★ 1

Source: Google

★ 1

I am saddened to write this review of one star. We had been members of swim first for years for both of our children. As a gift one of our family members got or daughter one session of private instruction. We were unwittingly enrolled in auto-enrollment and $290 was charged for a second session which we did not approve. This was in July (writing this review in October after another”someone from management will call you back” response) and we have yet to hear from management after many messages have been relayed to them.

We love the staff and instructors, they are great with kids, skilled instructors and kind. Our issue is with upper management who refuse to address very severe issues in their system. We are left frustrated and unheard and have to resort to leaving a bad review to warn other families of the issues with the upper management/ owners.

Source: Google

★ 1

Terrible. Good if u want your child taught by a teenager that doesn’t know what they’re doing
. My sons first lesson was taught by a young man that did not pay attention to my child at all. It was clear the instructor had no idea what my sons name was. He looked totally flustered and was not attentive in the slightest. I asked to switch instructors and they helped me immediately switch instructors. I ended up having a very similar experience with the next instructor, another young person with little to no experience with children. Would not recommend this place to anyone. Good luck.

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★ 5

Had my daughter’s birthday party there. Was a great day! Will be returning in the next few years.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Amazing staff. Very understanding and accommodating for both my schedule and my children (on of which has ADHD and autism). Highly recommend

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★ 4

There Great”

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★ 5

I absolutely love this place! Ms.Krissy is the best! My daughter loved having her and my son has her now! I only have amazing things to say about this place! I love the front desk staff and when it comes to making classes or missing classes they are so easy to make up and are understanding!!

Source: Google

★ 5

Great experience. My daughter enjoyed Level 1 class and is excited to go back next week. Everyone is kind and polite from the front desk to the instructor to every staff member we interacted with.

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★ 5

Kids First Swim school has been so amazing to me and my daughter!! We started out doing Mommy and Me classes and they were a success now my baby girl is 3 years old and still attending. I highly recommend everyone to give this school a chance.

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★ 5

Kids first swim has been great! Ms. Mary is wonderful every time we come in and my daughter loves her swim teacher Juliana.

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★ 5

Great physical activity and confidence boosting. Initially our kids hated getting their face wet, and now they’re like fish. We read the earlier they learn to swim the better and our kids are 2 and 4 and are kicking and diving under water. Highly recommend!

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★ 5

We have two young kids (under 7) at Kids First and have always been satisfied. Their classes strike a good balance between playing and skill work and the instructors are knowledgeable and attentive. Ms. Belinda, the Mommy and Daddy teacher, is especially good with working with young kids and worried parents. She's the best!
My only complaints would be the cosmetic stuff with the facilities: non functional water fountain, bathroom soap dispensers don't work, seems dingy, etc. Never anything that worries us or is unsafe.
Great people! Highly recommend!

Source: Google

★ 5

We love Kids First Swim School! Everyone is so kind and the kids love swimming here.

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★ 5

Kids First really is a great school and all the staff and instructors are super friendly, especially Ms. Mary! Our daughter has been coming for years now and still loves it. Multiple skill levels and class types allow us to get her the instruction she needs. Auto-pay makes monthly billing hassle free!

Source: Google

★ 5

We first started coming to KFSS Severna Park in 2018 for the Mommy/Daddy & Me classes. More recently, our now elementary school-aged children have been taking semi-private and private lessons at KFSS Severna Park since 2023. We believe they have received excellent instruction from their teachers in these lesson settings. The private lessons in particular have allowed each child to remain focused during instruction time while progressing at a pace that is most comfortable for them. The teachers in the private lesson setting have also demonstrated great attention, patience, and adaptability to the different learning styles, personalities, quirks, likes, and fears of our children. We highly recommend semi-private or private lessons at KFSS Severna Park, especially for children who learn better outside of large group settings or who otherwise need more individualized attention from their teachers.

We agree with some of the other reviewers that the bathrooms at KFSS Severna Park could be maintained more frequently. That said, we also believe the maintenance level and cleanliness of the bathrooms are not any worse (and in fact are considerably better) than the bathrooms at most public pools or beaches.

Source: Google

★ 5

My son has been going here for a couple years and absolutely loves it here and is making such an improvement. They are so patient with him even when he's not listening

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★ 5

Kids first program is fantastic. Ms Mary and the whole team are the best. Ms juli is an excellent instructor and has help our son improve by leaps and bounds.

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★ 5

Only a few months and my son is so much better in the water, and building much confidence!

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★ 4

My daughter went from not putting her head in the water to fully submerging her self within 3 weeks. I would recommend KFS!

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★ 5

We have members of Kids First since 2022 with my two daughters participating and my third soon to start and its been an awesome experience. The instructors are heart warming, attentive and absolutely splendid. The front desk is super awesome. As a parent, I could have asked for better partners in teaching my girls how to swim

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

We love Kids First Swim School! The staff is friendly and the swimming instructors are great with little kids.

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★ 5

Ms. Mary is the heart of Kids First Swim Class! her warm smile and kind welcome make every family feel instantly at home. She sets the tone for a positive experience the moment you walk through the door, and her genuine care never goes unnoticed.

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★ 5

We love Kids First Swim 💦 Ms. Mary is always friendly and kind. Our 2 year old daughter loves swim classes

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★ 5

My girls love Kids First swim school. They look forward to it every week. The instructors are wonderful!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Krissy has taught both of our kids and she's incredible! also very flexible when needing to reschedule

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★ 5

Wife and I took our daughter here for the Parent & Me session and we all had a great time!

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★ 5

The staff are very friendly and the teachers are great with the kids. My son loves going here!

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★ 5

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★ 5

We have both of our daughters in swim lessons here and feel that it is a great fit for our family! The instructors are friendly and helpful.

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★ 5

Was very flexible in working with us to accommodate my son who has learning delays - The first year we tried swim lessons here, he refused to get in the water so they worked with us to revisit the lessons the following year by keeping our credit on file - The portal was easy to navigate in booking him back on the schedule when he was ready - Very friendly and knowledgeable staff - Lots of classes to choose from so that helps with scheduling

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Our family thoroughly enjoys the lessons and the warm, friendly attention we receive from all the swim instructors and the management team at Swim First. My kids love their lessons and are always eager to learn and improve their swimming skills. As a mom, it makes me so happy to see my little fish in the water—confident, joyful, and learning water safety.

Source: Google

★ 5

Great experience with Melinda! She teaches the mommy & baby class and she was so insightful and hands on! We loved it!

Source: Google

★ 2

Some of the low ratings are actually true. I had my two sons here one is a special need James and the second was in a group and not paid attention to. They complained of him and thats fine. This business claims I should come with my spouse to use a family time. I never told them I needed to learn swimming all they needed was give me a refund. So heartless of them!

Source: Google

★ 5

The staff are amazing. My daughter has made so much progress, and loves going to class every week.

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★ 1

I’ve had a very frustrating experience with this business. I paid for six classes and used three, but after missing a month, I wanted to confirm the remaining class times. However, no one ever got back to me. Every time I called, if someone answered, they told me I needed to speak with the manager, Cate. Despite months of trying, I have never been able to reach her, nor has she contacted me. I understand they have a no-refund policy, but I simply want clarification on the classes I paid for. Poor communication and customer service.

Source: Google

★ 5

I just wanted to express my gratitude for the manager, Katlyn, who helped me move around my classes last night. I thought I couldn't swim for the month of March but she made it happen. She has been so professional and helpful while we've attending this swim school. She is always at the school, very aware of everything going on, and willing to answer all my questions.

Source: Google

★ 5

Staff was amazing and super kind!

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★ 5

The pool and air are at the perfect temp to swim year around. It is always an excellent experience.

Source: Google

★ 1

My Wife and I came here for months to with three children. We always made sure to pay after selecting a class that met our schedules and paid in person at the front desk because they stated they had a no refund policy. The business changed their payment system November 2024 and my Wife and I didn't think much of it and didn't sign up for the new system. However, my wife wanted to send the children to one last lesson and apparently was signed up for an account on their new system by the front desk. Unfortunately, the person who signed my wife up at the front desk also signed her up for automatic reoccurring payments. Since we had been coming here for months I didn't suspect there would be much of an issue in resolving the matter and I could simply approach someone at the front desk for a refund. However, I was told I would need to speak to the store manager and that they would call us back shortly. After a week and three attempts to contact the store manager I went in person and spoke with the store manager. I was informed they have a strict no refund policy and I would need to speak to the regional manager to dispute the charge. It became clear the business did not intend to contact me or refund the money. I disputed the charge on my credit card and am still in dispute as they are using the document we signed when originally signing up for classes that stated no refund. I would beware of dealings with this business.

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 4

Nice pool for kids to learn the basics of the water. Creative wallpaper in the pool room too.

Source: Google

★ 1

Filthy facility and poorly managed. Our family quit one week into our second session after giving them the benefit of the doubt for multiple weeks.

Floors, bathrooms, and all horizontal surfaces (to include changing tables) are dirty all the time. They appear to mop occasionally, but you can see the dirty mop marks on the floor.

Men's locker room has drainage issues and there are large standing puddles in front of the showers. Broken chairs in the observation area and the urinal in the men's restroom was broken the entire 6 weeks we were there, leaving a single men's toilet available for all the adults and kids.

On top of it all, the instructors just aren't that good. Plus as another reviewer noted, there are no life guards on duty to assist in the event of an emergency. Given the high student to instructor ratio - that's intolerable.

Source: Google

★ 1

Our 3 year old nearly drowned here last week. They had 1 instructor for six 3-4 year olds. There are no lifeguards. Knowing it wasn’t ideal, we watched closely the entire time. We saw our daughter go under. The teacher had no clue because she was working with another kid. We ran into the pool area screaming. If we weren’t watching so closely, this would have ended much differently. Numerous parents approached me to say this wasn’t the first time they’ve seen something like this at that location. The front desk had no reaction beyond “sorry that happened” when I went up to them in tears to report what happened. Stay far away from
This place. If you do still go, don’t stare at your phone the entire time like most parents. You must, must watch.

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 1

There was zero instruction given by the “instructors”, a total waste of time and money. Plus it smells awful, is dark inside and they use a one way mirror which is very unnerving for the children. If I could give zero stars, I would. And there’s a no refund policy so it was money down the drain.

Source: Google

★ 1

My daughter get the private class but the school always changes the teacher and they don’t let the parents know. I’m very disappointed.

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★ 1

If you miss a appointment
They never call to reschedule you for a makeup

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★ 5

Great place to get swim lessons for your kiddos at a decent price.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Our children have been going here for almost a year now and they absolutely love it. They have an indoor heated pool so it's great to have the option of year-round swim lessons! The classes are small, with plenty of instructors keeping an eye on the kids and very flexible class schedules. Parents have an area to wait and watch the lessons. They have individual changing rooms as options but we tend to have our kids show up with swimsuits already underneath their clothes. The only additional things we bring to the lessons are a towel, flip flops/crocs, and hair ties for our kids since they have long hair (Long hair has to be tied up/put in a ponytail when in the pool, that's a requirement). Swimming is a critical life skill and we wish we had known about Kids First Swim school sooner since they have swim classes starting as young as Toddlers (Of course with babies that young, they do require a parent/guardian to be with them in the water for the class).

Source: Google

★ 5

Staff is great. My little girl had a blast. I'm planning on taking her there for multiple levels of swim classes already.

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 1

How much do you pay for adult swim lessons?

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★ 5

Having a great experience with homeschool swim lessons! Kids can learn on their own timeline here. No "just shove them in the pool, that'll teach them how to swim." If you've put off swim lessons because of COVID, this is a great place for older kids who are learning how to swim, too. It's a small pool, so there are fewer people and fewer distractions (no lap swimmers or water aerobics classes meeting at the same time). Hard to take photos because kids need privacy, but here's a quick blurry snapshot of the parents' view during lessons.

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

Enrolled my 7 Month girl in mommy and me class the instructor was nice and helpful and made everyone feel welcomed was great with every child in the pool. Really good environment I recommend this place I was a little weary due to some of the reviews but overall this is a really good place !

Source: Google

★ 5

Very kid friendly place. The staff is great.

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★ 5

So far we love it! I taught at KFSS for many years when I was in college and I just love the curriculum so I'm taking my son there to learn

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★ 5

Very patient with the kids. My kids confidence in water has improved significantly.

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★ 5

My kids have been going here for 3 years! I absolutely love it. I love their teacher, Lauren. The best teacher ever!!! And, I love the fact they can swim now. Amazing how you see them learn to swim over the sessions. Thank you Lauren for teaching my children a needed life skill! We will miss you.

Source: Google

★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 1

I wish I would have read the reviews before signing my son and niece up. My niece was put in a level 3 group which she did very well in and her instructor was nice. My son, who is 3 and big for his age, was put in level 1/2 and his instructor was not good. I have to step into the first class to let her know he just turned 3 and is rambunctious and that there was not need for her to talk to him so aggressively. She seemed to be perceptive but every week after she got increasingly agitated with my son. Today was his last class and toward the end of the class when they were exiting the pool, my son assumed the class was ending and proceeded to walk toward the exit. The instructor yelled at my son so loud I heard it in the parents sitting area. No one should speak to a child like that! I am so upset that after class I couldnt even address the issue with the instructor because I didnt want my child to witness the ordeal. I will be contacting the center as soon as I am calm enough to do so. My kid will not be back!

Source: Google

★ 4

A bit crowded but otherwise very good. Teachers are great. Very organized.

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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

KK is wonderful. She's the manger and doesa great running the place

Source: Google

★ 1

I booked and paid for my daughter to attend swim lessons in March 2020. Obviously it was postponed due to COVID, which was fine, they called me and gave us new dates in April. Again it was postponed, which again is totally fine. Instead of calling they put a message on their answering machine that they were staying closed and that they would be sure to reach out and reschedule all lessons when they opened. It is now mid September. At this point I really don’t care whether or not she has the lessons, I would just like some info. I have been calling everyday for a week to try to get my money refunded or just figure out what is going on (these classes were $115) and no one answers the phone and there is no message.
Allie Engelhardt

Source: Google

★ 5

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★ 5

This place is special. The staff is amazing.

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★ 5

We started my 5 year old as he was very hesitant to go near the water. Within 2 months of lessons here we was jumping into the pool by himself, playing games in the pool a completely different experience this summer. The teachers are all wonderful and patient.

Source: Google

★ 1

We just had my grandsons Cameron's first swim class, He is new to swimming and I was really excited for him to learn to swim. But once the class started my excitement became worried because they started him out in like level 5 or 6 where they wanted him to swim across the pool and back and diving into the pool, what were they thinking he came here to learn to swim and you should have known that it was his first time, after it was over the lady a the front desk asked how did you like it and I was like he liked but I didn't and she asked who was his instructor and I was a man she said he was in the wrong class and I was like Yea really, but next week he will be in the right class. I really hope so. Plus I shouldn't have to pay for this week because they messed up. So next week will be his first time.

Source: Google

★ 5

We love Kids First. My daughter has been coming for almost a year now and loves it so much. We started going just for safety because pools terrify me, but after every session, she asks to be signed back up again. Now, when she is old enough, she wants to join a swim team

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★ 5

This place is great! The Instructors are fantastic and the staff is extremely helpful!!!! I'd give it 10 stars if I could!

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★ 5

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★ 5

We absolutely love Kids first Swim in Severna Park! Her are currently doing Mommy and Me and my daughter loves the class loves her Teacher Ms. Julia and has so much fun! We highly reccomened this location to anyone looking to have their kids start swimming!!

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★ 1

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★ 5

Daughter enjoys class. Facilities need some updating. Instructors are great.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

My 8 year old nephew loves! He started at level 3 and already jumping into the deep end. Will definitely do a few more levels. It goes to level 8. And it's petty affordable--6 lessons for $98.

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★ 5

We love Julia!!

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★ 5

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★ 5

Our children loves coming here for lessons.

Source: Google