★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Clean and fun for all and consistent instruction

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★ 5

Great Guards, Good staff. My daughter is a fast learner. Loves to swim. Awesome place to learn to swim

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

I would definitely recommend this place! They are so nice and very flexible when it comes to accommodating your schedule and they work well.

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★ 4

Swim instructor by the name of Ted! Best swim instructor for my 3 year old, he is consistent and friendly ,my daughter was afraid of water, he made her comfortable enough where now she is always looking forward to swim class

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★ 5

My 7-year-old daughter Ruthann was just promoted to Glider 2 at Goldfish Swim School in Brookline, and I couldn't be more proud—or more impressed with the school. We've seen such an incredible improvement not only in her swimming skills but also in her overall confidence in the water.
The instructors are patient, encouraging, and truly understand how to work with young children. They’ve created a fun, safe, and positive environment where kids can thrive. Ruthann looks forward to every lesson, and it’s been amazing to watch her grow stronger and more independent with each class.
The staff is always friendly, organized, and professional, and the facilities are clean and well-maintained. We’re so grateful for the support and structure Goldfish provides. Highly recommend to any parent looking to help their child learn to swim and love it!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

TL;DR: The school charged my credit card without notifying me, and they won’t let you withdraw early or provide a refund.
Also, ~$1300 later, my toddler still does not know how to float or swim without assistance.

I purchased the 6-month package for my daughter for $1,040. After a few sessions in the M2 class, I felt she was ready to move up to M3 and asked if she could be placed there. I was told she was definitely ready, though it felt odd that this recommendation hadn’t come from the instructors themselves. Usually, I would expect the teachers to initiate a level change if a child is ready. Still, we moved her up and she did fine.

A few weeks later, I noticed an unexpected ~$300 charge from Goldfish on my credit card. I called and emailed multiple times and didn’t get a straight answer until someone finally explained that M3 is more expensive than M2, and I was being charged the difference. No one had told me this in advance when I spoke with them earlier about changing classes. Furthermore, the Goldfish website does not state that the $1,040 package is not a flat rate for all classes over the 6-month session.

When I asked to cancel the remaining sessions and withdraw early because of this unexpected charge, I was told that refunds aren't allowed and Kya had to finish up her package. My follow-up email was ignored.

Needless to say, I’m disappointed in how this school handles pricing and communication.

Finally, I initially enrolled my toddler in these lessons so she’d become more comfortable in the water and learn to swim or float. After spending $1,300, she still doesn’t like putting her face in the water and hasn’t made meaningful progress with swimming or floating.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Excellent swim school with attentive staff.

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

Gfs is a great, worry-free, space for your kiddo to have fun learning to swim.
The customer service(Maya D.) is amazing!!!

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Very good

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★ 5

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★ 5

I want to thank Jizzel for being my son's instructor on his first day, for today she was very nice, patient, cautious without coddling him. My son is Autistic and gets really excited around a body of water. I like how she helped him maneuver his body through the water while staying close enough to help him if he struggles to get to the pole safely. I'm a pound mama. I would definitely go back!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

My son has been attending Goldfish Brookline for nearly 4 years and has not learned to swim. It's the gentle parenting equivalent of swim lessons and it seems like they design the lessons to keep the kids enrolled for as long as possible. It's good for babies, but not for learning swim skills, water safety, or how to swim on their own. As a teacher and parent, I'm disappointed by the quality of instruction and cannot recommend this swim school.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Everything you need in one place, to let your kids learn a saving life skill like swimming, in a save, fun and clean place.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Fantastic staff!!

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★ 5

They are very good at teaching classes, they are punctual with their schedules and they are personalized trainers.

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★ 5

Randy is a goodstar teacher. He has instilled confidence in our anxious kiddo in ways that extend beyond the pool. Eternally grateful!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

My family has been coming to goldfish swim school - Brookline for five years and they are the best! It has been so nice to have this safe and consistent place for my boys to learn how to swim and practice their swimming. You can go year round and I love having an activity every week that tires my boys out. The teachers and staff are so professional and kind even with my youngest who is a handful :) They have taught my sons such an important life saving skill and I am very grateful.

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★ 5

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★ 1

Unfortunately, this swim school really comes off like it's hustling customers. I signed my children up for one month of swim classes in May to get them comfortable in the water before they went to go spend a month at the beach with their grandparents. Then I got auto-billed for a second month, which was not clarified ANYWHERE on the site that they were auto-enrolling me into a subscription plan. When I saw the additional charge, I immediately called to get it credited because the new classes they auto-enrolled me in were for the summer weeks when the children were out of town. Nevertheless they would not credit the charge. Then they issued me "make up class passes," which I was appreciative of. When I called to use them several weeks later, however, they would not let me use the classes I ALREADY PAID FOR unless I re-enrolled them in a weekly class - at which point, I obviously wouldn't be able to use the class passes I already have in our account because they would already be in a weekly class. The woman on the phone had a helpful and empathetic tone, but ultimately said they "changed there policy last year to prohibit people from using their class credits." She said there was no way for her to enroll the kids using the class credits. So now we are stuck with several "class credits," which we paid money for, that they won't let us use. It's really unfortunate because the kids LOVED going here.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

We love Goldfish, my daughters have been using it since they were 1 year old, I always recommend it to anyone.

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★ 1

If you want your kid to learn how to swim, this is NOT the place to go. My daughter has been attending here for three years, and she still hasn’t been taught how to float, which is the most basic swimming skill. Goldfish doesn't teach swimming efficiently. It is a business that keeps people enrolled for a long time to maximize profits, rather than focusing on teaching proper skills to kids. It’s overcrowded, with very few dressing rooms, and the showers are always scorching hot. The efficient swim time per child is something like six minutes. I must say that the mini classes are a nice way to introduce little babies to water, but that’s about it. Don’t expect anything more. I've canceled both my kids enrollments.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 3

Our 4 year old went here weekly for 7 months. To be totally candid, I don’t think they do a good job teaching kids how to swim. They do an excellent job getting kids comfortable with the water. I spoke to a lot of other parents while waiting for our kids and we all agreed our children saw limited improvement over many months. It’s definitely better than doing nothing.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

The experience I had at Goldfish Swim School for my child's birthday party was completely different from what was advertised on their website. Despite expecting a celebration, the staff's attitude was unfriendly and uncooperative, lacking any sense of service mindset. It felt like unless it was for a swimming pool party purpose, the venue wasn't interested in providing a good experience. They seemed completely unaware of the reservation details, including arrangements for adult tables and the game coordinator. Even though I had requested a game coordinator beforehand, they were clueless about it on the event day. There was no clear schedule, and when I inquired about the delay in starting game activities 45 minutes into the one-hour party, the response was absurd, stating it would happen in the remaining 15 minutes. It's a ridiculous response without any respect. I don't understand.

After the pool party, the children complained of the cold, and upon checking, we found that the heater had been turned off without any prior notice despite the freezing snowy weather. It's common for body temperature to drop after swimming, so turning off the heater in subzero weather is unreasonable and absolutely no common sense. Despite feeling frustrated, I didn't want to spoil the party atmosphere with complaints.

According to the contract, there was an additional fee for overtime, and I paid it rightfully. However, the conversation about overtime should have taken place at the appropriate time, and table removing should have started according to the user's response, or at least after all the guests had left the party.
During the party, they started to remove tables without any consultation, causing noise that startled the children greatly, and made adults feel like there was an explosion and they needed to check for safety. It's unacceptable for employees to disturb such precious moments with loved ones.

All staff were unfriendly and uncooperative. There was no attitude of providing customer service spirit whatsoever. While kindness may be subjective, it's evident that the staff's behavior was disruptive and far from what one would expect from a service-oriented facility. Moreover, the lack of communication, even from the designated person, was concerning.This experience contradicted not only the promises made on the website also with the agreement which was previously planned, indicating a discrepancy between expectations and reality. I do not recommend Brookline location.

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★ 5

This place is very efficient and well run. It is truly a business but does a great job. Our instructor is so sweet for our under 2 year old and although there are a lot of other kids, my kiddo is getting used to it fast. The fast pace and being around older kids is good for him, and us!

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★ 5

Feel comfortable with kids in this place!

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★ 1

This is the worst type of business you want to deal with. Some of the staffs at front desk are rude and disrespectful. No clear communication regarding teacher substitution, no heads up when instructors are leaving or switching. No wonder why the instructor turnover was that high
Some states: Our kid was here for 6 months, enrolled in for 2 different sections. However, we got over 10 different teachers throughout the course of our time here, but we got only 3 emails saying there will be a substute teacher. Imagine every swimming class is like a lottery here, so don't expect your kid will get any realistic skills here, besides getting to know new teachers.

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★ 3

Small place for swimming

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★ 5

my set of twins go swiming hear and they love it they lern new things evrey day the started this year and 1 twin is in glider 2 1 is in glider1 they lovit they make it fun for them

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

We have been join the classes since 2022. Our kid are enjoy every minute. The instructor are patient and that’s important to us. Each instructor has their strengths and we are able to work with the one that is suited for our girl.
Customer service is excellent.

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★ 5

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★ 1

Absolutely not. We went on Sunday for a “trial” and it was insanely packed. Lifeguards and swim instructors are young and some busy chatting up other instructors. At one point one lane had too many kids and one female instructor called it out and life guards rushed to figure out where to put the child (mind you this happened after a guard had just walked around supposedly checking each lane). Maybe this structure works for older kids but definitely not a 4 year old. When my child went into the water ZERO introductions or discussions about water safety. Just very poorly run.

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★ 5

I especially like the small group instruction which allows for each swimmer to receive individualized attention. The school is well organized and the staff well trained and professional.

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★ 5

Very good place for all kids type of ages to learn how to swim and learn to have fun inside the water.

Instructors are very patient, friendly and know what they're doing when it comes teaching kids

The only thing I recommend is if kids are doing above and beyond and trying their best with their lessons to continue rewarding them like they where doing before.

My son loves it and his been going there since 2018

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★ 5

My great granddaughter has enjoyed attending swim classes, she’s on vacation in Florida, but will resume her classes in the fall. She is more confident in exercising the various skills to help her learn to swim and navigate the water. Her instructors have always shown patience and care with each of their participants. She has been practicing some of her techniques here in Florida! We look forward to returning soon. Brooklyn is enrolled again and making good progress.

(Score 10 out of 10)

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★ 5

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★ 4

Parking was a little tough but other than that great experience!! Everybody was very friendly, great atmosphere

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★ 5

Goldfish instructors are friendly and professional. They make swimming fun for the kids. The instructors pay close attention at the mastering of skills and truly advance the child when they're ready for the next level. I have highly recommended Goldfish to many of my friends. Thank you for providing excellent Swimming training to our children.

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★ 5

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★ 2

I do not recommend Brookline location. Public showers, too few changing rooms, and poor customer service. I have repeatedly heard the front desk complain about customers. They also kept my kiddo at the same level for several weeks until I had to ask for an evaluation of his skill… then he passed. They seem to just want your automatic payment. Not actually committed to their mission.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 3

Sent my daughter (4 years old) here for 8 months.

Good for becoming familiar with the water. Hyper friendly staff. Didn’t learn much, but was a step forward from being unfamiliar with the water. 3/5 stars because it’s welcoming and well run, but not the best at teaching kids to swim. Is a good stepping stone for a more involved and effective swim school.

Also: Kids typically have a different teacher every week, slightly hindering progress due to the fact that they are unaware of each students needs

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★ 5

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★ 5

I LOVE this place!! The staff is so friendly and my kids love coming. The facility is fun clean and bright.

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★ 5

Staff is highly experienced and handles all kids well. They know exactly what to do in every situation. They are easy to schedule with and the price is very reasonable for the high quality service that they give.

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★ 5

Love the warm pool for all my kids, including one with a chronic illness. The structure of the classes helps the kids make real progress!

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★ 2

A well run and efficient center that is expensive and ineffective at teaching kids to swim.

My kids attended from September 2021 until June 2022 and neither progressed in their ability to swim. Is this because my children are flawed, or is it because the instructors are ineffective? My older child faced many changes in instructors over this time, limiting his ability to develop any kind of consistency. Obviously the new staff he saw each week were unaware of his history and unable to encourage him effectively to overcome his fears. My daughter did have a consistent instructor, but he focused primarily on getting kids comfortable with water and sped through the skills without teaching them.

In all this time the kids were supposed to be evaluated monthly. My son was only evaluated four times and my daughter three. My son progressed on only two of the ten skills evaluated. My daughter progressed on two and went backwards on five.

The place is clean and efficient. The staff are friendly. But what’s the point if they don’t learn to swim?

(And to the manager who responds to negative reviews with a request for a call, don’t bother. I did call. Your staff responded “well, kids are at different levels.” Yes, and it’s your job to teach them so that they progress.)

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★ 5

My 6 year old was not very pleased with the academy, and one day there was an issue they had with staff calling out. The manager Tim stepped in and was able to offer very surprising and amazing options, he asked Anna to take the class, she was very sweet and patient. After that session my kid said that was the best class she ever had at the school. I understand that there are issues in business but the way to handle situations and solve those issues, Tim was really kind and really exceeded our expectations. If we stay in the Brookline area, we will continue to attend.
Also a big shout out to Mak, for her loving way to teach and the positive impact she has made in my 3 year old daughter, Tess will always remember you with a smile.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Good set up for young kids learning to swim

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

Rude instructors, disorganized and unprofessional.

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★ 5

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★ 5

My son, Finnegan, wouldn't put his face in the water before coming to Goldfish - after his first 30 minute trial lesson, he was eager to go back. Within a month he was begging for more time in the water at the end of his lessons. Within a few more weeks, he was putting his face in the water in the shower after class - without his goggles! He has made incredible improvement and I am so thrilled and impressed by his success. Thank you Goldfish Brookline!! Ps. I love that you give out ribbons at the end of each class - we have them hanging in his room - it provides such motivation & positive reinforcement!!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

Warm water, great teachers and pleasant atmosphere, my kids are finally enjoying their swimming classes!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

They are not transparent with their no refund policy. No mention was made upon payment, nor are there any signs on location stating "no refund." The staff is not accommodating to parents that are paying the high membership fees! The staff at the front desk is rude and not willing at all to help. Good luck getting a call back. You would think they would be welcoming and a little more warm to someone who was sending their kid there for 4 months of lessons.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

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★ 5

I thought the parent-child swim classes for my daughter were excellent. She became used to the water and learned quickly that water can be fun and also something to be careful in. She quickly understood that the edge of the pool was the safest place to be. We attended when she was in her early twos for about six months. I tried to transition her to independent classes per the instructors suggestion but I didn't think that it was a good fit. She really hated being with the instructors without me and I gave up after six weeks of protest. However, I liked the environment enough that I might try to take her back after she has started pre-school and more used to separating from us.

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★ 5

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★ 5

My son 5yrs has been at Goldfish Swim classes since around the end of June and before he was very afraid of water, after months he is able to swim, go deep under the water, float and he loves to go to his classes, every kid has a different time frame to learn and sometimes could take time. I highly recommend the Goldfish Swim School, my son enjoy to learn swim techniques and I enjoy watch his progress, thanks to the instructor Adrian.

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★ 5

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★ 5

It is a safe and clean environment for the kids and staff are very professional they watch every single step of the swimmers, my daughter was afraid first two times but after she is confidence and every Friday she is very excited to try again. She is learning so fast

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★ 1

This swim school is absolutely HORRIBLE. $171 a month for what ? My 3 year old son goes here and all they do is sit him on the ledge half the time and he’s either by himself or with one other kid. The instructors always look MISERABLE, even the girls at the front desk. A YMCA is so much better than this.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

My kid had a terrible experience at Goldfish Brookline. I would never recommend it.

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★ 5

Great place for kids to learn to swim. Friendly staff, very well trained and organized. Space is bright and very clean. Flexible make up schedules and very accommodating to fit your family's needs! Highly recommended!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Our 8 yo started at the Brookline Goldfish Swim School in Glider 1 classes, unwilling to put his face in the water. He's gone up 4 class levels at Goldfish and is now in Pro 2. He went to an April vacation camp at the JCC, and they require kids to pass a swim test to swim without a life preserver. Thanks to his Goldfish lessons, our 8 yo was one of very few kids who passed the test! The staff are also wonderful (especially Zarya (sp?))--friendly and super accommodating.

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★ 5

We love everything about Goldfish! Teachers are friendly and knowledgeable, front desk staff is very customer oriented and friendly. Lots of options for every level and very responsive, happy and friendly staff. Despite all the challenges COVID presents, we feel very safe at Goldfish. Thank you for letting our kids have fun during these trying times.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Love this place and my kids seem to be progressing well.

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★ 5

I began swim lessons with my nine month old son at Goldfish Brookline a month ago. They have amazing COVID protocols in place- temperature check upon arrival, individual changing rooms sanitized between each use, one way traffic, staff sanitizing and adapting all equipment, and mask/ face shield wearing in and out of the pool. There is also a parent watch area that is socially distanced and behind glass. In my mini class, there are only two other babies so I feel safe and we get lots of attention and instruction- I can see the staff following a curriculum throughout the lesson. The water warm- my baby loves is and is always so relaxed! Swim class is our favorite time of the week! My husband, sister and mom have love joining in the fun and bringing our baby to swim as well. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

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★ 5

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★ 5

If you're wondering how Goldfish is during Covid, it is super safe! All teachers are wearing shields, locker rooms and bathrooms are sanitized during each use, classes are smaller, and my kids are learning to swim!

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★ 5

I am impressed at the care and detail that Goldfish and its staff are taking to keep everyone safe.

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★ 5

I had been looking forward to swimming with my daughter since before she was born, and I'm so glad that we're able to swim at Goldfish swim school! I was nervous about pandemic precautions, but I appreciate they have very clear policies about masks, spacing, and I see them cleaning both deck and changing rooms frequently, so I haven't had any worries since starting lessons. All of the instructors and lifeguards have been very friendly, and setting up a trial and then a weekly lesson time was easy. I called/emailed a few times and got quick responses, and they followed through on their promise to let us know if a spot opened up at a different time. Thanks, Goldfish!

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★ 5

Great school! Will recommend.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

We are new to the Goldfish community and couldn't be more thrilled with the experience. We opted for a private family lesson due to our schedule availability and it has been fabulous to watch your staff work with our girls and the girls working together. They have come to love your staff and look forward to their swimming lessons each week. As you promised, it took three weeks before they were confident, happy and hooked :)

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★ 5

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★ 5

My daughter has been taking lessons at Goldfish for about seven months. She enjoys it and looks forward to returning each week. As a parent, I love the feedback we get every week from her instructors. It's also great that they allow students to move up when they're ready instead of waiting for the end of a session. Outside of class, the waiting area is great for when I need to work (yay WiFi) or when I have my younger son with me and need to keep him entertained (they have coloring sheets and a chalkboard). Overall, it makes for a relatively stress-free experience for all.

COVID-19 update: We're so glad that Goldfish has reopened. The new safety procedures are pretty robust with temperature checks, distancing, and frequent disinfecting. The smaller class sizes also mean more swimming and instructional time for each swimmer. My daughter is very happy to be back in the pool. Unfortunately, non-swimming siblings can't come in the building right now, but that's understandable.

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★ 5

Goldfish swim school in Brookline has been very thoughtful about their re-opening during these times and has paid attention to every little detail to keep everyone safe. The teachers are fantastic!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Instructors and personnel are very friendly, great facility and equipment, pleasant and cheerful decor. My 8mo old baby enjoys his swim lessons there. Great experience overall.

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★ 5

Daniel is really progressing in his ability to kick! I'm very happy with the way the instructors are working with him on that. Daniel is very comfortable in the water with the instructors!

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★ 5

We love this place. Coaches are good at inspiring little kids.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Instructors are great and I love the feedback they give us at the end of the class about my son’s progress. My son loves the warm pool and he’s swimming better than before. Thank you!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

You turned a reluctant child into a swimmer. Thank you!

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

It makes the whole process of taking lessons easy. We've also been pleased with the level of instruction our son has received. Everyone we've interacted with is friendly and helpful. Thanks

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★ 5

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★ 4

I love this place and the staff are excellent. However, I found that the classes are too relaxed. YMCA pushes the kids, motivates and encourages them. Goldfish tends to be the easy and slow approach. Some kids require that relaxed approach. But, for the amount per lesson, we cannot afford that type of style. In one session, my daughter was on the wall along with another swimmer for most of the session. She had two pushes off the wall where one swimmer required additional help. It was a 3:1 ratio. The class was 30-minutes and my swimmer barely had a lesson. Goldfish tends to put new swimmers at the lowest level first, regardless of their abilities to have the instructors evaluate them. This lasted for 3 classes where I decided to cancel. It wasn't until I decided to cancel where the next classes, before my contract ended were putting my swimmer with a more aggressive instructor. By that time, I didn't want to pursue due to the cost and lesson format. Facility and the staff are excellent! Unfortunately, the lessons were not a fit for us.

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★ 5

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★ 5

👍🏻👍🏻

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

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★ 5

Great facility. Well organized, very clean. Well located in Brookline village.

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★ 5

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★ 5

I love goldfish swim school

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