $80 were previously withdrawn on the first of the month. I called around noon and they said they would have to look into it and that I would get a call back. I waited all day and never received a call or explanation. I called again but of course they were closed. Waited around today and at noon I still hadn't received a phone call or voicemail so I called them again for the third time.... and the lady on the end said that it showed that I would have a credit back. I asked what the reasoning was and she said she couldn't tell me. So now I had to call three times to get my money back, the employee didn't know why it was withdrawn, and now who knows how many days before it is back into my account. This is the account that I use to pay certain bills each month so only certain amount of money is in there. Now I have to rush to my back on the way to work (which is out of the way) hurry and deposit money so I don't get charged a fee by my bank but I will get charged a late fee by my Credit card company because the funds weren't available thanks to goldfish swim school. I bet your not going to pay my late fees are you? Also I got no apology or like I said a phone call and I'm the one who had to call you three times! I had an end date set at the end of this month due to other extracurricular activities and was considering rejoining after they were over but after this incident I think I will find another place to take swim lessons. My recommendations before this incident were that would have preferred the classes be a little longer for the price or have them be a 1:2 ratio at most for the kids. We had a make up class on Saturday when it was almost empty in there and I loved that my daughter got more one on one lessons with the teacher. Definitely not the bang for your buck otherwise. Too pricey. read more

This facility is amazing. Because of the warm environment, my daughter doesn't mind getting in an out of the pool. All of the teachers she has had have been amazing with her. She is always improving. In this last year we went from the mini 2 class all the way to the Junior 2 class. It amaizing to see a child under 3 swimming, and floating, and getting out of the pool independently. read more

We have been attending Goldfish Okemos for over two years. We love all of the teachers we've had! The administrative staff is respectful and easy to work with. The facility is clean and offers a clear view of lessons. Okemos is a very easy location to get to. We were at Ann Arbor for awhile, and I always hated the traffic. My 3 year old and 2 year old have gained so many water safety skills! We watched them put those skills to use when we were on vacation last week. This is one of the most valuable investments we've made in our childrens' safety. I would highly recommend Goldfish Okemos to anyone looking to equip their kids for life in The Great Lakes State. read more

We have been using the swim school for our son from age 5-6 (approximate). The lessons are well thought out with a nice progression of milestones and a kid friendly facility (warm water, nice murals, play stuff in the lobby for siblings potentially waiting). Instructors vary, but most appear to do a good job. Our son is pretty athletic but not so great at times with instructions and the instructors have been good with him to keep him progressing. The price is a little high. But overall, the school has served it's function well for us. Our son has advanced nicely in skills and enjoys the lessons. Obviously, every young kid should learn to swim as soon as possible for basic safety. Now I am not as worried about our son doing typical little boy stuff around water and getting into trouble rapidly. The school also has some open events for members that our sons have had fun with. We had some bad luck with the facility being closed (weather etc) and that not being noted on the web site. Others were arriving thinking the place is open. I was told they would fix the notice posting. But you may want to call ahead if you have any doubts. read more