I have decided to update my review of the Swim Academy (and the JCC) based on recent events which…read moreresulted in our family rejoining the swim academy. Shortly after my initial review, the JCC replaced a key leadership position in the aquatics department. We decided given the change that we would be open to coming back and we have been very pleased upon our return. Key changes we have noticed are : - Instructors are consistently showing up - only 1 substitute so far and it was communicated in advance and the reason for their absence. - The instructors appear to be very focused in the water on the kids the entire time. No more talk / complaining about JCC politics or employer dramas that was taking away from instruction - time in the water - this was a big one. We were consistently only getting about 75% of the instruction time that we paid for. My kids are in the water 5 minutes before their lesson and ready to go. If the instructor is 3 minutes late to start, they should stay 3 minutes extra. This is currently happening, as it should. We appreciate the changes made from the top-down and I wanted to make sure that my review reflected this effort(s) being made.

Best place to learn to swim. My daughter used to scream in the water - no confidence at all! I'm…read morejust a few short months, she is now up to the 5th level and I can barely keep her out of the water! This mama has found peace during the summer thanks to LKSA!!

We have worked with Nicole and her team for the past 2 years. First Swim School came highly…read morerecommended by another mom at my son's preschool. Nicole has extremely patient, kind, and talented instructors. This weekend my family went to our neighborhood pool today and our 4 year old swam independently with me for an hour and a half. Diving for Toys, we swam across the whole pool and back (~100ft) backstrokes, forward swimming, floating, and diving. It was so fun to go to the pool and we could all enjoy it without the stress and fear around swimming strength of the littlest. Thank you, Nicole and team, for working with him this past few summers!! I have a swimmer now See you next year

My 4 year old loves coming to swim lessons here, the instructors are great and the pool is clean…read more The staff is very friendly.

As I've said elsewhere, this is an outstanding school with great instructors. It's tremendously…read morecool to meet Jim (a former Olympian) every few weeks. His personal attention and the sweet staff are the reason I never need to look further. If you are unsure about swim lessons or looking to change to another facility....I encourage you to find your swim home at JMSS. My boys have flourished here...

​Update: We had an great experience with Blacktip Swim School! Over the course of about six months,…read moremy son went from a beginner to a confident swimmer, ultimately earning his way up to Level 3. ​Both Albert and Baylee are incredibly professional, highly skilled, and fantastic coaches. I also recently had the opportunity to have a great heart-to-heart with Albert. We talked about customer service, our respective passions, and found a wonderful mutual understanding of both of our perspectives--which I deeply appreciated. ​While this is my son's last class for now, we are incredibly grateful for the foundation they've built for him. Highly recommended! Old review: I am incredibly disappointed with our recent evaluation experience at Blacktip Swim School in Plano. Up until this point, we hadn't had any major issues, but the lack of communication and disregard for a parent's explicit request has left a very bitter taste in my mouth. ​We learned back in Level 1 that my son needs a specific environment to succeed. When he was tested by a female coach initially, he didn't take it seriously at all and had to be retested. When Coach Albert stepped in to perform that retest, it was night and day. My son simply responds better to a male coach when it comes to the pressure of testing and evaluations--I know how my child operates. ​Because of this, I went out of my way to ensure we wouldn't have a repeat of that situation. I explicitly told Coach Albert that I wanted him to do the evaluation, and I also specifically told Coach Megan the exact same thing. ​Despite confirming this, the evaluation was performed by Coach Baylee. ​To make matters worse, Coach Albert was visibly available on-site during the exact time my son was being evaluated. When I brought my dissatisfaction and disappointment directly to Coach Baylee, explaining that I had specifically requested Coach Albert, her response was simply, "I can do evals too." While I have no doubt she is qualified, that completely misses the point. It was not what I requested, and it completely ignored my child's specific learning needs. ​Unsurprisingly, without the right coaching dynamic for the test, my son did not pass. I've attached a screenshot of his scores from a little over two weeks ago for reference; it shows he was already just about there, and he even attended three additional practices after that progress report was posted. He was ready. ​When he failed due to the environment, I was initially told he would just have to retest in two weeks. I brought my frustration directly to Coach Albert afterward. Essentially, the attitude from the school was that I was out of luck because they had "other classes today," and they admitted absolutely no fault for the mix-up. ​Coach Albert offered a small solution: he told me we could come in 5 minutes early next week so he can personally perform the evaluation. ​The entire reason I advocated for my son and requested Coach Albert was to avoid this exact outcome. It is incredibly frustrating to watch your requests get completely ignored, especially when the coach you asked for is standing right there. I am giving them the chance next week to make this right, but Blacktip Swim School needs to do a much better job of listening to parents, taking accountability for their mistakes, and honoring requests that directly impact a child's success.

Blacktip is a great swim school. My son was frustrated with freestyle and was discouraged by not…read moreadvancing in another swim school last summer. With a few lessons with Brian, he got over with his frustration with free style and moved to the swim team level. Bryan is very skilled in his teaching. We highly recommend this place and hope more kids will join the swim team.

This pool has been great in the past, but I'm done trying to swim there this year. Closed on my day…read moreoff, closed when I arrive at 5:40, don't accept plastic, bring your own chair, I mean, really! This is supposed to be for fun and health, not an exercise in frustration. I see they've added some of these details to the Richardson website now, but that was not the case last week. Come on Richardson! People need to relax a bit without having to deal with a ton of rigamarole. And by the way, plastic is much safer than cash. So charge more if need be, but loosen up a bit!

The Canyon Creek Pool is excellent! All of the lifeguards are polite, and very attentive to…read moreswimmers, in the water, especially the children. The pool area is kept clean, and the water is clear and clean. To all of the Canyon Creek personnel, "Keep up the good work!"

Ms. Adams is exceptional. She is so knowledgeable about swimming and safety and is passionate about…read moreteaching children to swim. It's not for everyone - if you want to watch the lessons and spend lots of time and money, this might not be for you. She makes the children work towards being better versus having fun but it's necessary. We will most certainly be sticking with her.

I brought my daughters and they had a good teacher Mrs. Adams…read more Now they can swim in are pool like nothing. I really appreciate the classes and would recommend to any parent.

This is a fantastic place for children to learn how to swim, thanks to the fantastic crew and the…read morepremises. Big swimming pool, a good ratio between children and coach, and there is the recipe for success. Highly recommend to every parent who is looking for a good swimming school for their child.

We are having a great experience at this swimming pool! The water is crystal clear and well…read moremaintained, making every swim refreshing and enjoyable for the kids, they have a great feature of rewarding swimmers based on their progress, love the coaches who are kids friendly and very well trained.

I really love this place. It took me a while to find a good daycare. Everyone here is so kind and…read morefriendly. Everything feels open and natural. Beautiful playground, kind, caring and loving staff. This places just gives me good vibes. My baby has only been coming here a couple days, but I feel so good about leaving her here, as good as any mother can, of course. I love the little sunshine. I also love this place! What a great find.

My daughters have been attending Glen Oaks School since they was 18 months and 4 months. The…read moreteachers and administers are very kind, helpful, and caring. 2 years later my girls love going to school