My twins are at the perfect age to enjoy an afternoon of swimming, so when Goldfish Swim School offered to host our contributor play date I jumped at the chance! The facility is conveniently located near the Post Road in Norwalk in the old Continental Manor building. After the Norwalk YMCA closed its doors years back, the area has been lacking in swim instruction. Goldfish not only fills that void, but in my opinion, is a great option for all Fairfield County families!
The school, which offers instruction for children aged 4 months to 12 years, centers around the idea of teaching swimming as play. This couldn’t have been more apparent from the brightly colored décor and toys galore! The second my kids saw the foam canoe and water bike, they were instantly hooked. As a former swim instructor myself, I was thoroughly impressed by the underwater kick bars! They were perfect for my twins, who are just learning the basics of swimming.
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The décor is a nod to a tropical location with palm trees and tiki huts. The air was warm and the water was warmer at a pleasant 90 degrees. You could tell they really put a lot of effort into making EVERYTHING convenient for parents and children. There were huge changing stations and bathrooms everywhere you looked, even right next to the pool. There were free supplies like diapers and wipes and electronics charging stations so parents could power up while in the water. There was even a play area for smaller kids to play!
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They showed us what a birthday party setup would look like with cupcakes, treats and balloons. A free birthday party is built into their charter membership which is quite enticing. If you can get my frugal husband to run the math you know you’ve done a good job! In fact, my children were begging to go back the very next day!
Our visit to Goldfish Swim School definitely left my family wanting more! If not for the lessons, we will 100 percent be back for the family swim! After all, as most parents know, there’s nothing like an afternoon of swimming to tire out a toddler!
The Nitty Gritty: Here is a quick recap of Goldfish’s offerings…
– The program is based on a monthly fee of $108 (There is one particular customized class that is $144/month).
– Where other programs may be session-based (i.e. 8 or 9 sessions), they are an on-going program. You start and stop whenever you would like!
– Classes are 30 minutes long and meet once each week.
– The student/teacher ratio is 4:1 for those children who are in the pool without an adult.
– There is a sibling discount. The second child is $100.44 monthly.
–The initial monthly cost will be paired with a $25 annual membership fee, for the second child, this fee is $20.
–If you would like to take a break from swimming at any time during the year, they require a 30 day cancellation notice.
–And don’t forget the Family Swim Hours – you can swim for just $5 a person on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00-1.30 p.m., Friday evening 6:30-8:00 p.m., Saturday 12.30-2:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:30-3:00 p.m. You don’t have to be a member to swim, and it’s a great way to enjoy the pool!
