I wish I had found Lori SO MUCH sooner. Our kids are 8,6&3.5 and all were not able to swim. Lori is so incredible with each one of them. She makes everything into a game & the kids are having so much fun when it's their turn. She is so incredible with the kids - she is fun & silly & also challenges them the perfect amount. They can't wait to come back & my 3.5 year old cries when we leave. As someone with a background in education, I can tell how much skill & experience she has (she has 50 yrs of teaching experience) in everything she does with them that looks so natural but she's doing everything for a specific reason to get them closer to being proficient swimmers. We had previously only done a local ISR 2 week class with our oldest when they were very little but it was very traumatic for me & I didn't want to go back. I'm so thankful they can learn now in such a fun & effective way! I'm telling all my friends -- run don't walk to these swim lessons!! read more

Kilmer's Swim Time - "what's this toy I have here, can you see it??" (Trying to get him comfortable with his head under water) - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Escondido, California

I'm so glad I found Lori here on Yelp! My 3 yr old took group swim lessons in 2023 with a different company, and there was NO way I was doing that again this year. I had been looking for a one-on-one lesson. Kilmers Swim Time, taught by Lori Kilmer sounded just like what I had been searching for. I called her and booked lesson throughout the next 2.5 months to start. My son, who's about to turn 4 yr old has had 5, 30 minute swim lessons now. He started off shy and quiet. Not sure of this new place and person. But with each lesson he has opened up more and learned SO much! Lori has toys on the side of the pool she uses to keep the kids interested and focused in their lesson. She's so good with kids! Her style of teaching has my easily distracted kiddo focused and engaged the WHOLE lesson. It's impressive! Having my son, who is comfortable in water, but did not know how to swim, have one-on-one lessons is so much less stressful. With group lessons with a different company last year I was so paranoid of him going under the water and no one noticing, since they'd be working with a different kid and have their back to the kids who were waiting for their turn. I highly recommend you talk to Lori and give Kilmer's Swim Time a chance! She's very knowledgeable and has decades of experience! read more

We started our 3.5-year-old daughter with Lori about a month ago, and all I can say is WOW! Lori is an incredible swim instructor! She is so great at interacting with our daughter and keeping her engaged and focused, and she's always keeping the lessons fresh and interesting so our daughter doesn't get bored. Not only that, after 2 weeks our daughter was holding her breath under water for 3 seconds at a time, and after 4 weeks our daughter can swim with her head under water for a few feet with very little assistance. To say I'm impressed is an understatement! She even holds lessons at a very nice indoor pool. I'm so happy we found Lori, and I highly recommend her! read more

We have only had a couple of classes with Lori but my daughter who was terrified of putting her head in the water and doing a swim class without me in the pool somehow enjoyed even the first class. No tears, it was like magic. Since the first class all she wants to do is swim and she counts down the days until the next class. She is so comfortable now going under the water and is starting to swim very short distances. She enjoys it and we are so glad we found Lori. read more

Lori is so patient with the kids and so encouraging too. She has an endless supply of tricks and suggestions to help the kids learn according to what works best for them. Both boys loved her immediately and felt completely comfortable with her. I can't recommend her enough! read more

I had sticker shock when she told me the price for private lessons at our home. Then I calculated the cost if I had to travel to a public pool and the value of the private instruction. Each private lesson is really the equivalent of 3-4 group lessons, because she can adjust to the child's mood, needs, and learning style. Last month my son would have drowned if he fell into the pool. Today he can float or swim across the pool. The value of that improvement is priceless. read more

Lori's swim lessons are MAGIC! She not only has taught my 3 year old how to swim in only 2 lessons but she's so fun, and he adores her! We live in Utah so we only get her when we're on vacation here in California, and it's so sad because I wish we could have regular lessons from her. She's great for all levels, she even helped my 12 year old daughter who is an excellent swimmer to be a more sufficient breather when she swims. I would 100% recommend her to anyone looking for swim lessons. You won't be disappointed, she's worth every penny! read more

Lori is a wonderful swim teacher! I am glad to find her for my kids swim lessons. She is very responsive to phone calls, on time to classes and very very fantastic with kids. My kids feel safe, happy and willing to learn swimming with her. My daughter went from basic to next level swimming quickly with her lessons. I would definitely recommend her for kids swimming lessons. And I myself want to take classes with her soon... read more

Lori's play based approach to swim lessons was a great match for my kids! She explains and breaks things down in an age appropriate manor. She is very good at individualizing lessons for different personalities and levels! read more

Lori is phenomenal!!! We took our kids to Noonan and it felt like it would be years before they could actually swim and their teachers kept quitting so we switched over to Lori Kilmer. Lori is magic, she had both of our kids swimming in the first lesson. She's so experienced and she does a great job of making it playful. The kids were diving down for toys and progressing so quickly. My husband and I were in awe watching the class. We will definitely keep using Lori. She is worth every penny! read more

Lori is AMAZING! Within a week she had my 2 young kids, who started out scared of the water, totally comfortable with putting their faces in and swimming short distances. She was very patient with them and made it fun with all the toys she brought. My kids loved her swim lessons and warmed up quickly to her. She has a special way with kids and we are so fortunate we found her while on vacation in La Jolla! read more

Lori is an exceptional instructor, whom I recommend to anyone looking to learn how to swim as an adult. Based on what I've seen, she's also fantastic with kids, keeping things fun and engaging; all the children I've seen finishing up a lesson leave with smiles on their faces. I had never learned how to swim as a kid, and not knowing how to swim held me back from enjoying the water as an adult. So, I wanted to find a private instructor who was experienced teaching adults and could work around my schedule. I'm happy I found Kilmer's Swim Time because Lori is extremely patient and knowledgeable, immediately putting me at ease. She tailors lessons to your specific goals and assesses your progress throughout each lesson, providing helpful and encouraging feedback at every step of the way. While there is definitely room to grow and become a better swimmer, after a few months of lessons with Lori, I feel confident in my new swimming skills and can now really enjoy my time in the water. read more

Lori may be a good instructor but she's an awful person and business owner. I bought a groupon for a business that she purchased recently (Fields Swim School) a while back. I asked her if she'd honor the non-promotional value and she not only said no but then proceeded to offer her services to me AT FULL PRICE with no consideration that I was now out the $60-70 I had originally purchased the groupon at. A rather despicable business practice! read more

You can spend summers in recreation department swim lessons (which we did!) ((where, mostly, they learn how to hold on to side of the pool for majority of the lesson)), or you can save a LOT of time, energy and money and go straight to Lori. Lori is an amazing, highly talented swim teacher. My granddaughter can be a bit ADHD at times, but Lori has a gift for reining her in, getting her attention, ~ and making it all fun. In just five half-hour lessons, Lori had my Kiera swimming the entire length of a 25-meter pool. Not just swimming, but with smooth strokes, effective kicks, and easy breathing. I was AMAZED that this would come about in such a short amount of time. Kiera loves going to her lessons and the experience for the two of us has been pure joy. read more

I would highly recommend Kilmer Swim Time. Several years ago I had my easily-distracted son in group swim lessons. It was a waste of money as he was so distracted when it was his turn that he did not learn much. Lori is an amazing swim instructor. She makes it fun and keeps students engaged. I took my son to her to learn to swim safely but we continue because he loves it. I've seen Lori teaching young children and working with adults--she truly has a gift. read more

We love Mrs. Lori's swim class! I have a 3 year old that i nanny fulltime and i am responsible for getting her to these classes. I was amazed from the very beginning how well the instructor can relate and teach a child this age the basic concepts of learning to swim. She has a way of building the childs trust and making it fun to learn at the same time. I have grabbed some of her flyers for her class to pass out myself. I want everyone who is looking for a swim instructor to look her up. She is terrific! She teaches people of all ages not just kids. So happy we found her.... Mrs. Paula(Oside,Ca.) read more

Lori is an amazing teacher! We had her come to our Airbnb and give my eight year old son and three year old daughter lessons. My son has been swimming for years and was very water safe but didn't know any strokes. Within three 30 minute lessons, he was doing freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breast stroke like a pro! My daughter was used to floaties and very nervous at first. The pool was a little cold which put a damper on things. Lori was patient and made the experience fun for her. By the third 30 minute lesson she was excited to be in the pool and happily swimming unassisted underwater. Every evening she was asking when Lori could come again. Lori was fantastic with both kids who had very different experience levels and needs. I highly recommend her. read more

LORI IS THE BEST INSTRUCTOR I'VE EVER WITNESSED. I can't say enough about Lori's ability to teach kids. She really connects. I have been surfing and swimming all over the world but had not been able to pass it on to my daughters (10 and 15). Suddenly we had a rare opportunity to try out for Junior Lifeguards but we only had a few weeks to get up to speed. Neither of my girls was even close to qualifying. But in an impossibly short amount of time Lori completely transformed my girls into capable swimmers with noticeably beautiful form. The happy ending is that both girls qualified during the swim test. This was such a boost in self confudence for them and they get to enjoy a great summer. Couldn't have done it without Lori. read more

Mrs. Lori (as my kids call her) is an excellent swim coach. She is incredibly patient, a quality I think most parents wish they had. Lori talks to the kids at their level and helps them feel confident in the water. I saw improvement, for both of my boys, within 15min of their first 30min lesson. We had done other classes, with more of a militant feel, and the kids were terrified of going. Lori's kind and respectful approach is working much much better. The kids ask me to sign them up for more classes each week, they love swim! I am so glad I found Lori! read more

Our 4 year old has made so much progress in the last couple months since taking lessons with Lori. He trusted her immediately and he has gone from being very timid in the water to doing actual swim strokes with no fear. She has a great way of teaching that is very play-based, so my son has fun while learning. He always looks forward to going to swim with Ms Lori. She also practices a lot of life saving skills with him like jumping into the pool and swimming back to the edge and climbing out, which is super important for water safety. We also love the flexibility of scheduling so we can go more or less often if we want. It works well with our busy schedule. Lessons with Lori are well worth it and the progress made far surpasses any group lessons! read more

Lori Kilmer is an amazing swim coach. Our son is 6 and is a typical wiggly 6 year old boy, and she is so patient yet firm with him. He has grown so much in his swimming skills being one on one with her in a 30 minute class session versus when he was in a swim class where the ratio was 3 kids to one instructor for 30 minutes so that he only had 10 minutes each class to learn. She charges more than his previous class but it is worth it as your child gets a full 30. She is worth it as she is extremely knowledgeable and experienced. She is friendly and fun too! Our son looks forward to going each week and loves Lori! She travels to different locations which is helpful. We chose the Escondido location which is an indoor pool in a retirement community. It's a beautiful facility and great during winter time. We highly recommend her! read more

Lori is the best! I've had a fear of swimming all of my life. Multiple people have tried to teach me how to swim, but Lori has been the only one who has given me the confidence and skill set to tackle my greatest fear. She is very experienced, patient, and an excellent teacher. My fear used to be so high that at my first lesson I had to sit down on the steps and hold onto the side rail in order to put my head underwater. By lesson #7, I jumped into the deep end and swam the entire length of the pool! Lori is amazing! I highly recommend her! read more

We are so happy we came across Lori's classes here at Yelp. In less than 6 months my 5 year old is a great swimmer!! She is patient and amazing with kids! My son loves her classes and looks forward to them every week. Because of her, he is safe in the water and enjoys all sorts of water sports read more

We have had two lessons so far with Lori. My daughter is three and had previously been swimming at Noonan. We felt a lack of consistency and personalization with our group lessons. Additionally, my child hated going to swim class. We knew we needed something different so our daughter would want to learn to swim. We are thrilled with the progress our daughter has made in just two sessions with Lori. Lori mixes lots of playing in with the skills making it super fun for my daughter. Lori was able to build trust in the very first lesson. I am excited to continue our lessons and can't wait to see the progress I know my child will make. read more

This is our 2nd summer with Lori. My daughter is 9. We do a bit of swimming in the summer but she does not get much time throughout the year. At the beginning of the summer I do a quick refresher so when she goes to camps I know she has the basics to be safe. Lori is able to get my daughter up and swimming in just a few lessons. We had an incident at the beach earlier this year where she slipped in off the rocks and it scared her. I wanted to be sure we got her into lessons this summer to help build that confidence back up and get those skills back in place. We have done 90 minutes of lessons so far and she is back up and swimming again. Lori has a knack for getting kids comfortable pretty quickly in the water. My daughter looks forward to her time with Lori and is quite proud of her skills once she is done. No matter the age, I highly recommend Lori. The 1:1 instruction is fantastic. read more

We truly can't say enough wonderful things about Ms Lori and Kilmer's Swim Time. We had been looking to put our 3 year old daughter into swim lessons but the Y classes filled up so quickly and I was concerned about group lessons with her still so young. Ms Lori has been the perfect answer. Our daughter trusts Ms Lori and looks forward to her swim classes, as a matter of fact, we are now going twice a week! Thank you Kilmer's Swim Time for turning our little princess into a mermaid!! read more

I feel so fortunate to have found the best swimming instructor/school in San Diego! My 2 year old daughter has been going to Lori Kilmer's Swim Time in San Diego for almost a year. She has made amazing progress thanks to the talent and patience of Lori. I'm so pleased she is learning the correct form, etc right from the start. Lori is extremely gifted in her teaching abilities and relating to children. She makes learning to swim such fun. Because of their excellent swimming instruction, I can't recommend Kilmer's Swim Time in San Diego enough. read more

My four year old daughter just thrives taking Lori's swim lessons. We where taking swim lessons at Rancho Arbolitos Swim/Tennis Club for a month and she learned more in one private lesson with Lori. I would definitely recommend Lori for Toddler lessons! read more

My 4 year old daughter LOVES coming to swim with Ms. Lori. Not only does she have a lot of fun but she is learning how to swim much quicker than when she was at Floaties in Poway. I would highly recommend her! read more

Mrs. Lori is a wonderful swim instructor and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for private lessons! My son is 3 and has had two lessons and has already accomplished more then I ever imagined he would (he was very timid around the water) I am a former college swimmer and swim instructor myself so I definitely know what to look for and Lori is fantastic! read more

My 4 year old is excelling under Lori what other swim schools couldn't accomplish in 2+ years. I would highly recommend Lori to anyone! My daughter loves her and has much fun "playing" while she learns some amazing swimming skills. read more

Lori has been able to accomplish more with our 4 year old in two classes than other swimming instructors/schools. Our son had gone to other private swim instructors as well as to the YMCA where we thought he would enjoy swimming with other children. Nobody was able to get him to participate in swim lessons like Lori. Within the first 10 minutes of the first class, my son was putting his face in the water! He actually looks forward to swimming with her. I have no doubt he will be swimming on his own within the next few classes. read more

I took my older son to 3 different well known swim schools in north county. We signed up for each schools recommended packages and by the end of each he was still not pool safe. Finally a friend recommended Lori to me. I was a little hesitant, because her pricing was a bit more, but since I didn't have to sign up for a "Package" I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. Wow, what a difference! My son was completely pool safe by his third lesson. For my second son, who just turned 3, I reluctatly tried private lessons at one other swim school in May because it was more convenient during school time. What a mistake. He cried throughout every lesson and would not participate - at all! Finally, I pulled him out and called Lori. He has taken 2 lessons with her and completely loves it. He is so confident and almost pool safe - in just 2 lessons! She really knows how to get the kids motivated and make it fun for them. They really think it is play time in the pool and don't even realize that they are learning a valuable skill. I would highly recommend Lori! read more

My 3 and 6 year old have been taking lessons from Lori for about 3 months. It is amazing to watch their improvement with every lesson! They are so much more confident in the water, as they build their breathing skills and swimming strength. And I feel more secure with their water safety. Lori has been teaching for many years and knows a variety of techniques to make each child feel comfortable in the water. We are very thankful we found her! read more

I've just started my child in the Kilmer's swim school and she truly didn't know how to swim at all at the time of enrollment. She has just taken her 5th private lesson and has made amazing progress. Lori, the instructor, has just the right amount of patience and push to drive a child. You can tell she has an eductional background with regard to how she communicates and motivates my child. My child looks forward to every class and again, has made great progress. I had previously enrolled my child in a YMCA course and it was a very disappointing experienced as she would receive approximately 3 minutes during a 30 minute course and it was very apparent in her lack of progress. I work in a business where I learn of one to two children drowning per year and approximately 75% of these drownings take place with a parent or adult at the pool. People simply don't realize how fast it happens. I can't urge people enough to make the investment in the life of their own child. Very pleased to date! Tracy B. read more

I have been taking my 3 kids to Kilmer and am vey happy. My 9 year old had been in lessons for several years but was still anxious so we looked for private lessons. Lori was great and helped him get comfortable with the water. I am also taking my 6 and 5 years olds and they are making quick progress with another instructor. read more

One word...INCREDIBLE! Our son is 3 and has been in and out of different swim programs and what Lori has accomplished in 3 lessons is more than what has happened in 2 years at other places. She has so much experience and knows how to keep the kids engaged while they are learning. They basically are learning while they think they are playing. My son can be quite shy and Lori made him feel comfortable immediately and he loves going to see her. I can't recommend her enough. She's fantastic and excellent at what she does. read more

Lori was amazing. My 6.5 year old son has been in private swim lessons for a few summers. He couldn't really "swim" but was water safe and knew how to float on his back when he got tired. 4th of July he got pushed into the deep end of the pool and panicked and I decided we needed a change. We went to Lori and by week 2 he was swimming-like legit breath stroke swimming and week 3 swimming across the pool. The biggest change was that by the end of a couple of months, he wanted to play in the deep end. He wasn't afraid! He was confident and comfortable. I knew NOW he is water safe and so Lori gave me a tremendous gift in that! Her method of teaching is perfect for kids and got fast results. Highly recommend! Sincerely, a super happy and proud mom! read more