We love Kathie - our son started when he was ~2 or maybe a bit younger. He's now 3.5 and progressed quite well. As you'll clearly see, Kathie either has 5 star or 1 star. Our son took to her approach immediately and has thrived. Highly recommend for parents AND kids who are both resilient. read more

KTAP - Gorgeous outdoor setting in summer. Covered when cold - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Sammamish, Washington

My two boys have had a great experience with Kathie and CJ at KTAP. We had tried numerous other places before finding KTAP and never saw progress in actually learning to swim. We have been with KTAP for the past two years and both boys are confident swimmers (the youngest is 3.5). The method is no-nonsense but consistent and it has elicited positive results. I feel much better on the topic of water safety given they have practiced jumping in a pool fully clothed and floated or returned to the wall. They are both confident and comfortable in the water to the point that my 5 year old is already talking about swim team. read more

I made the decision to place my 3.5 year old daughter in KTAP Swim School based on the reviews I came across on Ask Sammamish. I found the reviews to be very polarized, and got the sense that "you either love Kathie or you don't." I was assured that if I had a "tough" kid who "loved water" and wasn't "hyper-sensitive" that he/she would be fine. I was told that Kathie was "old school" and practiced "tough love" with a promised result of having a competent swimmer by the end. So I allowed myself to be swayed by the reviews and the promise of a confident swimmer. As I watched a full session of lessons from poolside, I found myself continuously suppressing feelings of uneasiness around the "old school" methods of teaching. The approach was stern (which was totally fine) but also peppered with some good 'ole shaming-- "I've got two year olds who can do this"--and mean spirited comments or eye rolls from Kathie. But it seemed okay, because my kid was tough, strong and very clear with her boundaries. For whatever reason, three weeks ago my daughter became upset and stressed when doing the jumps off the side of the pool and during the teacher guided "dives for rings." Diving for rings means Kathie's hand is on the back of your child's head as she pushes them underneath the water and they grab a ring. Both tasks occur in the last five minutes of class. For my child, she now dreaded these moments and would cry, but I encouraged her to participate and at the very least, try to stay in the pool with the others and watch. For the record, I'm on board with the fact that kids need to learn to deal with discomfort, disappointment, and challenges. I don't just let them "quit" when it's hard. I sometimes need to remind myself not to rescue them, to allow them to struggle and ultimately build resilience. But whether you're a fan of tough love or not, I ASSURE you that when your child is crying and saying "no" you will feel things. When the choice is made to push the head of your crying child under water, in the spirit of "continuing on with the lesson" you will feel things. The other kids watching will feel things. The other parents will squirm in their chairs. As you watch your crying child try to climb out of the pool only to have their legs pulled down by their teacher, dragging them back into the pool, not once, but twice, I ASSURE you that you will recognize that we have moved well beyond any reasonable definition of tough love. To have a tired, overworked and visibly frustrated teacher navigating five 3 year old's must be incredibly challenging. I don't believe Kathie to be a bad person. Her son, CJ, is wonderful. But what happened this week to my child was inappropriate and unacceptable. To have a clearly frustrated teacher be in charge of a child in a vulnerable position is painful to see. But to watch the teacher make aggressively poor judgment calls in the spirit of tough love is terrifying. My feelings were corroborated by many of the other adults who witnessed this scene. Your child might be able to tow the line and Kathie might never say a mean comment toward them. You may have a wonderful experience there, and I think that's great. I truly hope that is the case for your child. Or, you could experience what my child did. Never underestimate the importance of trusting your instincts and advocating for your child. At the end of the day, we will all hopefully have competent swimmers and share the same lakes. The question is: what are you comfortable with in regards to the path you take to get there? read more

We live on a lake, and with in days of my 2 daughter's taking classes. They were swimming in the lake with a life jacket. When they first started classes they were swimming at ages 2 and 3. My only regret, was that my older one wasn't in the class sooner. I've been impressed with Kathy and CJ's patience, and training with all of the children. My 2 year old cried the 1st few sessions the entire time, but she got used to it, like most children do. It's new and can be scary. Kathy and CJ know each child and encourage them; with their training, to be able to swim. In my opinion, water can be dangerous for kids, and it comes down to safety. There might be some tough love involved, but at the end of the day. My children swim in the lake everyday and they are alive. They also know how important it is to wear a life jacket and to follow strong healthy boundaries in the water. I am beyond grateful for Kathy and CJ. I'd like to think about how many lives they save a year. Thank you! read more

KTAP - After a few month of swim lessons. - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Sammamish, Washington

Highest quality swim lessons in the area. Kathy and CJ are great- trust them, your kids will KNOW how to swim when they are done with them. The piece of mind when you are on the river or at a lake knowing your kids are equipped to handle water is priceless. read more

Giving this swim school 1 star based on our recent experience. Our little one is 4 and while not scared of water, she is scared of putting her head under. I don't recommend Kathie's program for super sensitive kids with this fear. Upon arriving, a bubble was placed on her back and she started shying away. Kathie pretty much grabbed her legs, told her kids don't act that way there and put her in the water. She proceeded to scream and cry for the entire lesson constantly being told that I couldn't help her, being asked what her problem was and being told she needed to be quiet. I should have known better and just pulled her out at 2 minutes in and have major Mom guilt for not doing so. It was painful to watch. Our little one cried the entire way home, kept saying the teacher was scary and woke up crying throughout the night. While I can see that this program is okay for many kiddos, I wanted to post our experience for anyone with kiddos like mine because I had no idea what we were in for. The day after, I sent an email to Kathie to discontinue lessons because of our experience. Her reply didn't acknowledge or speak to the experience - she solely requested payment for the lesson and for 1 more lesson to cover not being able to find a replacement that quickly. Fair enough but customer service is lacking along with any sympathy/empathy. read more

I'm so impressed with how far along my kiddos have come thanks to Kathie's patience and training style. My twin boys started at 2.5 years old and I wasn't sure how to handle swim lessons, if I would need to be in the pool, bring a helper etc. Kathie was incredibly flexible and accommodating and her small class size allowed for me to come without a helper and she was able to spot a kid while I switched between the two. Now, starting our second session my boys are swimming on their own (yay!) with swim belts and are getting stronger each lesson! I'm very pleased I decided to give her a try and that we started as early as we did, she will take toddlers starting at 18m. Best investment we have made yet! read more

I started my 3.5 year old at KTAP Swimming. I had read reviews regarding the instructor (Kathie) and her stern disposition with the kids. But, I decided to give this place a try anyways given it was the only nearby swim location that had open spots. Similar to some others, my child is one of those kids that does not like to dunk their head underwater. During one of the lessons, Kathie forcefully pushed his head underwater. When my son emerged, he started to cry. Kathie pointed her finger at him and repeatedly said " STOP crying, you're fine...STOP it." I watched my son, as he went back to the edge of the pool, trying to hold back his tears. I know everyone has their different teaching styles, but I am incredibly uneasy with this approach. There needs to be a balance between testing kid's limits and allowing them to learn through natural progression when they are ready. He was so excited to start swimming lessons and, honestly, I feel guilty now because he doesn't want to go at all. I have made the decision to pull him out of these classes and wait until a spot opens up elsewhere. It's important to learn how to swim, but I also want him to learn to enjoy to water in the process. read more

Kathy and CJ are amazing! My two boys 4 1/2 and 18 months spent the spring and summer in their classes and the results have been fantastic! They are both confident in the water and swimming. Even the 18 month old, he jumps from the diving board and swims to the side unassisted now (with his "jet pack" float). Kathy and Cj truly care about the kids, they want them to swim well and know what to do in an emergency! If you want dancing and singing in class this may not be the class for you but if you want a strong confident swimmer this is hands down the best place to go. We will be back at KTAP in the spring to continue to build on the skills learned this year. read more

KTAP is a hidden gem for swimming lessons and water safety classes in Sammamish! Kathie and CJ are fantastic! They really helped my son progress with his strokes. Their water safety session in the fall is perfect for the Eastside as they focus on challenges kids can face in Lake Sammamish and the Puget Sound - cold water, overturned raft/boat, falling in the water fully clothed. Thanks to lessens with Kathie & CJ, my son is very confident in the water and loves swimming! read more

My boys (9 & 5) learned so much from Kathy and CJ from June-September that they were in KTap. My older one already knew how to swim but I wanted him to learn or improve the various strokes. He definitely succeeded in that. For my younger one, he was a bit anxious to get in the water at first but Kathy's no-nonsense attitude helped him get over his fears and he looked forward to swimming every week. In the end, they learned, had fun, and made friends throughout the summer. September's safety focus was a bonus! Will definitely come back in the Spring. read more

Great experience, when my daughter started she sobbed when asked to put her face in the water. Kathie was firm but kind and after just a few weeks my daughter was excited to be jumping off the diving board. I love that they don't wear goggles, so kids don't panic if they are in the water and don't have them. My daughter has made huge strides with Kathie's method! read more

My son has taken lessons from Kathie and CJ since he was 18 months. He is an amazing swimmer because of the instruction that he received here. Some may say Kathie is too firm but she expects the best and truly gets kids to perform to their best. I appreciate their swim knowledge, it's clear they know what they are doing! I highly recommend. read more

We came to Kathie and C.J. on a personal recommendation. While my daughter liked to have her body in the water, she was afraid to get her face wet. We had taken lessons at another establishment and were told that her progression was at a standstill until she would put her face in the water. At almost 5 years old, we needed professionals that could help her get over her fears. Kathie and C.J. showed my daughter a great deal of consistency with patience and encouragement at each session and in about 8 weeks she went from crying in the shallow end to diving in from the side and jumping off the diving board and swimming the length of the pool. She asks to take lessons every day. We could not be more pleased and feel like our decision to switch to swimming professionals has made all the difference read more

My oldest had a problem with endurance in the pool and we tried KTAP. Glad I came here because she can now swim quite well. This is our second year and my oldest has learned all 4 major strokes, treading water and water safety. Now I have three kids enrolled. Here is what you need to know if you want to register your child here. Classes are two times a week either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday at Kathie's house. They will only take kids younger than kindergarten before 3pm during the school year because the demand for after school is so high for grade school children people get turned away. During the summer they have an assortment of time slots for all ages. Classes are usually March through September in an outdoor pool, heated approximately 90 degrees and non-chlorinated water with a dome that is put up and used until around Memorial Day weekend. There is one changing room and bathroom but no showers. No make-ups are allowed because each class has 5 kids per teacher so 10 kids in the pool at one time. How can they possibly squeeze in a make-up class and make it fair? I know I don't want my kid to be the one with a make-up student making it 11 kids in the class. Sessions run 4-6 weeks and it is posted for parents when March rolls around so you know how to schedule your future vacations. There are three teachers and Kathie runs the lessons with her two sons, CJ and Todd. Todd teaches later in the evening alone while Kathie and CJ teach together in the pool morning to early evening. Kathie teaches with tough love and she will force your kids face in the pool when they don't want to but I guarantee they will stop crying about it by a month if the parent doesn't intervene. I've seen it over and over again. I'm sure all parents would like to get our kids to learn to swim strong enough where they can go in a pool and not have to be held onto or within arms reach or be able to stay afloat if they fall into water. The price to swim here is not cheap but in the long run it is cheaper because other places seem to do baby steps compared to KTAP which pushes them but they learn to swim in greater strides. read more

As far as the lessons go themselves they seem fine for what they are, but the customer and child interaction is poor to say the least. I had my son in Kathie's class for 6 10 part sessions costing around $250 ea. My son did good and enjoyed it but got an ear infection from getting dunked and they still continued to do it to him even when I asked them not to until it got better. The worst part about it is the constant badgering for payment though. Kathie announces it literally every single class. And she wants you to schedule way way in advance, then pay for that once you've scheduled. So she will call you out in front of all the other parents like "hey, did you bring the check yet" for lessons that may be 2 months away! I'm not exaggerating, it is every single lesson! "Parents, put the check in the envelope, sign up for fall and get me a check for that too" "if you go on vacation I want to know about it and before you ask no discounts even if you know your not going to be here" we did 6 sessions and always paid, I hadn't paid for the next session which was 2 weeks away still, in front of all the parents "where's my check, all the parents have already paid, your late!" I responded to her with "it's 2 weeks away, you've been paid every time in the past, you'll be paid by the start of the session or maybe I'll put my kid in lessons somewhere else" she hasn't said a word to me since and we no longer are taking lessons from her. Her constant barking about checks ruins a perfectly fun time for the kids. She is also fairly mean to the kids, tells them no crying aloud, babies cry, stop it already, don't scare my deer, etc anyway, I can't really recommend it, not an aweful experience, but she can make it pretty negative at times read more

It is very important that all kids learn to swim, Kathy and CJ know how to teach all kids from the ones that just jump in to the ones that cry at the sight of water. Both my kids have learned to swim here and are very strong swimmers for their ages (5 and 7) Thanks to ktap. read more

I sent an e-mail asking for basic information. It is much easier for me to send out emails to several places to gather information before I make phone calls. Their website says for additional information you can e-mail her, btw. Her reply was very brief and refused to further communicate through e-mail and insisted I call. I can't vouch for her program, but this might not be the best place for kids if she's just as impatient with them. She did say classes were $230 which is very expensive compared to the competition. For customer service she gets 1-star from me and that automatically screens her out. read more

We have our two boys in Kathie's swim classes and it's been great. They both have done very well and we are proud of the boy's progression. We would highly recommend KTAP to any parent who is looking for swim lessons. We look forward to coming back next Spring. read more

Kathie and C.J. work together as a team to teach kiddos the basics and instill confidence in their abilities in the water. My son was 4 years old and we'd gone through 2 different places for swim lessons, in both cases they could hardly get him in the water and then he refused to do anything. Kathie gave him some tough love and he got over the hump, and now says, "I'm a good swimmer!" I'm so grateful for the skill and knowledge these two bring to the water. Recommend highly! read more

Kathy & CJ's swim program is hands down the best money I've ever spent! I can't tell you how much time and money I wasted on swim lessons before I found Kathy & CJ. My daughter was extremely fearful of the water and use to scream the entire swim session... I literally went through at least 3-4 years of this before finding this program. A good friend told me about Kathy's and I can't tell you how grateful I am. Both of my children (now ages 7 & 9) are extremely strong swimmers and look forward to going each week. If you want your child to learn how to be a very strong swimmer in a very short period of time - sign them up!!!!! read more