We wanted to thank Danielle and Beth for their coaching and patience. It has paid off. We are very happy with the progress the children have made and we feel Sharks and Minnows contributed to it.

My daughter is a pretty shy little girl and Ms. Helen just brought her to a whole new level of confidence and achievement. I would like to express my family's sincerest gratitude to Ms. Helen. She is fabulous!!!

My four-year-old daughter took swimming lessons for the previous two summers at a local family-type recreational facility. Her friends were already swimming like little fish without floatation devises, but she was still unable to float unassisted, let alone swim. Your instructors have covered as much in two lessons as Lily learned in two years from the other facility. But not only that, they make the classes fun, and keep my daughter engaged. She is so proud of herself! We look forward to the classes and I plan to sign Lily and her sister up for future sessions throughout the season. Thank you Sharks & Minnows! Soon my daughter will be swimming like a little fish too!

I am amazed and in aw with how wonderful my two children are doing. Two weeks ago I could not get my son to even get his head wet in the bathtub. He would cling on to my husband for dear life in the pool and kick and scream if you got his head wet. He always choked on the water if he went under. It was by shear coincidence that I received a fax at work for Sharks & Minnows around the same time that I decided to start swimming lessons for my children. Now, after only five lessons, my two-year-old jumps in the pool and is swimming from me to my husband unaided. He is gaining his confidence to dive for toys and knows how to hold his breath and how to pull himself out of the pool! You can actually see him smile when he is coming up from the water and he gets all excited when it is time for him to put his head under and swim to me or my husband, or in many cases a toy. I NEVER expected him to be doing so much in such a short time. I only anticipated him learning how to blow bubbles and kick. My fifteen-month-old is just as amazing. She would always “drink the pool” as you say and I was always afraid of her going under because she is so young. Now she will glide under water from a sharks hold for up to ten seconds and not even cough once when she lifts her head out of the water. She just comes up with a big smile. She even started flipping herself over on her own.

Both of my children took swimming lessons with Sharks & Minnows last summer, and they were swimming like fish! However, over the course of the winter, my son developed a great fear of the water. When we began swimming again this year, he was so fearful that he wouldn’t even go near the pool. My husband and I had tried everything, and we were at our wits end! At that point my daughter took over. She put toys on the tops step (like she had seen her instructor do last year), and convinced her brother to play with her. He eventually put his feet in. She then got him to blow bubbles in the water with her. The next time we swam she put the toys at the bottom of the pool and let him watch her dive for them. Little by little she encouraged him and we just watched! He eventually started to dive for the toys too. That seemed to push him past the point of fear and he is now swimming again like crazy! His favorite thing to do though is swim to his sister.

At the start of our lessons my children were ages four and two. Both were beyond terrified of the water and screamed for most of their private lessons with their instructor. Being that we own a pool, not learning how to swim was not an option. Their instructor had great patience with the boys and soon we were able to make it through a session with just a few outbursts. Both boys graduated to the next level of swimming and last summer they had a different instructor. Again, the private lessons began with much crying. Again, we were blessed with a patient and talented instructor. The boys finished their lessons and were able to join group lessons as their fear of swimming diminished greatly. We now actually enjoy family time in the pool with them. Both of my children will continue their classes with Sharks & Minnows. While we have considered other programs, we return to Sharks & Minnows because of the dedication and training of the teachers. The methods used by the teachers are entertaining to the children and before the child knows it, they are swimming on their own.

We did swim classes last year on recommendation of our neighbors and loved it. We couldn’t wait to get started again this summer. We took two sessions last summer and wished we started sooner so we could’ve done them all. This summer we’re doing at least three sessions. My son is almost three and can’t wait to get into the pool each time. In fact, he’s so disappointed when our session is over; sometimes it’s a struggle to get him out of the pool. Since I get in the water with my son and I am being taught how to help him swim we practice in our neighbor’s pool on the days we don’t have class. That’s the biggest benefit of Sharks & Minnows methods of teaching a child how to swim- the parent learns how to do it so they can practice at home. My husband and I take turns with out son so we both know how to help him learn to swim. The instructors are so good with the kids and are so confident in teaching them. My son trusts our instructor and that’s very important. I’ve gotten my other neighbor to start swim lessons with us now too. The kids love showing each other what they’ve learned in class.

Last summer my daughter attended the beginner minnow class in Maitland. Prior to signing up for the class we had experienced several occasions where she had been in a pool and something scary happened to her to where she didn’t want to go near the pool again. Once we began the class, she began to feel more comfortable with the pool and actually learned the basics of her swimming. She would really like to attend the advanced minnows course this year to expand her capabilities. The swimming classes she took last year has truly been a blessing to us. She is more confident when it comes to swimming and being around pools.