So far so good. Our 9 month old had her first swim class and everything was organized and ran smoothly. I enjoyed our first class.

Terrible location for mommy and me class especially if you are short. You could have a full class of 12 and then extra people if they reschedule their class. Plus you have the other level of classes in a tiny pool. The pool is slightly larger than your backyard pool. read more

Love love love this place. It was the best thing we could have done with our 4 month old. I love how their is a flexible schedule so if you cannot make one time or day they offer about 4-5 classes each day with different times and once you sign up you can bring your child to either session. I also enjoy that we missed two weeks and they told us to just add it on the back end. I figured the pool would be dirty due to the high volume but it is warm and clean. Love this place! In her baby class they sing different songs with motions like the Wheels on the Bus and Humpty Dumpty. Not to mention baby gets a good nap after so parents can rest for a bit. The cost is $110 for 6 week sessions however if you have a referral they take $10 off. The swim instructors are extremely polite and helpful. read more

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My godson's first birthday party was here. It's a cute little place. The water is warm and doesn't contain much chlorine. The party facility is really nice. You can decorate it however you want and bring your own food and snacks. The staff was helpful and friendly as well. read more

I am so happy that my son is in this swim school. After 3 classes my son finally has made it to level 2. After a lot of patience, figuring out my son's learning style, & great coaching by his different instructors he finally started becoming more comfortable with the pool. The staff have been very helpful and friendly to my family and Brandon took out time to speak to me about my son's progress and give me advice on what & how he would likely progress. He also had 3 AMAZING sisters that helped unlock my son's abilities to learn through play & comfort. We will continue here until my son learns how to swim. read more

I didn't sign up just solely because of the first impression of the girl that was working at the front desk and the outdated look of the facility. (It honestly didn't look like a hygienic place) I was looking for a swim school a little close to my home. We a currently enrolled at Gold Fish swim school and I must say- coming from there this location is a SERIOUS down grade. It's not inviting or very family friendly, and the front desk girl did not have any knowledge about any questions that I asked her which where class related. read more

I had a review on here already for this place but it's gone missing.... My daughter attended this school for 6 months. Miss Ally and Miss Danielle were AMAZZZZING! The manager of this place does not understand customer service. He told me, the parent, that he knows what is best for my child. (she was crying and he pulled her from my arms and threw her in the pool) He also BULLIED my 3 year old, to the point, that every time we go to our NEW swim class, she says, OK, but Mr. Brandon won't be there right? We also went to dinner near this location and we had to leave the restaurant because my daughter was trembling out of fear that she would see Mr. Brandon. We left because of him. read more

My son has been receiving swimming lessons at kids first swim school for about 8 months and I am very pleased with the service I have received thus far. The place looks like it's operated by kids....Think there may only be one employee that is not in their 20's, but that still doesn't take away from the quality of the service they deliver. It's pretty clean and they have a good amount of changing rooms to accommodate the kids. The swim school focuses on kids but... surprise!!! If you're an adult that can't swim to save their life (like myself because if you splash me I'm getting out the pool) there is hope for you too. They offer adult classes as well, and I'm seriously considering signing myself up. Anyway back to the school, they offer group lessons, doubles and individuals, with group lessons being the cheapest ($90.00 a session). I have had group and individual lessons and I was pretty pleased with both. In order to do a double you have to find a swim partner of equal swim level for your child and sign them up together. None of my friend's kids are even interested in taking swim lessons so this one is out for me. The sessions are broken up into 6 week increments with each thirty minute class meeting once a week. If you register early enough you can pick the day and time for your child's lesson, otherwise you will be given a list of available times and dates based upon your child's swim level. After each six week session your child is given a progress report/report card that states the skills that they have mastered and determines if they are ready to move on to the next level. There are a total of eight levels with a list of skills that must be mastered for each level. On average I would say that most kids get "retained" along the way, which is good just to insure that your child has learned all he needs to learn. My son has had to repeat a few levels and I was okay with this because I knew he wasn't ready to advance. The only negative thing I have to say about Kids First Swim School is that they don't offer make up's for missed lessons, but they tell you this upfront, and they have signs up inside the building just in case you weren't listening lol so it's really no surprise. If you ask them about it they will kindly tell you "no". So what happens if you do miss a session you ask? Well I'll tell you.... they offer you a pass to Family Swim, the open pool program they have on Saturdays to help students brush up on their swim skills. It doesn't really take the place of a lesson but it does give your kid (or yourself) some pool time. If you know in advance that you will miss a session tell them and they won't charge you for it. They also seem to be pretty good about giving you a discount on your next paid session if you missed a lesson in the previous session due to something beyond your control i.e. snow. Overall I think it's a great school with friendly staff. They do a great job at what they set out to do....teaching your kid to swim. read more

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My daughter is halfway through her second session and I LOVE it. She is doing well and in only 9'weeks I have seen a marked improvement in her. When she first started she didn't even want to get her face wet. The front desk has been friendly and her instructors seem to be patient and kind. I intend to keep her enrolled here and she wants to have her Bday party here. So glad we found. Kids First!! read more

We signed our 3 month old up for the Mommy and Me swim class here. We are now on our second session and we love it here. The classes are reasonably priced and the staff is very friendly. The facilities can be used year round and they are very clean. The Mommy and Me course is strictly to introduce your child to the water. As expected, your child will not be able to swim after the course (lol). We used the course primarily for bonding time and to kill time during maternity/paternity leave. I would definitely recommend Kids First to any parent looking to introduce their young children to the water or to spend quality bonding time with their child. read more

So, this place delivers. I mean, they have taught my son to swim markedly better than when we started. We have gone for a solid 8-10 months and my son swims solid enough for me to be able to relax and not worry whole he is in the deep end. Most of the instructors are good, we have had a few that don't seem like they want to be in the pool. Here are my gripes, the bathrooms, eh, could be better, could have a changing table for little ones. Management, yep, you guys have a great service, an indoor pool in a great location, I guess you can act as though you don't need business and less than enthusiastic about an occasional change in lesson date. I feel like the way to keep kids in the pool would be to be a little more understanding, but I understand the reasoning for the hard lines. Overall, a good experience. read more

I couldn't be happier we decided to enroll my son at Kids First. He started when he was 3 and had developed a lot of fear of floating on his back. Water safety and learning to swim is really important to us so we pressed on. The instructors at Kids First tried a few different things and the manager Brandon even hopped in the pool to give him some 1:1 time. They stuck with him and we stuck with lessons and all of a sudden a switch flipped and our little boy was loving the water again and floating on his back solo. He just turned 4 is swimming independently and working on his crawl! What I like the best: 1) water is warm! 2) parents sit behind 1 way glass windows - you are paying these instructors for lessons and you have to let them do their thing 3) their method for teaching to swim makes so much sense - focus on floating, kicking and then arms 4) they spend the entire 30 minutes IN the water and not sitting on the side - the pool is very shallow and it allows for kids to be in the water and getting comfortable (safely) the entire time. I think the biggest thing with any swimming lesson is you have to trust the people you are paying to teach your kids - trust them, trust the process. If you stick with it, it works. If we had pulled my son out when he developed his fear of floating on the back there is no chance he'd be swimming now. I knew he was safe, I knew he was in good hands and I knew it was a phase. He is swimming now and loving it thanks to Kids First. read more

Brian Hogan has done a phenomenal job with our son. Our son went from not wanting to put his head under water to now loving to hold his breath under the water. Also he loves jumping into the pool and the best part of it all is that he is now actually swimming. Thank you Kids Swim First and Thank you Brian Hogan. Please keep up the good work..our child is one of many that has benefited from him. read more

My 4 year old was going to Kids First in Bowie up until last night for the following reasons: 1) Instructors working with younger kids need to learn to appear happier (even if they hate their jobs) and be more encouraging. My daughter said she felt like the instructor was always mad at her (and my daughter is a good listener, polite, not a cry baby, etc.). 2) In regards to teaching kids how to float on their backs: let them get comfortable in that position before you let go! And if they can't do it in the shallow end, don't take them over to the deep end to try the same thing! If the child is very upset, crying, and scared-- that's probably not a good time to flip them on their backs again until they've calmed down!! 3) No toilet paper in the 2-stall bathrooms 2 weeks in a row. One week, there was no toilet paper, paper towels, or soap. 4) Seeing that my daughter could do everything easily in Session 1, we were ready to sign her up for Session 2 but were told that we had to wait for the "report card" saying that my daughter had passed Session 1. The report card is given out at the end of the last Session 1 class. So, once the report card is given out, parents are supposed to make a dash for the front desk to sign their kids up before the class is full. Well, what do you know- in less than 5 minutes, we were told that the class is full. After some discussion and the threat of us not returning, the front desk guy is like "ok, ok there is one space open"... then we come to our first Session 2 class and there are only 2 kids in it! read more

For the most part, the swim instructors are great with the kids and do help teach the kids to swim. But let's face it, six thirty-minute lessons is not a lot of time to perfect a skill and they will have to take two sessions before passing to the next level (unless they swim a lot in their spare time). County sponsored swim programs offer more time for a session and are cheaper. To Kids First's credit however, county swim programs don't offer the comfortable setting that swim first does (the super warm water, viewing area for parents, TV area for siblings, comfortable dressing rooms). But you do pay for the convenience at Kids First. My disappointment is that Brandon Sollars, the manager has been rude and disrespectful on several occasions. At first I just ignored it but then he left me no choice but to confront the matter. In the end, I got my money back and plan to never return. I complained to upper management (which wasn't easy to do because they offer no contact information anywhere. But I'm persistent, so I eventually found it) but was told that they felt Brandon acted appropriately, defending his bad behavior. It's not just me, friends and neighbors have also been turned off by Brandon's behavior and refuse to return to the Bowie location. Another reviewer stated correctly that Brandon is ok (not great) until you bring forth any type of criticism. If you say something he doesn't like, he loses all form. read more

This place is horrible! The staff is rude. The manager Brandon actually called my phone the say "F**k You"! Great job genius! Hope you're ready for that harassment claim coming your way smart guy! ;-) PS. Don't take your kids here unless you don't mind them picking up a few extra unsavory words to add to their developing vocabularies! read more

Look who was stupid enough to send me a message on yelp. Every intelligent person knows in this computer savvy world we live in, you never put anything in writing that you don't want shared or repeated. But Brandon, Mr. Rude Man himself, posted this. For your review of: Kids First Swim School And Kids First is glad you and the other 10 families are gone; we're much better off without you. You can be Sportfits problem parent now. I also heard that he is now asking parents to go on yelp and post a positive review for KidsFirst Swim of Bowie. What's wrong, Brandon, thought we didn't matter?. Thought you told us to take our $200/every 6 weeks elsewhere? Already missing the thousands of dollars the owners can obviously afford to miss out on? Again I ask, what owners don't google or search to see what the public thinks of their business? What successful owners don't pop in and ask the parents how is it going? What can we do different/better? They truly don't care enough and that is why Brandon is still there losing thousands for them. Thanks again Brandon for proving what I wrote was true. If it wasn't, you would not have to beg parents to write a positive review for you. read more

Pretty impressive place if you're looking for an active swim course for your child without having to worry about the registration fees and hassles of your neighborhood Y or Community Center. For a 6 week course at $90, I enrolled in the Mommy and Me class with my 1 year old, who began going when she was 11 months old. She warmed up pretty quickly to the water and overall had a good time. I eventually signed up to continue for another 6 weeks but be prepared to do repetitive exercises every week, as the instructors love to focus on repetition, which is how infants and toddlers learn in the first place. Once her six weeks is up, I will not be enrolling my daughter again until the fall. Until then, she will be taking what she has learned to our neighborhood pool. Overall, a great experience. read more

It's hit or miss....you may get lucky. Paid for 4 classes between 2 daughters....don't do the group lessons...it's a waste. Just a bit of inside information for everyone that is complaining about how bad The manager Brandon is and how bad his customer service is...ever wonder why the "owners" who you all refer to as a woman never has anything to say about loosing your patronage, or his attitude....that's because Brandon is her husband folks. He's an owner manager. His wife works another job full time. Why don't you think over a period of years that their customer service doesn't change...lol...now you know! read more

Mommy & Me class with Mr. Brian is great!! He is very attentive to each mom & very knowledgeable about the swim fundamentals. Highly recommend. read more

My son has been swimming here for a little under a year. They are not in to coddling your kid which works for my family. My son went from hating going to swimming to not wanting to get out of the pool in a matter of a few months. He literally did NOT get out when his lesson was over ( obviously I was embarrassed but on the positive side I guess he really loves it now.) his progress from day 1 -present has been great. If you can get a morning weekday class it is a bit less hectic than the weekends or an after 5pm class. All of the instructors have their own styles. My son has enjoyed most but a favorite was Mr. Bryan. read more

My son has been taking swim lessons there for about 3 months and it has been great! He loves going there and looks forward to swimming with his friends every week. Brandon (the manager) is great, he is very friendly and is always willing to talk about our son's progress, he rocks! I would recommend Kids First to anyone that wants kids to learn how to swim. Go Kids First! read more

Our daughter completed swim lessons at kids first, combination of group/semi private and private. Started with group at youngest age and moved from there. Every instructor was great. Brandon is fantastic, he was able to both push our daughter when needed it & constantly help build her confidence to ensure she was successful! Thanks Brandon! read more

My older kids have been going for awhile now and my 3yr old just started. We like it a lot. My kids have gotten a lot of confidence in swimming. We go there on Sundays are very happy with the staff as they are very friendly. I have no complaints and find them willing to work with you at all times. read more

I signed my 4 year old up for group lessons. He was either hanging on the side of the wall or sitting on the side for the majority of the time. I understand that there will be times that he needs to sit but they should still be engaged. Have them practice kicking or something. And figure out how to better manage your time with a group. The instructor definitely had her favorites and they got way more attention. read more

This was the fourth session of lessons for us at Kids First. In the past, I had positive experiences, and decided to sign my son up for semi-private lessons this time, meaning he would be with just one other student. Having heard good things about the manager/owner, Brandon Sallors, I was looking forward to the experience. Last week was to be our first lesson, but my house had the flu, so we started this week. I was watching from the observation deck and could tell my son was getting used to the water again after not swimming since last summer, but he was following directions and listening to Mr. Sallors. Halfway through the lesson, Mr. Sallors had both boys get out of the pool as he brought them to the exit door. I had my other child at the time who was being a bit hyper and running around, (she is newly 3) so I was distracted a bit and asked him to hold on as she took that moment to run into the men's locker room. When I returned, Mr. Sallors was saying how "this just isn't working" and "P. is way beyond your son's ability, he is probably a level four while your son is at a level one." All this time, my son was clinging to my leg, crying. Mr. Sallors continued how perhaps if he would just stick his face in the pool, but he refuses. I shuffled my son off to get his things to change, as I could tell he was very upset and asked the other parent to watch my 3 year-old, while Mr. Sallors came into the observation area and said "there's another class at 6:30, try that one," seeming to ignore the fact that I was focused on calming down my son. I wasn't sure what to make of the interaction, but when I returned with my son to collect my other child from the fellow parent, he confirmed what I was thinking: what just happened was inappropriate at the very least. Was there some reason Mr. Sallors couldn't have waited until after the lesson and had a private conversation with us parents? Mr. Sallors had assured us when we booked the lessons that he knew how to work with kids who might be more sensitive and lacked confidence, but this made it seem like he doesn't. I left quickly and decided to drop my kids at home and come back to talk with him without the kids present. When I returned to Kids First, the woman behind the desk immediately knew why I was there and said Mr. Sallors was busy with a lesson - I had figured this would be the case, so I told her I would wait until he was finished. She wanted to let me know that she knew I was upset as a parent, but that I should know that Mr. Sallors "is a drill sergeant and that is his style." I appreciated her attempt to mediate, but I reinforced that I needed to talk with him personally. She let me know that he needed to leave right away to care for his children, but I said I needed to do the same, including my upset son, so I wanted to resolve this quickly. At some point during our exchange, Mr. Sallors must have seen me and exited the pool to speak with me. He approached with a nervous smirk and started to reiterate that my son was not on the same level as his friend. I told him that I completely understood that, but did not appreciate the way in which it was handled. I kept my voice even and spoke respectfully, although I was not pleased. He stopped me and said, "Oh, I get what this is really about. YOU are embarrrassed. This is because you're embarrassed that your son isn't good enough." I really wasn't, and reiterated that my upset was the way in which he yelled about my son's abilities in front of his friend while my son cried. Mr. Sallors cut me off and said, "He wasn't crying." I said, yes, he was, and if you don't believe me, the parent of the other student was standing right there and you can ask him. At this point, Mr. Sallors escalated. He shouted, "I'm not calling anyone!" before yelling about how he was just trying to get my son at the same level and "This is what it takes!" I said that was my goal as well, but that at the end of last summer, the boys had been on the same level and I really did enter into the lessons with this in mind. He chortled, "Yeah right." At this point, he turned his back on me, waved his arm at the receptionists and barked, "Give her her money back, I don't have time for this. I have lessons to teach!" before returning to the pool. The next morning, I sent Mr. Sallors an email to give him the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps he had some horrific day which led to the misunderstanding. That was two days ago. No response or acknowledgement. I do not enjoy leaving a bad review for Kids First. In fact, I have never left a Yelp review before. I do not relish the idea of taking business away from someone who has a family to support, however, for the sake of other families, for the kids that he works with, I felt that I had little choice. I truly hope that Mr. Sallors regrets what happened, but since he has yet to acknowledge my email, I am not confident that is the case. I recommend anyone seeking swim lessons go elsewhere. read more

Hit or miss. We did several parent-child classes with our then 2yo. We were looking for some basic skills, and tips/tricks on teaching him how to become comfy in the water. The first class we took offered exactly that. The next session- mostly the same. The third session started out okay, but as it went on (I forget if its 6 or 8 weeks), the "teacher" got lazier and lazier, and just hung out with his friends. The last couple of classes were essentially free swims - no instruction at all. I complained to the staff on two occassions- one employee who is really gruff in person apologized and said they'd speak to the instructor. Well I guess that conversation never happened becuase the following class was the same - hardly a class at all. So I called back to complain higher up the management chain, where I was essentially put down for complaining. He agreed with me, but said "well what do you want me to do, some instructors don't work out, and I've fired him but the class is over." Um, I want to not be made feel like an idiot for calling you about a concern! Haven't been back since, as I was pretty pissed. But, my kids really like it and when the instructor was good, it was convenient, reasonably priced, and what we wanted, plus year-round. Not sure I'm over that insult yet, but we're considering going back. read more

I have been waiting to review this business until I had a little bit more time and experience with them and could give an accurate review. And the truth is, I have grown to love this place. I love their method for teaching swimming and the progress I have seen in my kids is evidence that their system works. I think Brandon, the manager, is a great, friendly guy who does his best to accommodate the customers. And he truly tries to get to know the kids as well as the parents. I've also been watching the different instructors and they all seem excellent. But they definitely have different teaching styles and personalities so certain teachers might work better for certain kids, like Emoni works great with the younger kids whereas I think Hailey works great for slightly older kids. Josh is the assistant manager who, at first, I wasn't sure how I felt about him because he seemed aloof but as I watched him teach my kids this past session, I've changed my mind about him and fallen in love with his teaching style and how he interacted with my kids. I think the one downside is their policy on not making up classes but that's because they believe learning isn't as effective if kids are put in a different class with a different instructor and different students for one class. But they try to make up for it by offering a free pass to one Family swim time. They also try to help out when possible, like when my son missed one class due to illness and then freaked out the next week with a new teacher so Brandon offered to let him have a private class with my son's original teacher to make up for the classes he missed. I thought that was very nice. Another time we were there early and one of the instructor's students hadn't shown up so Brandon had my kids go in early with that instructor for extra practice time. It was great. Ultimately, the two factors that mean the most for me are seeing what great swimmers my kids are becoming and also the friendliness from Brandon and the instructors. I would recommend this place to anyone. read more

My daughter got some excellent attention for a very affordable price. She made some nice strides in just one session. I will be signing her up for more. read more

I took my 1 year old son to Mommy and Me class. They have too many people in the class and other classes going on at the same time, so there are way too many people in the pool. The instructor does not do too much. We sing a few songs and dunk the kids a few times and that's it. You pretty much just do things on your own. The front desk does not check anyone in. You just wander in with no accountability. Not impressed at all. Will not go back. read more

My son had his 4th bday party just recently at the Bowie location and all I have to say is....SAVE YOUR MONEY!! When entering the center, the staff reluctantly pointed to where my husband could place the cake, goodies, and decorations, and throughout the entire party, the staff had to be frequently located for assistance. We were told that a staff member would be available to games with the children in the pool, yet when I inquired about such, I was given a puzzled look, and the lifequard said, "we don't do that." I was simply disgusted by their attitude and disengagement. When calling the manager, Brandon Sollars, one week later, he rushed me off the phone not allowing me to state my experience with his center. I feel this center is a HORRIBle host for a party and I would strongly recommend against it! read more

My daughter enjoys her Sunday morning lessons. The front office staff, especially Mary, have been most helpful.

All of the instructors are great and have worked well with my 3 yr old son! My biggest complaint is the manager Brandon. He's unprofessional, disrespectful and confrontational. read more

my child is at kids first swim school and we are very happy with the service, love the staff

I have a 7 and 4 year old who are both excellent swimmers thanks to Kids First in Bowie. My youngest daughter, 4, has been taking lessons there for a year and a half and is now proficient at freestyle including rotary breathing and back stroke. She was even on our neighborhood's summer swim team at 4 yrs. old! She adores her instructor, Brandon, and wants to do her best each week to please him. Thanks to Kids First, I am confident in my childrens' ability to swim. Stick with their step-by-step program and your child will learn how to swim the correct way. read more

Kids First Swim School in Bowie is Awesome!!! The staff is extremely friendly and professional, and the Manager, Brandon, will go above and beyond any expectations to satisfy its customers and make sure the kids are well taken care at all times while they are learning how to swim. I have both of my boys signed up for weekly swimming lessons and their progresses are fascinating! They would not put a foot in the water when they started, but through a lot of psychology and great work, their instructor succeeded to make them confident and taught them how to enjoy to evolve in the water. Every week,our kids are now begging us to go to their swimming lesson so they can enjoy touching the deep bottom of the swimming pool! I highly recommend this place, it's a A+ and you won't be disappointed!!! read more

I used to like taking my kid to Kids First until I had to deal with the manager Brandon. He is rude and acts like an immature adult. My 5 year old son is more mature than him. At first, he is understanding and not an asshole but once you do something that he doesn't like, for example, when you come to him about your concerns and he considers it to be not important and says don't worry about it but you approach him a week later and he gets an attitude. I thought customers were always right and we are the ones supporting the business so ought you be nice to us? He doesn't care about most of the people who walk through the door unless they don't complain. read more

recently attended a birthday party there. nice large room for the party and clean. I was disappointed that there was no refrigerator/freezer so the children could not have ice cream with there cake. the time limit in the pool 1 hour was a little short and could not extended not even for 10-15 minutes. the staff was pleasant but one of the lifeguard spoke a little too rough with the children but after speaking with another staff member about it the problem was addressed. Overall everything was okay. read more

Life throws everyone curve balls. My son was in private lessons and doing well, until I was diagnosed with cancer. After several surgeries and chemo treatments, six months later I contacted the manager Brandon to see what we could do about the final two classes he missed. Quite to my surprise and disappointment, Brandon was unsympathetic because it was six months later and there was nothing he could do except offer me a family swim pass. I wholeheartedly admit to not calling sooner. But when your life is in the balance swim classes are the last thing you're thinking about. If you're hit with any type of crisis or emergency, don't expect anything from this establishment except a family swim pass. It appears as though quality customer service and empathy is their Achilles heel, so we will take our business elsewhere. read more

Their concept appears well thought through and structured and the facilitly isn't so bad. However, the kids don't learn how to swim. They will often not let them progress to next level before two or more sessions at one level. The use of arms is not introduced before session 4. Be prepared to spend 8+ sessions, weekly swim lessons for almost a year until your child may be able to swim. It is a good money maker, but not efficient. read more