Floaties Swim School

We have been bringing our infant here since she was 6 months old and we have been coming here over a month … Jenna is our instructor and she is fabulous! The entire school has been nothing but professional and wonderful with our precious little girl. I do not know how to swim and bit scared but my daughter is picking up great! they clean their pools more than regulated and use salt water!

We absolutely love this place! We’ve shifted around teachers based on our schedule and the staff has always accommodated us when they are able to. Every teacher we have had has been extremely knowledgeable, caring and incredibly supportive of my little ones. I have three children that love swimming at Floaties. Definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in getting little ones to become safe swimmers or if you’re older children want to become stronger at swimming!

We have been taking our now 15 month old son to Floaties for over 6 months and we are really, really happy with them. Each lesson is 30 minutes long and there are up to 2 additional kids in the lesson with our son. The instructors are patient and loving and my son LOVES his swim lesson. Yes, the pool is very busy and there are a lot of kids and instructors but I guess that is what I expect out of a kids swim lesson. In addition, my son had to have surgery and missed a few weeks because of the surgeon’s instructions. Even though Floaties only allows one make-​up, they completely understood and made an exception to excuse his absences. The girls at the front are younger, but what I really appreciate is that they never give attitude — they are always helpful. I highly recommend Floaties!

Awful experience. Teacher was nice and helpful but the place itself is a zoo. Maybe it was because we had our lessons on Saturdays but the pool is too small for all those kids to be in it at the same time. Multiple classes happening. I would say about 50 kids at once with 10 – 12 teachers plus some parents.
Dressing rooms were small and uncomfortable. No chairs or benches inside the dressing rooms. Only one shower for all those kids. They don’t provide soap or shampoo.
We are not coming back ever.

I wish I could post videos here because I’d post my girl at 18 months going off a dive board into a 12 ft deep pool with a 3 year old sobbing in fear behind her.
Have a little faith. Have a little patience. Don’t expect results in two weeks for f**k’s sake! What have you EVER taught your kid to do in two weeks? I was afraid of this bench system as my kiddos are super unruly. But it worked. The 3 to a lesson also bothered me. I wanted private. But it gives the kids a break. Which I’ve learned is good for their attention span limits.
I enrolled both my kiddos at ~4−6 months and each could legit full on swim by 18 months. My 2 year old the width of the pool unassisted and my 3 year old the length unassisted.
Yes, they have turnover. What company doesn’t? We’ve had and lost the best of best instructors and I’ve been devastated at the losses. But? Turns out. The other instructors are pretty great and have been well trained by the best instructors.
We miss Tracy, Brian, Steven, and Lee. But love our new teachers. My girl can be such an ass sometimes and Shane is consistently patient with her. He even has kind things to say about her after the lessons. Love Angela and her openness, honesty, and genuine love for my little guy.
They have great training practices that include not only swimming techniques but also what to do in emergency situations. They teach «safety circles» where they the kiddos learn how to swim back around to a safe place. And they teach «oh no» situations which simulate falling into a pool. They don’t waste your time and money with silly water dancing and songs.
Front desk staff is AWESOME!!! Both Kiera and Paige have spent a good 10 – 15 minutes at a time on the phone with me trying to get my kiddos on the same time schedule. They are kind and never make you feel like you are a waste of time.
The locker room sucks balls. No doubt. Too small. Too many screaming kids. Too many judgey parents. But. To be fair. Showering my kids in a fancy spa locker room would not be any better. Undressing two kids, showering them, washing them, dressing them etc in public is going to be a shit show no matter where I go.
And, side note. The instructors have both kept one kid in the pool while I shower the other and entertained one in the locker room while I dressed the other. They are good and kind and caring and empathetic.
The playroom is heaven. My kids can entertain themselves for a good hour in a safe space with a closed door. Makes «tuition» worth it!
Bottom line. Yes. It is expensive. It is difficult. But knowing my kids won’t drown? Worth it all. And then some.

We’ve been at Floaties in Poway for a year now and really love it. My daughter enjoyed water as a baby and then became very fearful of swimming just before turning 2. We started her at Floaties and she cried each lesson, scared to even put her feet in. Her instructor was patient, knowledgeable, and consistent. Little by little, our daughter became used to the water and learned important survival skills. Now she loves swim lessons every week– it’s one of her favorite things!
You do have to be okay with a louder, humid, indoor pool environment. We also don’t use the changing room area because it’s small and crowded. We just arrive already dressed in a swimsuit and then shower at home. You also need to be okay with a variety of instructors (they change fairly often and sometimes there are subs), and your child will share the 30 minutes with 2 other children. I personally like that my daughter has now had several instructors… I didn’t want her swim success to be dependent on one particular teacher being in the water with her. I also like the social aspect of the small group lesson– it keeps it fun for my daughter as she’s learning more challenging skills.
One last thing– I’ve always had positive, warm interactions with the girls at the front desk. Great customer service!
I definitely recommend Floaties, especially if your child is young and/​or has fears of water.

We’ve been going to Floaties for 18 months and we enjoy it as much as our daughter. Miss Havana is a great teacher and Miss Tori recently went «above and beyond» our expectations and helped our daughter have a great lesson. Thank you all

We have been with this school for 2 years and we are so pleased with their instructors and staff. My 2 girls have been in other schools before, but we got an amazing results since they enroll in this school. Mr. Shane and Miss. Merissa were our instructors and they are really good. But I’m sure the rest are good as well. My older daughter has already joined a swim team in Rancho Bernardo! Thanks Floaties :)

My 4 month old started swim lessons with Havana a few weeks ago. We LOVE the lessons and the 3:1 ratio is perfect.
My first complaint is the lack of a time to come «practice». My kid is a fish in the water and I would love the opportunity to bring him once during the week to an open swim. The lessons are slightly expensive with no added perks.
Second complaint, like most others is the shower/​bathroom situation. Would love to be able to rinse off and change without clawing my way to the shower.

Update! !!!
Miss Tracy was your super star!!! Please, get her back to your location!!! I was recommending your school just because of her… my child miss her so much!!! She must come back!!!######

We have been with Floaties in Poway for almost 3 years now and we love it! The entire staff is amazing! Of course we love our instructors (Mr. Oscar and Ms. Mariah), but honestly, I’ve never heard anything bad said of any instructor there! The front desk staff is always very welcoming. They are also very helpful and patient when I need to change swim schedules/​instructors. They have a real knack of placing the girls with a swim instructor that compliments each of their unique personalities. Thank you Floaties for making my girls water safe!!!

My kids teacher, Jamie, is amazing! She is so great with the kids! I wish she was also their nanny and pre-​school teacher! It broke my heart to not renew my membership … she was so great and warm and caring toward kids.
I liked Floaties a lot (we were there 6 weeks) but it was kinda pricey for us. I wish the pool wasn’t so loud.
I mainly don’t like how some parents drop off their toddlers because since it’s a 1:3 ratio, while an instructor is out teaching one kid how to swim across the pool, the two toddlers sitting on the bench start fidgeting and getting hyper and bored and before you know it they’re almost in the 4 foot water. The instructor can’t watch them every minute because they’re helping the other kid at the other end of the pool. Other instructors also in the water are busy watching their own 3 kids. I felt like I, as a sitting parent right behind my kids, had to keep an eye on those kids kinda near us because nobody else was.
Advice to parents: Stay there with your kid. After all, you shouldn’t ever believe your toddler is 100 percent water safe. And how can an instructor watch all 3 kids at one time when they’re 40 feet away if they only have 2 eyes?
Overall– loved Floaties teacher Ms. Jaimee. Indoor pool is awesome for winters! I like the methods they use to teach kids how to swim and make the pool fun. Tons of toys in the water for kids to play with. Friendly staff.

My daughter and I love Floaties Swim School. We started lessons with her when she was almost 4 months old, and after her 6 week program, she has gotten so comfortable in the water. She goes underwater multiple times per session and looks so happy when she comes up. It was really important for us to start lessons early so she develops water skills and is comfortable in the water. I was still amazed with how quickly that developed.
Due to vacation and holidays, my weekly sessions had to be pushed out. However, since we are moving and didn’t have extra weeks to give, the Floaties staff was very accommodating in getting in all of our sessions, with our same instructor to keep things smooth.
Most importantly, my little girl LOVED Miss Tori. The first couple lessons was just building trust with her, but boy did it pay off. By our last lesson she would reach for her and give her hugs. One of the things we are most sad about with moving is losing Floaties and especially Miss Tori. Hopefully we can find another swim school that my daughter and I feel as comfortable with.

This place is great! My son’s instructor is awesome. He’s very friendly and attentive! My son has improved so much in just 2 weeks with 2 30 minute sessions a week. The bad thing about this place is the size of the pool itself. It’s very crowded especially during a week night. Other then that I would definitely recommend this program to parents with children of all ages.

My niece goes here and if I ever have a kid I will definitely bring her here. She is always telling me stories about her day and never fails to include the sweet receptionists in her stories. I’m so glad San Diego has a safe and welcoming spot for young girls.

We’ve had our now 3 year-​old in lessons at Floaties in Poway since she was 6 months old and couldn’t be happier.
Living near the beach, and having regular access to pools, I wanted her to be comfortable in and around the water. Initially, I just wanted her to be able to hold her breath long enough for someone to pull her out of the water if she fell in. 2 years later, she’s absolutely fearless around water and doesn’t get scared, even when waves knock her down, or she’s starting to get pulled out by a rip current.
The skills she has learned over her time at Floaties are priceless. She now has a little sister who’s also going to be a Floaties kid soon.
A few things about my experience and tips:
1. The classes are only 30 minutes, and your child shares the class with 2 other kids, at the most. These lessons are about quality, not quantity. The teachers know that kids get tired quickly and once tired, they don’t learn the skills they need. For that reason, the lessons are just 30 minutes. Over time, the basic skills they learn early on are built upon for more complete swimming abilities.
The teacher tailors the time your child spends in class to him/​her. Floaties likes to put kids of similar age/​skill level in the same classes, but I think that’s a good thing. If you have an infant, be prepared to get in the water with your child. (This makes the changing process a little complicated at first but you’ll figure it out)
2. The changing room. It’s mayhem. At least the women’s is. The moms from the class that is ending are trying to get their kids showered and changed while the moms from the class that is about to start are trying to get their kids, changed into swimsuits and into the pool before class starts. I like to get there about 15 minutes early and change in the playroom before class. To avoid the after-​class wait for the shower, I usually let my daughter play outside for 5 – 10 minutes and then go in. You could also just skip the shower altogether. I just don’t like the chlorine to stay on her skin. My husband tells me that the men’s changing room is not like this at all.
3. We had a couple of schedule changes since we started and the front desk always worked with us to ensure that we didn’t lose any of our pre-​purchased lessons. As long as we gave plenty of notice, everything was fine. Some teachers have a longer waiting list than others, but they’ll work with you to get what you want.

My grandson had his 1^st swim lesson at Floaties when he was 3 months old.
He is currently 2 years old and the one activity that he looks forward to each week is attending his swim lesson. Every employee that I have had 1 on 1 interactions with has been outstanding. Management has been extremely accommodating of schedule changes that I have made & requested.
At his age I’m not looking for him to swim laps, but one valuable lesson that he has learned is how to pull his body weight up & out of the pool on his own. He has learned that safety can be found by going to the side of the pool and getting out. «Elbow, elbow, knee, knee!» He literally recites it while hiking himself up out of the pool. I’m 100% confident that his skill level will increase in time. It’s a process. Like mastering any other skill it will take proper instruction, time & practice. Some things in life are simply worth paying for no matter how long it takes!
Thank you Floaties!

This review is long overdue… We’ve been going to Floaties for almost 2 years now. We started when my son was 5.5 months old. He swims with Ms. Tracy & I have nothing but amazing things to say about her. She is kind, nurturing, patient — yet stern with my son. We only go once a week but he still retains all he’s learned from the week before, although he’d probably progress much more quickly with 2 lessons a week.
The only thing I don’t like about the facility is the changing room are so tiny & after each lesson it gets super packed on girls side.

Floaties in Poway has been an excellent swim school for our daughter. We have had 3 great teachers over the last year (Kira, Lorinne and Marissa). Our daughter has gone from sink to safety to swimmer in that time, and done so enjoying each lesson and each teacher. The front desk staff is always welcoming.
You may read a couple negative reviews, but I find you get what you give. If you show up with a positive attitude and a willingness to let the instructors to do their jobs you will be more than satisfied.

I brought my daughter to Floaties once when she was about 3 ½ for a few months and then again around 4 ½ for about 6 months.
The staff is very friendly and helpful, but unfortunately that’s where the positives stop.
My daughter did not improve AT ALL. They are so slow to teach skills. They spend a ton of time «getting them used to the water».
My daughter had NO PROBLEM with the water after the first session at 3 ½.
I had been warned about the slow, lack of progression from another mom, but have it a try (twice) due to the pure convenience of the location.
The shower area is too small for the number of people trying to use it.
Parking can be a bit of a pain.
Sitting to watch your child is a bit inconvenient also.
All in all I believe this place is a waste of money.
Go to Pacific Swim. We have had tons of success there.