Goldfish Swim School - Yorktown Heights

Goldfish swim school is an unethical business run by people, aiming to take advantage of others. Please be warmed or taken in by the false positive reviews and do not bring your children there.

We enrolled our children in a 4 day camp program. That same week we signed up for in a longer program, but decided to cancel on the 4th day of the camp after observing the classes were very slow. Our children spent the majority of time sitting on the side of the pool and didn’t learn much.

We spoke to the general manager Kareem to cancel the longer program they had not yet started but they refused to let us cancel or refund us stating that we needed to give them 30 days. They said we had registered months earlier which is a flat out lie and categorically not true. We didn’t even know the place existed.

Separately, there app/ website does not have any way to remove your card from being on file. They essentially have access to charge it ongoing without any way to remove it.

Goldfish swim school exists to take advantage of people, and draw out teaching children how to swim. They lie, make up policies and dates in order to justify unethical business practices.

We have been very happy with out experience at Goldfish. The instructors are skilled, kind and encouraging. Our children, ages 4 and 6, enjoy their lessons and we can see progress being made each week in terms of both their swim skills and confidence-which is so important. A bonus is that the on-line platform is easy to use for scheduling, etc. Thank You!

We started with Goldfish a few months ago. The first few weeks we got off to a slow start with them, but they must have gone through some changes because a few weeks ago things got better. They evaluated my kid and helped move him to the appropriate class, they are much more responsive to feedback and questions. In fact this is the only class my kid does that he runs in excited to be a part of. His teacher Rebecca is awesome and takes a real interest in teaching and my kid. Really happy with Goldfish!

“My experience at Glodfish Yorktown is always an amazing one. You do a great job selecting your instructors. Ian Kidwell is one of the best instructor you have there. My son is very difficult and he never once show any signs of frustration. Always smiling and focus on giving the student the best experience ever. I always feel safe when my son is under his Care. And my son looks forward to his session each week. „

Very disappointed! My son attended 6 classes and didn't have the same instructor twice. Staff seem to be unaware of which teachers are coming and going and who will be teaching the classes. It was impossible for instructors to assess swimming ability when they see the child once and then leave or move to another class. I expressed concern about this on a weekly basis for 4-5 weeks and pulled my son by week 6. I also reached out to Goldfish via their feedback and received a call from a manager - Natalie - who insists that someone was injured and someone got sick. When I explained each week, who I spoke with (at the front desk) and which teacher he had week after week, she apologized and acknowledged "it has been a problem lately. " Yup, a real problem "lately! " Waste of time and money.

Very happy with our experience at Goldfish, my daughter has become so much more comfortable in the water

My Daughter's favorite activity. She has learned so much in the time that she has been there. Would highly recommend. The instructor in our sessions is also great with all the kids. She is getting so comfortable in the water.

The flexibility offered with classes, the ease of managing our account, the cleanliness at the facility and cheerfulness of the staff have all been reasons we are very satisfied with signing up

Very happy with our experience at Goldfish! We’ve been trying swimming lessons the past year at various places and the water has been too cold that my 7 yr old son couldn’t/wouldn’t concentrate on learning. He was so afraid to put his head under the water. At the first lesson at Goldfish my son dove with assistance under the water and hasn’t looked back since. One month in, we went on vacation and he was swimming short distances and putting his head under the water. He is SO proud of himself and I’m one proud momma. Great environment, teachers, and love the easiness of the app! Worth the cost.

We LOVE Goldfish! The facility is friendly and welcoming and the instructors my son has had so far, Alicia and Ian, have been incredible. My son is very nervous to swim and they immediately put him at ease. I also love that there are clear steps to each level and that there is time at the end of each class to talk to the instructor about my child’s progress.

I can see why this place is so popular! I started the Mini 1 swim classes with my 8 month old, and we both had an absolute blast! Sara spent time over the phone with me, explaining all the details and answering my questions beforehand, and Ari very patiently helped fix my account and sign me up after I had botched it myself online. Our class instructors, Michael and I think Zirayli (I apologize if I misremembered the other instructor) were fantastic, very engaging and had tons of great class plans. 30 minutes was the perfect length of time for the class, and we used every second of it! There are tons of very clean changing rooms to use, and a convenient shower area to rinse off after lessons. I look forward to future classes with my little one.

I LOVE Goldfish swim school! My 6 year old started going here a couple of months ago and she is learning so much and more importantly loving swimming. The teachers are all incredible, staff is super friendly and helpful, the facilities are clean and new. One thing I love is that they evaluate the students frequently, and will do so upon request - they just sent me an email with a detailed report on their last evaluation. I just can’t imagine a better swim experience for my girl. Thank you!

As a grandparent, and former business manager, I rate this business 5 star.
Spotless facility with well managed employees.
Well worth the price.

The place is nice and they have nice showers and.changing rooms. I took my 3,5 yo for swimming classes and they are not what I expected at all. The kids spend less then 5 min in the water in a 30 min class. A good amount of time is spent talking to them while they sit on the side of the pool all wet and shivering. Then they pour water with a cup on them, then 10 seconds in the water and back out to talking. Maybe it’s more appropriate for older kids but mine was cold and getting sick after each class.

We have been going here for about two plus years at this point. The kids enjoy it and have learned so much. Upon reopening, they tried their hardest to facilitate my kids the best they could with our covid concerns. Their teacher Gaby has been with them faithfully since the reopening and is absolutely phenomenal. Management is easy to deal with and facilitative. I’ll always recommend this place to anyone that inquires.

PLEASE READ! ! MY SON ALMOST DROWNED! I AM WRITING THIS SO YOUR FAMILY WILL NOT EXPERIENCE THE PAIN MY FAMILY DID! The staff is all teenagers that are not paying attention. My wife had to run across one side of the pool to the other screaming that my son was drowning before anyone took notice. She was about to jump into the water when a lifeguard finally jumped in. Class is suppose to be in groups of four, and my son was put into a group of five. They stated the reason was because they were “ short staffed. ” Absolute neglect! If you care about the well being of your child do not bring them to Goldfish! There are better options that are closer that cost less money.

I went with my daughter this past Saturday to watch my Grandson in his swimming lesson. I was a water safety instructor and life guard in my young adulthood. I also was the director of a swimming summer program for some years.
The class was crowded and the place was very distracting. We were told they were short staffed. (That should NOT be the problem of a parent) I quickly noticed two life guards standing on deck just talking to each other. A big guy with a life preserver hanging around his neck and a girl. I mentioned to my daughter that they SHOULD NOT BE TALKING and instead be separate and watching the pool.
My grandson, who is three years old was placed down below the group and sitting. The water was above his chest level. I have pictures and videos.
It was an accident waiting to happen.
As the instructor was working with one child my grandson slipped into the water. Since I had my eyes on him the entire time and so did my daughter, I immediately jumped up and started banging on the glass window yelling “Hes drowning! ” No one saw this! He was thrashing around underwater trying to get up to the top. As I was screaming and banging I saw a few instructors look up at me. They were facing me and he was drowning behind them. I do not know how this could happen EXCEPT A SEVERE NEGLECT! Of the life guards guarding from the deck. The entire place is poorly supervised. I’m very surprised that no one has drowned yet! My daughter ran into the pool area. Three guards pulled him up and out and scratched him all up. They should cut their nails. They bandaged his back and his front of his chest and shoulder. We went to Urgent Care! This was NOT the fault of the guards. It is the fault of whomever was suppose to be in charge. Having had experience in this area and also being a teacher, I strongly advise that unless this place takes this review seriously some child will end up drowning here!
Sincerely, Mrs. Johnson
P. S. As a result of the banging my thumb and underhand is black and blue.

The facility is great; very clean and they are taking the pandemic precautions seriously.
My daughter advanced a lot after having a substitute teacher for 2 weeks (Ryan). He made her do things she wasn’t able to do before. (Choose that teacher, if you can. He’s great!), but the others are good as well.
The only negative side is that the classes are too short.only 30 minutes once a week. I think it should be at least 45 minutes to 1 hour, since it’s only 1 time a week or 30 minutes twice a week.

Goldfish swim school is excellent. Smooth process of checking in and out of classes and up to par Covid-19 protocols.