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September 2023 by Damaris Tovar
They do not offer make ups or flexibility with the schedule.
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August 2023 by Jennifer Kuo
My family and I have been going to Kids First Swim School in North Bethesda for almost 7 years now! We love it here! The instructors are top notch and know how to get children who are timid and scared of the water to love swimming. Because of Kids First, my 10 year old is a very strong and confident swimmer - he's even a better swimmer than both me and my husband. My 5-year old currently takes lessons at Kids First. When he first started taking lessons, he hated the water, especially getting water in his eyes. His instructor, Rebecca, was so patient with him and knew exactly how to get him comfortable in the water. After a couple of lessons, he wouldn't cry at the beginning of class anymore. Fast forward to now, he can't wait for his weekly swim lessons and wants the lessons to be longer. I never thought we would get to this place with him, and I owe it all to Kids First! Thank you for teaching both of my kids one of life's most important skills!
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August 2023 by Stanislav Tanev
Staff is super friendly, price is reasonable, but the swimming instructors are on a really low level - mostly young obviously inexperienced people lacking teacher’s approach and just following what’s written on the boards on the walls. They do not predispose children in any way. Hope their other locations work with better instructors.
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June 2023 by Decrypted Montage
Pool is dirty and staff does not do a thorough job kids and parents have told me in the observation room that they would step on things and the pool is brown from dirt, manager needs to step up her management instead of playing video games
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May 2023 by Mary A.
My first clue should have been the no refunds policy. Signed up for the parent-and-child swim lessons for my 1-year old. The pool is fine, heated, and the instructor was friendly. But that's about it. The facility is pretty disgusting. The locker rooms and changing rooms looked like they had not been cleaned in a decade. The locker room had no locking cupboards! Maybe this wouldn't be a big deal...except the entrance to the facility is left wide open (doors open) and no one is at the front desk. Anyone can walk right in. You just have to take your chances and leave all your possessions out in the open. The changing table for babies was disgusting. The "waiting room" was dark and dirty. When the front desk staff do appear (rarely) they are rude (and they were rude on the phone). They keep your credit card information on a piece of paper that is NOT locked away - mine was sitting there on the front desk, out in the open.I'm sad to say this was a complete waste of $160 for basic swim lessons. I'm not sad to say - I will not be back.
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May 2023 by Emily Wietmarschen
We love kid first!! We have been coming here for about a year. Not only is our child showing progress with his comfort in the water, he is connecting to his teachers, and becoming part of a larger community. You can tell the instructors are passionate and care about the kids. They know how to balance the fun in the water with the importance of learning safety about it.
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March 2023 by Olga G.
My son went here for a little over a year now. I'm happy with his teachers, and overall staff are friendly and helpful. He went to another popular swimming classes before this one for three years, and I can tell that he is progressing at Kids First much faster. My only issue is with changing rooms: they are not always clean, and I wish there were some benches to sit on and put stuff when floors are wet.
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January 2023 by Zach G.
Before you sign up at Kids First, understand that you are not allowed in the same room as your child. This might be fine for older children or children that are comfortable being separated from you. They never explained this prior to signing up, so be aware of this. They won't refund you either. In addition, the instructors that were with us )(at least 1 )are not experienced and shouldn't be there. My child is 3 years old and would walk past them (in the water) so the children are behind the instructor. Some of the children were behind the instructor for over a minute before the instructor turned around to lead them in front. The instructor should never have a back to a child in a pool especially one that is learning to swim. Lastly, they don't have trashcans in the changing area, so the changing rooms can reek of urine. Obviously we had a bad experience here, but I wanted to let others know.
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November 2022 by selina wu
I do believe that this school is very bad, the front desk service is not good, parents should be notified when the swimming lesson time is changed, and the swimming test is passed, but the original course is still the same.
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November 2022 by Corey McCaffrey
Our kids have been learning to swim at Kids First Swim for years, from the earliest levels all the way up to Level 8 and Swim Team, and we are so proud of their progress! It’s great to have a kid-oriented, heated, indoor swimming pool where the kids can learn, practice, and play year-round. The managers and coaches are excellent. Kids First Swim is also a nice pool party venue.
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November 2022 by Logan Matsushige
My son has been taking swim lessons here for 4 years, and he has grown from being a kid who was scared of the water to now one who will jump in any pool in the dead of winter. The instructors focus on technique and provide lots of one-on-one time with students due to their small groups. Whenever there has been an issue (e.g. we are out of town, we need to change the class, etc), Michelle and Rebecca are so responsive and helpful. We are lucky to have found this facility!
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November 2022 by Sonia Novik
I’ve had my kids in Kids First swim schools for several years. First in Falls Church - a wonderful facility with great instructors; and then, when they closed during the pandemic, at Springfield - where the pool was a little bit small and crowded, but we continued to be very happy with the quality of instruction. We decided to move to this Bethesda location in order to coordinate with some other local activities and because we noticed the pool was larger and not crowded. Big mistake. Our 6 year old is in a private lesson with an instructor who appears completely disinterested and has yet to actually add anything to what she had already learned. Much worse, however, is what we observed in our 3 year old’s group class. The instructor was a young man who had no idea what he was doing. Going through various motions, but incorrectly ( for example, holding them on their backs to float, but without actually having them hold a position that will allow them to later float on their own) - and even worse than that, he would turn his back on the group for long stretches of time while working with one kid — and we’re talking about 3 year olds, without floatation devices, gradually bouncing up and down into deeper water. We felt like we couldn’t take our eyes off our daughter for a moment. We pulled her out after 3 classes and asked for a refund. We were told it is “against company policy” to give refunds and they offered to have a manager get in the pool with them for one class. Not good enough. We are paying for swim lessons from a knowledgeable instructor, not for an untrained person to watch our kids splash around in the water for 30 minutes — or NOT watch, in this case. Do yourself a favor and avoid this location, I understand why it’s so empty now. We’re heading back to Springfield.
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November 2022 by Nusayba Neffi
My daughter is a special needs child and we rely on the Liss Funding Program every year to help with her disability. The program paid them $1,632 for six sessions. We only did one session after realizing that my daughter is no longer benefiting from the swim classes. The pool is not deep or big enough for her to learn different swim techniques and she was just no longer interested. I emailed Michelle who is the manager at this facility inquiring about a refund and the response was that they do not offer refunds. I was hoping that we can use the money to find a more suitable swim school for her but they are being greedy. This place is doing shady business practices and just disgusting. They can take the remaining of the money and do whatever they please. It’s ok. Be aware parents that this place does not offer refunds! I have forewarned you!
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November 2022 by Julie Maxfield
We have been coming to the North Bethesda location for years. The kids have graduated from the structured levels to the 'swim team'. When they were younger, the smaller pool (compared to the county ones) was both warmer (a plus when your kid hates cold water) and not as intimidating. As they progressed, they were able to master free style and the complicated strokes due to the instruction provided. The coaches really enjoy their job and it shows with their interactions with the kids. When your child wants to go to practice, that always a good sign.
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November 2022 by Ryan Mercer
My 2 daughters love coming here. They ask all the time when they can go again. The building is very clean, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the instructors are great at watching the kids and keeping them safe. We love it here
