Patti's Swim School
It’s a bit of a hike, and perhaps not inexpensive, exactly, but we found Patti‘s swim school in Castro Valley to be very helpful in preparing our young children for swimming. We really wanted them to be water safe and found the group courses offered at the UC and Albany pools to be ineffective. Once we did some one on ones at patties, the kids really progressed.
Highly recommend Patti's swim school in Castro Valley! It's 1:1 (vs group lessons) with a real focus on safety and skills. Our kids learned more in one summer at Patti's than after years of group classes.
HI:
For private we have done Patti's Swim in Castro Valley. It's a bit of a drive from our house but it's 1:1 and you can actually schedule 1-hour lessons. The con is the price -it's really expensive. My daughter is at Ohana now. She LOVES her instructor and typically there is only one other child. I will say that there has been a lot of staff turnover so many lessons were previously cut. You can also book private lessons through Strawberry Canyon.
I suggest trying Patti's Swim School in Castro Valley. It's been worth the drive (from Berkeley) for my family. Not sure what current availability looks like but they do a fantastic job teaching kids to swim!
Patti's Swim School in Castro Valley is a wonderful program and they helped my timid son overcome his fear of the water. http://pattisswimschool.com
Patti's Swim School was a wonderful experience for our family--above and beyond what I expected and hoped for. I enrolled my 3-year-old daughter in two consecutive weeks of personal instruction during the summer. Starting out, I was nervous and somewhat skeptical it would be worth the investment. My daughter is shy around new people and experiences, and she can really dig her heels in when she doesn't want to do something. The first day at Patti's, she sat on the pool steps and balled hysterically for most of the lesson--completely shut down psychologically (through no fault of the instructors'--they were patient, reassuring, and kept her safe throughout). With lots of encouragement from Patti, however, we stuck with it. Slowly but surely, Patti's Swim School worked its magic. By the end of the two weeks, my daughter cried out from the middle of the pool with a very different message: "Don't take me out! I want to keep swimming!" The transformation was something to behold, and immense credit goes to Patti herself--she is a master instructor who combines a master's education in child development with a lifetime of swimming and parenting skills and instincts. It was inspiring to watch her work and to see the impact it made on my daughter.
My daughter--who spent the first lesson screaming when her hair got wet--is now halfway to completing the Red Cross stage 1 swimming skills checklist. Most importantly, she is confident and excited to keep progressing as a swimmer. A great foundation has been laid for the rest of her life, and I am grateful for that.
Patti's Swim School is a well-run operation--a great pool for little kids (warm, clean, unchlorinated), a family-like environment, and with ample parking on the property itself. Most of all, they really care about your children, meet them where they are, and warmly push them forward. Highly recommended!
It may be too far for you but we have have great experiences with our son learning to swim at Patti's Swim School in Castro Valley. The semi-private lessons, not so much since the learning time is only 15 minutes. But private lessons are 20 minutes and often the instructors will stay with the kid for the full 30 min. Our 3 year old has gone from no swimming at all last year to being able to swim across the pool this year.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
May 2010
I am a physical education teacher and would HIGHLY recommend your children to sign up for swim lessons at Patti's Swim School. My 5 year old daughter went from not wanting to get her face wet to swimming freestyle with side breathes across the pool within 2 weeks. Patti is AWESOME. I have know her for over 10 years! Her swim school has the best instructors who are well trained and very patient. My daughter is very shy and the instructors took their time to getting to know her and making her feel VERY comfortable. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and the temperature of the pool was perfect for my daughter. After the summer ended last year I was so sad to have to end her lessons. My daughter still talks about the program 10 months later and is really looking forward to taking more lessons this summer. If you have any further questions please email me back or check out the website listed below. www.pattisswimschool.com Nicole
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