Learning to Swim with Goldfish Swim School!

Learning to swim with Goldfish Swim School

This summer was definitely different in a lot of ways-but there certainly was no shortage of swimming and poll time! We spent hours with family, friends, and with Goldfish Swim School honing our swimming skills!

Learning to swim is one of the most important gifts we as parents can provide for our children, and something that I am incredibly passionate about. It has been awhile since I shared about the boys swimming progress. We’ve been back at Goldfish Williamsville since July and I’m excited to talk about how the boys have improved, and all of the safety measures Goldfish has implemented since opening up after our region was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic!

As you all know, I have 3 incredibly active boys, so this spring was very hard for all of us. The boys missed their sport and activities, school, friends…..and boy, did they miss swimming! They must have asked me at least 2-3 times a week when we would be able to go back to Goldfish!

Return to Swim!

When we got the call that Goldfish was reopening, we were thrilled! The first day back, the look on the boys’ faces was priceless. It was truly amazing to see a part of their lives, their routine, and some normalcy… to be given back to them. I think at times we don’t think about the kids, and what they have had to cope with through COVID. We are forever grateful that Goldfish Williamsville was able to open their doors again and find a way to provide lessons for the kiddos again throughout this difficult time.

Now…you’re probably wondering how this all works with regard to Goldfish Swim School’s COVID protocol. I’ll give you the lowdown: SAFETY IS THEIR PRIORITY. Always has been, always will be.

Some fast facts:

-All employees have face masks or face shields (even coaches in the water!) Individuals outside of the pool are also required to wear a mask!
-The pool and high touch areas are sanitized
-class sizes are small 2-3 children to allow for social distancing
-Efficient air circulation
-screening prior to entering
-As always, they have a lifeguard on duty!

So, as you can see, all my worries were eased with their return to swim precautions and safety protocols.

Progress

I have seen both boys progress leaps and bounds over the last 3 months! My oldest son moved up today to the next level and he was THRILLED. I was so proud. My middle son is only one star away from advancing as well! It’s been so fun to see their development every week. My younger son is now diving under water and grabbing rings, and my oldest son can swim without swimmies now at any pool! I love the individual attention each coach is able to give each child, and their constant feedback is so important for the boys to learn quickly.

I get communication every week via email on what each child has accomplished, and what they are working on which is really important to me. The boys are always learning with a smile on their faces, and the coaches are such positive role models in their lives that they look forward to seeing every week.

As a parent, it is of the utmost importance to me that I find a swim school that fosters the love of swimming, gives the boys a positive association with water, helps them learn to swim, and most importantly, learn how to be safe in and around water. And there is no doubt that Goldish delivers on all of those.

You can check out Goldfish Swim School here to view more about their programming & to sign up!

Thank you to Goldfish Swim School for sponsoring this post. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own!

xo

Alex

Goldfish Swim School Review: My thoughts

I’ll never forget the importance that my own mother put on my brothers and I on learning to swim when I was growing up. We religiously attended swimming lessons multiple times a week, and she always told me it was because she never learned how to swim herself. She didn’t want us to be in the same boat, so she prioritized learning to swim basically since we were babies! 

Now that I’m a mother myself, I completely understand the importance and urgency of your children learning how to swim. Learning to swim, in my opinion, has to be one of the most important life skills a child can learn. Why? According to the CDC, swim lessons have actually been shown to reduce the risk of drowning by 88% in one to four year olds. From a physical standpoint, swimming is a fun, low impact way to build muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance. Ensuring your kids have all the swim skills they need to get a full body workout will make it that much easier for them to stay active. Additionally, due to the exercise during swimming, children develop their mind/body connection. This, in turn, helps kids to significantly improve their brain development and intelligence.

Thanks to Goldfish Swim School in Williamsville, the WNY community has the opportunity to give their children the gift of learning to swim and water safety in a fun, safe, interactive environment. 

From the moment I walked through the doors at Goldfish Williamsville, I was impressed. The facility was extremely clean and the atmosphere is fun & tropical which is especially nice in winter. The employees are friendly, and the amenities are excellent: a fully stocked diaper station, high chairs, a bathing suit dryer, and body wash/ shampoo provided at the showers. Convenience is Goldfish’s middle name and they sure know how to make parents lives easier! They even have coloring, games and toys for siblings who might be waiting in their ever so spacious lobby. 

I know from being in the service industry that your coaches are your product! Goldfish swim school doesn’t disappoint in this category (and I’m a hard sell, trust me!). The coaches are all about making the kids comfortable in a safe, learning environment. They are enthusiastic, energetic and read each child’s personality in order to see how they can help them grow as a swimmer. In addition, they always have an extra coach on deck who acts as a lifeguard. This makes me feel at ease when my sons are taking turns with the other students in the water with the coach. Knowing that there is another set of eyes strictly watching the children makes me feel so much more comfortable. Water safety is first at Goldfish Williamsville.

One of the best things about Goldfish is the feedback that we receive on a weekly basis. This was huge for me. I’ve noticed that sometimes in youth sports programming coaches avoid parents. This is crazy to me, especially when the children are under the age of 10! We are all in this together- It takes a village to raise good kids & humans! Communication is so important. At Goldfish, the coaches are confident in their ability to teach, connect and speak to not only the children, but to you as the adult/parent on a weekly basis. I LOVE how after every lesson they go over what your child is doing well, and what they need to work on. They even hand out progress reports which is so helpful. Knowing where your child stands in learning a new skill, especially if you are investing time, energy and money into it means a lot to us.

Both of my boys love coming to swimming every week and connecting with their coaches. The water is like a bathtub, which is especially great in the cold winter months! Both boys are making huge progress which I’ll be updating you all in 4-6 weeks!

Spring & swimming season will be here before we know it. Now is the perfect time to get your child enrolled at Goldfish swim school in Williamsville! Call & Use code “ALEX” to get your registration fee waived (a $25) value.

Thank you to Goldfish Swim School for sponsoring this post. As always, thoughts & opinions are my own.

Go on and get wet!

xo

Alex