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November 2023 by Lindsey Sambucci
We have been swimming at Bear Paddle in Turnersville for about 6 months and could not love it anymore! The entire staff is friendly, welcoming, and supportive, making us feel comfortable every time we are there. This swimming experience has not only taught my daughter how to swim, but has also built her confidence to a whole new level. We are so appreciative of this establishment!
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November 2023 by Jen Kinsella
My son started going here in August. We have had nothing but great experiences. The staff are amazing, helpful and very knowledgeable. My son looks forward to going every week. I would highly recommend sending your child here.
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November 2023 by Jennifer Cummings
I was hesitant at first with such a commitment but my two daughters love this swim school! Before beginning, they both were semi scared of the water and now they just jump right in. The staff/teachers are great and super engaging. I also love the fun activities that involve the whole family. I would definitely recommend this swim school ❤️
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November 2023 by Donald Kumah
my kids love this place. they started as beginners and through great teachers and system that they put in place they have progressed nicely. The staff are very nice and welcoming and take time with each student. Highly recommend!!
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November 2023 by mohogany04
The staff is hands on and so great with my daughter. The family swim option is great to enforce the skills that my daughter is being taught. Definitely amazing find.
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October 2023 by Erin Williams
Horrible experience! My son had his first swimming lesson and the instructor was very inexperienced… Due to his lack of skills my son’s swimming lesson was over in 5 minutes… The instructor made my son feel very unsafe and the trust was completely gone. I LET THEM KNOW FROM THE BEGINNING THAT MY SON WAS A BEGINNER AND BECAUSE OF THAT INFORMATION NOT BEING COMMUNICATED TO HIS INSTRUCTOR AT THE TIME, THE INSTRUCTOR JUST LET MY SON GET IN THE POOL WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE AND MY SON FELT LIKE HE WAS DROWNING. My son refused to get back in the pool because he was afraid… This was so hard to witness as a mother! NEVER AGAIN!
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October 2023 by Ksenia Shor
Update from 3 stars:The management reached out shortly after the review was posted, they offered solutions and were very friendly and professional. We haven’t had any hiccups with the schedule since!3 stars for the instructors only. These guys and gals try their best and are so good with children, they always work hard to make it work. But omg how disorganized this place is. They crammed 4 kids and 2 instructors in a lane for our class. I think 3 kids and an instructor is pushing it. But 6 in such a small space at the same time?! We have a membership that allows us to have a private lesson every month, and 2 out of the 3 lessons that I signed up for were not on the their schedule at the facility, so they had to quick find an instructor at the last second, the poor girl that was put to the task didn’t even get a bathroom break that she needed, and because it was at the very last moment those 2 20 minute private lessons were cut 5 minutes short, and I was told “not to worry, it’s only 5 minutes”. Like I said the instructors are wonderful and friendly and we like them a lot. And the clinic improved our offspring’s swimming skills greatly.
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September 2023 by Erin W.
This place is absolutely horrible... the staff is not trained when it comes to little kids... my sons first swimming lesson was so unprofessional and unpleasant to witness as a mother... he is so afraid to get back in the water... Swimming trainers should make kids feel safe and trusted... I WILL NEVER BRING MY CHILD BACK TO THIS SCHOOL!
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July 2023 by brent samuelson
So it disheartens me to have to leave this review however it's important everyone knows. We were at bear paddle for a few years. The inconsistency in teachers is definitely an issue. We requested female only coaches and several times walked in, without warning, to male coach in place of the regular coach. The coaches seem to follow a script as to how many times each student is to go down the lane. We had class begin late and ended early, the 30 min class became 25 often.The facility is dirty...it's clear there isn't regular cleaning or a third party company coming to clean. Bandaids in the same place multiple weeks in a row. Globs of hair in the drains by shower days in a row. During one family swim my daughter said dad what's seaweed doing in the pool...obviously wasn't seaweed it was hair. A toy went in drain and when I went to retrieve there was a lot of hair in it. The next day at family swim it was still there. The changing stalls are often dirty. Dirty diapers, tags, hangers and while this isn't necessarily on bear paddle but the people who left it there it is evident there isn't enough rounding to check.They recently had a carnival and open swim to attract new families but established ones were not invited. Who better to share with perspective families then us but wasn't seen that way.Also, make sure if you cancel you do so more than 30 days in advance and do it in person then confirm via parents portal it was put in.All in all bear paddle can be a great swim school but they have a lot to work on.
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July 2023 by Kevin Thornton
In a matter of two months my 6yo son went from relying on a life jacket and/or float while in the pool to swimming confidently in water well above his head. Definitely worth the investment to ensure the safety of your little ones when it comes to swimming.P.S. Miss Rayna is awesome.
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May 2023 by Ryan Riehl
Very inconsistent with the teachers for our baby. For the money we are paying, we should get much better instructors and better qualified instructors. Not all are bad. There are a couple who are fairly good. Just no consistency with teachers for each class. We also were going to miss a lesson. Tried tk call to cancel and re schedule. When we went on our next class, we were told we couldn’t reschedule our missed lesson because we didn’t call before cancelling. We tried but no one would answer the phones! After our month this month, we will not be renewing our classes. Kind of disappointing.
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January 2023 by Jena Clifton
My then 4 year old daughter took swim lessons here for 6 months winter-spring 2022. Staff were very inattentive to the children, daughter almost drowned twice until I jumped up. The new manager was present one time and intervened which at first felt promising. Since it was under new management we stayed hoping things would get better. As she progressed we saw she was meeting the milestones to reach the next level but kept being held back hindering her progress. I can only guess this was to slow her progression to maximize profits. After speaking with staff about my concerns with no resolution. I spoke to the front desk and deck boss two months in a row requesting a call from the manager, they wrote down my name and were generally indifferent. When I inquired as to why she had not called me after my requests they stated a lot families want to speak with her leafing through a notebook of all the requests. It is now 7 months since that request and I still have not received a call from the manager. We chose to cancellessons and move on after my final attempt to speak with the manager. We just started a new swim school which is much calmer, attentive, and doesn’t pack children in for profits. Lesson day one they moved my daughter up 2 levels. My son also started at this new school, he is 3 and never had lessons. He did more in his first lessons at the new school than my daughter did in 2 months of lessons at bear paddle. Please don’t fall for all the marketing and cute patches like I did, you will be kicking yourself for wasting your money.
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December 2022 by Laura Fricker
Over priced and definitely not the place for kids with learning disabilities or cognitive delays. The instructors are just kids themselves with no concept of how to treat children in general. My son has ADHD and was leaving lessons sad because some of the instructors were disrespectful. They're incredibly unorganized as well, I spoke to someone I was told was a manager at one point to advocate for my child and get the issue corrected but when I withdrew him from lessons today was told that the person I originally had spoke to wasn't a manager and they have no record on file of me speaking to him. For the amount a month you pay for this place, there are better alternatives out there who will treat your children with respect.
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December 2022 by Jessica Gilham
Just okay. Only reason we still go is because my daughter loves to swim. The teachers are very inconsistent. Different teachers all of the time, some are good, some barely even look at the kids and are clearly just there for a paycheck. The level my daughter is in, they are supposed to swim the full length of the pool and I can’t even tell you the last time they moved the little island all the way back to allow the children to have the full length. It’s always either half or 3/4. And for a while, I was complaining about it weekly. They offered $15 off the next month, and nothing ever changed. They haven’t swam the full length in 3+ months. Also with the inconsistencies of the teachers, my daughter has been in the same level for months because they are doing a lousy job at improving her for the next level. They just watch and say “good job” instead of fixing or helping. If my daughter wasn’t already in 6 of 7 levels, I’d be switching her to a different school but at this point I feel like it would be silly.
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December 2022 by Matu Jalloh
My son has been going there since he turned 2. He’s now 4. At first we had a great experience. He has never moved up! The staff is always changing! Every time my son gets used to a certain teacher when we re-enroll he has a new teacher. But why? When the never let him move up? So why are we always rotating teachers? My most recent issue is with the staff. They are super rude. I called in about an issue and requested a refund since I’m withdrawing my son. The girl blatantly said no that’s your problem. I should’ve brought my son to the class. Now if he had Covid and was spreading it around I bet she wouldn’t want me to bring him to the class then. I asked to speak to a manager she said she’s not here. And I told her have a manager call me back. And guess what?? The manager never did. She called me back months later and I listened to the voice message like are they really serious… All of this happened in DECEMBER!! I decided to leave a review. I suggest not to waste your money here! I still want a full refund or a reimbursement or some sort.
