My 5 year old daughter has been attending Little Flippers now for a little over 2 years and I couldn't be happier. She has worked her way up from a being a non-swimmer to a strong swimmer knowing several stroke styles. For example, when she was 4 she was swimming the length of a pool while her older cousins were still using a life vest and a little timid. My siblings remarked on her ability. I have Little Flippers to thank. I appreciate how a few classes during a session they teach survival skills with the kids coming fully clothed and doing safety drills and skills. Heaven forbid something should happen, I feel confident that my daughter has enough knowledge on what to do. I truly appreciate and highly recommend Little Flippers to anyone interested. read more

Toward the end of a recent class, the "deck supervisor" approached my six-year-old child, while still in the pool and told her, in front of an entire pool full of children, that she "didn't do a good enough job" and wasn't moving up to the next class with the rest of her group. Then, when the kids left the pool, this same deck supervisor approached me, interrupting my consoling of my hysterical daughter and told me the same thing. She said, and I quote because this has stuck with me "your daughter didn't do good enough and she needs to stay in level 1". My daughter repeated it back to me. "Daddy, I didn't do good enough." And that broke my heart. That class is 30 minutes long. The deck supervisor could have approached me any time to talk to me privately and let me break the news to my daughter. The school could have sent us a message through their parent portal. They could have called or emailed us. But this "supervisor" chose to embarrass and belittle my daughter in front of dozens of other kids, and then again in front of the children's parents. The next day, I'd finally processed what had happened and the shock had worn off. I called the school and asked to speak to the manager. I was told he was on another call and he'd call me back. I never heard back. I called again on Tuesday and was told the same thing. He'd call me back. Wednesday and Thursday, my calls were met with the same "he'll call you back." Surprisingly, I never heard a word from the school until my wife left a negative review online. And suddenly, they care about the experience. They don't care that they traumatized my daughter to the point where she not only had nightmares for a week straight but specifically asked to never return to swim class because she didn't "want to see the mean lady." An absolutely unprofessional and unapologetic place that you should avoid at all costs. read more

This is my first yelp review, we have received the coldest reception as a prospective customer that I felt should have my experience shared here. Long story short: we are met with arrogant and stone-faced staff that tried really hard to deter prospective customers when business is already at the door. I can only imagine how they will treat captive customers that already committed full tuition. We try to get our preschooler to start swimming program, who was reluctant to get into water. I figure i should take him to see the place first and find out if he likes it enough before committing to weekly lessons for fall semester. Before visiting in person, I called ahead of time to inquire about availability and possibility of a paid trial lesson. The agent on the phone said they don't offer trial lesson, but still have spot open on summer program that only have four weekly sessions left, which we are welcomed to sign up LO and we could register in person or online. So I took my LO there before the session start with the plan to complete the paperwork in-person. LO said he likes it and can participate in the upcoming class has still has open spot. I asked the reception if I can sign any paperwork to enroll into summer session. The female receptionist insists i need to do it online. At the time my Verizon LTE had poor signal there and cannot even load up their webpage, i asked for receptionist help to connect to their public WiFi, they unwillingly pointed to the WiFi barcode, which after scanning still doesn't connect. The stone-cold unwelcoming reception made it all the clear that they don't need or care your business, nor the feeling of a little kid who has changed into swimwear and keen to get in. Very disappointed and upsetting experience. read more

Is belittling + humiliating a 6yo something you teach your staff? My daughter was told -- after her group swim lesson + in front of her friends -- that it was her fault she wasn't moving up to the next class + wasn't getting a ribbon. Leaving the pool in tears, my husband was ambushed with the same news. At what point in time could you not have called, emailed, sent a letter or just approached him during class to tell him? At what point did it make sense that the classes my 6yo missed were, in fact, her fault? We as her parents decided she'd miss some classes for Christmas, a family vacation + time with her grandparents. We also tried calling three times to discuss this issue without one returned call. Unreal. I now have a child who couldn't sleep for a week because of this. You can be sure I'll be posting this review everywhere I can. read more

We've had a really positive experience at Little Flippers. The facility is bright and clean, and the systems making signing up and paying pretty straightforward. Demand for swimming lessons is so high that it may be hard to get into a program, but one you do you can save a spot which makes signing up for future lessons easier. The staff has been helpful and we have been taking lessons with Brandon who excellent! Encouraging and fun but also firm enough that the kids progress, which is especially helpful for those kids who might be a little more scared of the water. My girls have loved having him as a teacher! read more

We drive 30+ minutes here each week but you cannot beat their swimming instruction. The instructors are effective and so kind. They are extremely attentive thanks to the small class sizes. They understand how to best reach each of our two very different daughters. The pool and pool area are nice and warm. read more

Little Flippers in Natick has been life changing for my son Misha and our family. He learned to be confident in the water shortly after he started the classes. They have been very flexible with makeups. The staff is so friendly!! Thank you especially Mr. Dean for teaching my son one of the most valuable skills in life. John, Mat, Brandon to name a few all contributed to my son's skills during makeups and we very easy to work with on scheduling classes and makeups. Our vacations are much more enjoyable now that my son loves being in the water instead of being afraid of it. He is making more friends in pools and lakes... We love you, Little Flippers! Iryna read more

My son is 14 months and previously loved being in a pool, so I decided to take him for a swim lessons. We were in the Friday 10 Am with Kimberly. In the first class during the introduction, she mentioned that she learned to swim by having a family member, throw her in the deep end of the pool. I should have probably taken this as a red flag. In the first class, all the babies were dunked six times. Some of the babies had fun and didn't mind at all. My son was crying and screaming and clinging to me so I stopped dunking him. Kimberly offered to help, and I suggested not dunking him but when she took him she dunked him. And all of last week he has not been able to go near a pool or a pond. This week we came back and my goal was for him to splash to try to remove the bad association with the pool. He screamed the entire class and was clinging to me. And I now have a baby who is very afraid of the water. I deeply regret signing up for this class the front desk let me know that I could withdraw by contacting the billing department, but did not have anyone to talk to me about my experience, so I am leaving this review with the hope that management will see it, and also to caution other parents. read more

Can't say enough about how great this place is. My 4 year old son has had such a positive experience over the past year. Aside from having a blast, he has really learned how to swim. Every instructor my son has had has been supportive, safe, fun and very approachable. Chris and Leslie are very qualified instructors who genuinely love to teach children. They love what they do and it shows. The facility is not only beautiful inside, but very clean as well. Showers and bathrooms are spotless. I thoroughly disagree with the 2 negative posts here. For one thing, the instructor can only do so much to control and unruly child. Blame should be placed on the parents. Secondly, the owner has been friendly each and every time I have interacted with her. Rachael, who runs the front desk, is always cheerful, welcoming and professional. I am a picky person who seeks out quality. If I pay for a service, product or experience I expect to be satisfied. In this regard, Little Flippers has not only met, but has exceeded my expectations. Little Flippers is terrific! Check it out! read more

I totally agree with Dave P. on this one. They allow carry over of makeup sessions and the teachers are all super happy and enthusiastic. Here's why I love Little Flippers: - heated pool - happy, friendly, encouraging environment - clean facilities - ample locker space - curriculum tailored to your child's abilities - classes are semester long, once a week - each week is a different skill that they will practice but they will repeat some skills for reinforcement - pricing is reasonable The Dictator has been attending Little Flippers since she was 9 months old. She has learned to hold her breath and swim to the surface or swim towards the wall or towards mom/dad when dunked under water. It has taught her that the pool is not a scary place and that it can be fun. All in all, we are glad we enrolled her in their classes. The more desirable time slots get filled up quickly during enrollment time so make sure you sign in early when they open the next semester's class up for enrollment. read more

Our son just turned two and we're on our third session at Little Flippers. I would give most of the credit of our son being comfortable in the pool to the great facility and the staff here. Our friends, who had their son taking lessons here, told us about it and we decided to give it a shot. We had previously tried swimming lessons at our local recreation center and the water was too cold - he was shivering the whole half hour and we had to unenroll him after the second class. The cooler temperature is unfortunately necessary for pools that are used for competitive swimming and not just kids lessons. The first class at Little Flippers, he didn't show any of the fear or anxiety from the previous attempt. I believe that the water and air temperature in the pool area at LF are a huge help to allowing kids to focus on getting more comfortable in the water. The staff at LF has always been friendly, and we've never experienced any issues in scheduling a makeup or having any problems with the instructors/supervisors/management. Thanks for having such a great program! read more

We drove 25 min to get here, but its worth it. The staff is really sweet and great with kids. My daughter started going at 3 months. I love in the changing room they have keekaroos to change them. They have great swim activities and keep the water super warm. read more

This is the worst swimming school I've been. The kids will take decades to learn with their program and years to even know a basic skill like floating Their make up policy is a scam. Advise is to try other swimming schools in the area Since I left I've seen tremendous improvement in my kids. Wish I never waster a year of money and time attending this sub par swimming school. Plus the administration is rude and difficult to work with read more

My boys (3 year old and 6 year old) started last year at Little Flippers and right away they took to the friendly staff and the beautiful warm (90 degree) pool! The facilities are super clean! They are WONDERFUL about scheduling makeups classes at no additional fee. They have a comfortable waiting room with a whole wall of glass to see the pool and all of the classes that are running and reliable WIFI! Staff is always friendly! WE LOVE IT! read more

Let me say I LOVE the lessons here, my kid loves it, very happy with that part but they never pick up the phone when we call to reschedule a class. I have probably called 15+ times in the 1.5 years we have been going and they have picked up maybe one of those times. It's very frustrating when you are trying to reschedule and they don't pick up the phone so you can do it. read more

I would never recommend this place.We were excited when it opened because it was close to us and I've enjoyed my experiences with planet gymnastics. We were incredibly disappointed.The teacher seemed nice but was totally over matched with too many students in our class After a few of us complained, the manager said things would improve AND THEY DIDN'T !! We never got the extra instructor THAT WAS PROMISED US ! Seems like the manager is just trying to make as much money as possible by not hiring enough teachers and boy it showed. As soon as our session was done we left and will never ever come back You would think with all the money we paid that management would care but they didnt Once word spreads and people try it they'll see how bad the place is and wont go back. The teacher did the best she could but with so many kids in the pool she was over matched read more

I have three children who have swam at different levels at LIttle Flippers. Even though I live 20 minutes away, we are willing to make the trip for the kids. My daughter (5-6) attended the swim camps which were so fun for her, the instructors were great, but she was a bit to advanced to enjoy them any longer, so sadly she will not be returning to the school. My son has been attending a few session from the age of 1-2 and he couldn't love the water more. I am not sure what they do in that class, but he is giggling and can dive for rings and is not bothered by being under water. I am so relieved because being comfortable in the water and learning how to swim is so crucial for safety. My other son has been attending lessons for almost 2 years. My son was emotionally abused at his previous day care at the age of 2 for about 8 months. This resulted in some uncharacteristic behavior. He had private lessons with an instructor named Ian. It was amazing! He was so good and it was really nice to have a male role model. But when Ian left, we tried a female teacher, but because of his fear of female authority figures (from his experience at day care) he would not enter the pool. There were horrible screaming fits and uncontrollable behavior which he has never done in his life. I believe it was the managers Chris and Lyndsey who noticed that this was not his usually behavior and refunded me for my entire session even though we attempted twice to swim. I was really amazed by their understanding and compassion without having to tell them why we were struggling. Months later after working things out, we were able to start him up again with Monica. He is so happy. He is swimming and he is only 3 1/2 years old! I have encountered a few issues with the school, but I am comfortable addressing them with the managers and feel that I am heard. I think it is hard to run a program for children and to be able to accommodate everyone and every child's personality, but they are still fairly new and working things out. They have some growing pains, but I would say it is worth checking out if you don't have other options that are reasonable. read more

A high quality swim school with excellent instructors and a proven methodology for teaching little ones to swim. Some things you should know if you're planning to check them out: They are super strict on all policies with absolutely no flexibility about missed class policy, makeup classes or double diaper-ing (even if your 3 year old is totally potty trained...). You'll get what you pay for and your kid will learn to swim, as long as you show up on time and obey all of their rules. The negative, as a parent waiting for my kids during class every week: It's hot as can be in there, often extremely over crowded and totally uncomfortable in the waiting area (whether it's full or not). Would be wonderful if Little Flippers could up their comfort game and also add more parking as the lot gets tight during busy hours. read more

My kids have enjoyed their swim classes there up until this last session when a little boy started getting physical with my daughter. Almost every class this little boy would "accidentally " do something to her. Examples would be- the little boy swam into my daughters head with the kick board and left a bruise on her forehead or when she tried to come up for air, he would put his foot on her so she couldn't... etc. I talked to the owner, my kids swim instructor, people at the front desk about it. They told me what I wanted to hear, but did nothing. I wasn't able to switch classes. My twins are no longer going to swim there. Children's safety should be a priority, they shouldn't turn a blind eye toward bullying. They just didn't want to deal with it. read more

Love this place. Ignore the negative reviews... If there are unruly kids - blame the parents of them - either deal with it directly or leave. the teachers aren't babysitters nor are they their to discipline the kids. They are there to teach. All pools are loud, it's called an echo. Yes the classes cycle in and out on a schedule but they have it down pat. My 3 year old has gone through 2 sessions and am about to sign her up for a 3rd. She's had a few mishaps slipping as she's crawling along the wall (if I was with her I'd freak her out thinking she'd drowning - I hate the water). They carefully and calmly pluck her out, which is great - she developed no fear after that which is exactly what you want, but at the same time has a great respect for the water. I will NEVER give up swimming lessons until she's at lifeguard level. No child should be deprived of this. It's not only about fun, but more about safety. And this is the place you want to go. read more

Ok.. I never write negative reviews but how the manager and staff handle the business calls for a terrible review. Obviously none of them took a course in customer service and does not understand the long-term impact on their business. I call yesterday to confirm my daughter's camp date(because they don't send reminder emails or any emails regarding your registration) and the person on the phone told me it was today. I go today and they tell me it was yesterday and unfortunately because I missed the camp, I won't get my $80 refund or a makeup day. I told them someone from the staff told me it was today when I talked on the phone. They talk among each other and conclude that no one remembered the call so they can't do anything about it. They are full of excuses and have no interest in customer satisfaction. Unprofessional and disappointing!! They should go next doors and learn how to run business from Planet Gymnastics!! read more

We've been going for a year now and absolutely love it! The instructors are great and the pool is bright, colorful, clean and well maintained. read more

My 3.5 year old has been here since 6 months, and I will get my newborn in there as soon as possible. One review said the instructors look miserable, but I disagree with this. They always seem like they are having fun and take care in teaching these kids to swim. Another review said you cannot carry over makeups into the next session which is simply not true. Makeups are easy to schedule. Friday Little Flips day is always a highlight in our week. When I first signed my kid up for it my wife thought it was too expensive, but once she went to the first class she was a believe. read more

Little interest in making children safe in the water. The school is run by an owner interested in profit, with little interest in actual swimming. We gave the program almost a full year. Their program was very frustrating because my daughter's ability progressed little during the year. When my daughter would ask to try something more challenging she was discouraged, instead directed to repeating the same exercises she had completed during previous lessons. The program is more focused on profit by having your child complete every miniscule level, instead of their ability dictating the appropriate level. As a result my 5 yr old daughter was not prepared for a summer at a lake. My worst fears were almost realized when she fell into the water between the dock and the boat fully clothed without a life jacket. Luckily her grandfather was close and pulled her out. The owner puts profit before making kids drown proof. Any child in this program is at a higher risk of drowning because of the lack of emphasis on actually making kids good swimmers. read more

Awesome facility with fabulous staff! I've been coming here since they first opened and the staff is excellent. The facility is great! Love the fact that the water is so warm and the pool deck is warmer so the kids don't mind jumping in and out. They promote all kinds of water safety exercises. Their policies are very accommodating too. They are a little pricey for a half hour session but totally worth it! read more

This rating is not for the swim instruction, but the admin and general organization of the swim school. They list their "Unlimited make-up policy!" as one of the things that make them different on their website. I have had to fight for every class my child has had to make up although one of the classes need to be made up because my child was sick, the other makeups are imposed by the school. If you go to lessons on Mondays, they ask you to pay for holidays such as Memorial Day even though they do not offer classes that day and ask you to make the class up. The makeup lessons are not with your child's teacher and at times that are limited and inconvenient, can only be booked 1 week in advance and so are less than ideal to start with. This month, the pool pump broke and we showed up for lessons only to learn the pool was closed and we would have to make up the lessons. That is 2 makeup lessons and they claim, as they have on the past, that my child is only eligible for 1 makeup lesson. This is a recurring pattern. They do a poor job of tracking makeup lessons and this is wasted money! Additionally, they are reluctant to promote swimmers to the next level to make an extra year of money. I won't send my child here again even though I think the swim instruction is good. It is just too aggravating! There is much we must fight for in life and swim lessons that you have already paid for should not be one of them! read more

This place is horrible! I went in because I wanted to take my 5 month old into a class , and the woman asked if I signed up and I asked if they were going to charge me because I wanted to only take my son to one class . I told her I could sign up but would they charge me? She didn't know the answer , I asked if I could just try out this one class one time or even pay a one time fee for the class because I have a week off and I wouldn't be able to come the other days if I signed up. She said she didn't know and when I asked "well can u ask someone" She completely ignored me. I just walked out because the customer service is HORRIBLE! Never coming here again read more

Excellent swimming instruction. The pool is warm for the kids and the instructors very nice. They also teach in small groups so the instruction is good. The only downside to me is the parking lot can get crowded on weekends because they share the parking lot with a church. They offer make up lessons but they are extremely difficult to schedule them. read more

Horrible experience. Owner, Sally, is incredibly rude, uptight and rule-oriented. If Sally would actually listen to her staff (who was extremely accommodating and reactive) she would do better. The owner would not let both my husband and I be in the pool with our infant. The pool was EXTREMELY loud with too many classes going on at the same time. read more

Great lessons, facility, and staff. My only complaint is how over-the-top the policies/procedures are. Also, they make make-up classes overly complicated and too difficult to schedule. If you miss a class (as many kids do given colds, etc), you'll find it SO hard to make it up. E.g. You have to do all make ups before the session ends (even if you're signed up for the following session), so good luck trying to get a make-up if you miss one of the last weeks... I don't see why they don't always allow one make-up spot in each class. Instead, you have to hope someone cancels and calls in advance to say so. read more

Great instructors! Very clean pool - swim class is the highlight of my younger son's week! The older son wants to go this summer and we were able to work out time for them to follow each other. Great viewing area, too. Would be 5 stars if we could carry over missed sessions into another time block (ie, from Spring session into the Summer). Otherwise, a top-notch program! read more

Little Flippers is the third place we've taken our 3.5 year old for swim class and we couldn't be happier! LOVE the instructors, LOVE the front desk and LOVE the facility. I recommend this place to everyone! read more

Please observe one class during the week day or a weekend before signing up. The pool is really small and has been separated into many little mini sections - I mean really mini. It is definitely not suitable for big kids to swim in the pool - the length and the width is not a standard pool at all. They have as many instructors in the pool as the students. The pool is very crowded. I also call your attention to their refund policy - Please read very carefully for the small prints - refund only applies to NEW STUDENTS. If you are second time students, you are stuck with them!!! "100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE: - For new students, if at any time during the first month (4 consecutive weeks from date enrolled regardless of absences) you are not completely satisfied with our program, we will refund your tuition. After this four-week period, there will be no refunds. (Note Money back guarantee for summer session is within 2 weeks)". read more

My son who is 7, is Deaf and I called Little Flippers asking about the cost and letting them know we are wanting to join. My son is Deaf and I would need to be with him in the water or on the side to interpret for him. I was told right away that he would need to do the private session, and couldn't be in the group sessions. I was not ok with that and told them they are segregating against my child. Just because he is Deaf doesn't mean he should have to be put by himself. They said they would call me back in a couple of days, but this NEVER happened. I called them again, and was told we could try having him join a group but if I, being my sons interpreter, was a distraction to other kids, then he would have to do a private lesson. I said again you are discriminating against my child. I will never go to this place, and I would suggest to anyone else that they don't go. How can you treat any child this way and not let them be apart of everything they want to do. We live in Framingham, and he does play baseball on the town team, and guess what I am right there interpreting for him. I don't even want to give this place 1 star, but it makes you pick one. read more

I signed my twins for Little Flippers for 2 seasons and we end up leaving, the teacher was great however the manager/ desk staff at the time were not people-oriented, any questions in regards of upcoming classes or make up classes or even bday parties you were rudely directed to check online, every aspect of this center is based online, even bday parties you had to do it online, very troublesome for a family who just want to learned a bit more and you would think they would like more business, for example if you paid the deposit for a bday still you needed to wait for someone to email you to confirm the date in time, you are not even allow to pay at the center, however they will charge you online but still your day and time as pending, no help really from the 3 people that sit at the front desk, and forget to talk to the manager, the lady was more worry to look polish than help the parents, or smile to everyone but not really there just, very sad. The last straw for our family was the suggestion me made to allow time between classes as pretty much there is none, as one class ends the other stars, when we brought it up to the manager we were told that is imposible as that would mean they will lose money, we pressed the fact the children get stressed out and they could fall while we battle our way out those doors but again the manager does not see what we see as to her everything works perfect so our feedback was disregards or laught at.. so we left. Thanks to my mother in law we end up at BU in Boston and they kids had a great time and is safer and the staff very customer service oriented. I would not come back to Little Flippers or recomend it. read more

We have been sending out two daughters, aged 4 and 2, to Little Flippers for over a year now, and the experience could not have been better. They have had a few different instructors as they move from class to class, and as their ability level has increased, and in every case, I have felt like my children have gotten personal attention and have made a connection with their teacher. We have signed our children up for swim lessons at two other locations, and we have not had the same experience everywhere we have gone; the instructors at Little Flippers are all personable and professional. The classes are well run, and include variety without sacrificing consistency. The best testament that I can offer for Little Flippers is this: We have had a lot of beach trips this summer, and our two girls are excellent swimmers for their age. Our 4-year-old is entirely independent in the water, and our 2-year-old is just around the corner. They can both jump off of the diving board into the deep end of a swimming pool, they both love swimming in the ocean, and they can both go with confidence into water that is over their head. I cannot tell you how often people, including lifeguards, have asked us how old our children are, because they are so impressed with how well they can swim. I'd love to take some sort of parental credit, but I cannot. If you want your kids, no matter how young, to learn how to swim with confidence, sign up for lessons at Little Flippers. You will not regret it. read more

We went to one class at the Winchester location and will never go back! Having been to infant swim classes at Goldfish Swim in Burlington and seen what a fun and water loving experience babies can have, this class was a shock! I obviously did not partake, however, I watched the other babies (1-2 years) be repeatedly submerged against their will as they cried, spit up and looked distraught. None of the babies (other than mine who was not taking part in any of the offensive parts of the class) seemed to be having fun and were not comfortable enough to kick around and enjoy the water as their faces were full of frowns and not smiles. There was a complete lack of teaching the babies to love the water and also no focus on teaching them to learn how to get out of the pool on their own. It is a shame that what could be such a fun experience is turned into a traumatizing one here. We will be going back to Goldfish where the kids are filled with smiles and laughs instead of tears and cries. I seriously hope this school changes it's philosophy so that their students can learn to enjoy and not fear the water. read more