Best swim school ever!!! My 74 year old grandmother takes lessons at Little Whale and absolutely loves it! Her instructor is so kind and helpful- she even sent my grandma a post card after her first lesson! My grandmother also went on to say that all staff members are very professional and she feels totally comfortable taking swim lessons at an indoor facility as a 74 year old during an outbreak. She also loves watching the babies and little guys before her class!! 6/5 stars she says!!!!

I have had a horrific time with Little Whale during the past few months. I have attempted to be patient with her new teacher and the turnover of teachers at the school. Her new teacher was not consistent and my daughter was not progressing with her new teacher. I voiced my concerns with the staff and my daughter was only able to progress when a sub was in. A few months ago I was given misinformation and was told by five different employees that I could schedule my daughter for a private lesson. I was even charged for the private lesson only to be called and have the lesson canceled because private lessons were not being offered at that time.Now I am now trying to schedule my daughter for a makeup due to a medical restriction and I call to be told misinformation from two different people in the same phone call. It seems like there is a lack of consistency with the lessons and information the staff gives out. I have tried to be patient but this is the last straw. This has been a less than pleasant experience.

I have been taking both of my kids there since they were babies (one as young as 4 months) and we LOVE it! My five year old has moved on to swim team but wouldnt be able to do that had she not been swimming at Little Whale. I highly recommend this swim school!

Friendly phone customer service when we were signing up and asking questions. Friendly staff when you enter. Facility is organized and clean. They are COVID-19 ready with face shields for their instructors. There are quite a few sanitizing stations for guests. One adult per kid/family to maintain social distancing. Instructors are organized and friendly. They are kind with the kids. :)

The facilities are perfect for kids and families. The staff is always friendly. More importantly they are patient Its clear they really want to help kids learn and practice swimming.Areas for improvement: communication on students progress (maybe monthly?)

This is a great place for swim lessons, instructors are friendly. My kids have fun and love going.

My son started swimming with little whales Mid- April. He took three lessons and came up with a rash called Molluscum Contagiosum. The rash comes from sharing toys in swimming pool, gymnastics, etc. I called little whales to inform them he had a rash and wouldn’t come to lessons. The manger David was very rude stating they had been open 3 years and never heard of such a thing. He also stated he would not give me credit for the lessons missed. I asked to speak with the owner because I didn’t like how he handle the situation. To my surprise the owner was just as rude. She stated I should take my son elsewhere since I implied they weren’t properly cleaning. I asked about the cleaning protocol and she said the chlorine was the disinfectant. They do not sanitize in between uses of the equipment. Kids put on equipment and once taking off it goes to a bucket for the next kid to put on. Both the owner and her manager has poor customer service. If chlorine is the only disinfectant used you have a problem. You aren’t properly providing a safe environment for the children. Bottom line the owner and her staff need training on customer service and infection control.

I would have given them negative marks if I could.Good setup but management is an issue. We had our toddler parent child classes with them. All of a sudden due to a family emergency (my 99 year old grandma was going through some issues) we needed to travel and so we asked if we can make up the classes after we come back. But all they waived is the policy document in front of me. They didn’t have any empathy and consideration.My husband was mad as well when they waived policy document on him where they asked him to step outside as only one parent is allowed due to COVID. That is fine, but we had a toddler in parent-child class and I was with him in the pool. He emailed them pleading this isn’t right as missing this precious moments and to support your kid when he is learning to swim is bad. But no luck. The management didn’t even bother to get back to him. He was IGNORED. After this we simply canceled our classes and I’m, honestly, relieved. I love my YMCA! These people don’t care about who they teach, all they care about is billing and creating hard nosed policies to make our life difficult. I didn’t have to take it and we got out. My suggestion: Search for a better option.

The instructors are nice. The management is rude, condesending and very unprofessional. Save your money and send your child to another swim school.

Dont hesitate to bring your child here!! I could not make a higher recommendation for Little Whales. My Son was not afraid of the water but would not get in without something to help him stay afloat. After the first month the he was in the water with no help, move forward 10 months (with a couple months gap) he is about ready to finish learning all of the basic strokes.The teachers are great, amazing even. The commitment to water safety is second to none. BEST OF ALL, their pool is indoors and heated to 92*. If you have a child in the greater Sacramento area, stop in and check it out. I can almost guarantee it will be your last stop.KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK!!

Its a safe clean place for my grandson. He has learned to swim and love the water.

Amazing teaching and very good with kids!

Great teaching, good incentives My son began lessons during quarantine and they had good protocols in place. Super warm in the room by the pool, but theres a side waiting area, as well, that is air conditioned with a good view of the pool.

This place is great! There was a little hiccup last year with some administration issues but those seem to have been all worked out! We take our 20 month old daughter here for swim lessons and the teachers a facility are fantastic!! Our daughter has good days and bad days but the teacher is always great. If I had one request it would be a couple more changing tables in the mens locker room. There are a lot of dads that do the swim lessons with their children and that locker room gets full. The pool is very warm and the water quality is immaculate! I am glad we have this place in Sacramento!!!

Great job with the grandkids....👍👍

This place is amazing! Great lessons. Teachers are very well trained. Anya, the owner, is awesome with the kids and you can tell she is passionate about running a great school. Customer service has been very good when Ive needed to make changes. I highly recommend Little Whales.

We really loved going to Little Whales. It took my twins a bit to get over getting dunked, but eventually they enjoyed class, even the motor boat that elicited screams from one of my twins the first month or so.We planned to put our membership on hold for a month because one of my twins had an ear infection that wouldnt go away and we wanted to give her a month out of the pool to let it heal fully. It took calling twice to get someone to return my call. I was told to put in the cancellation request and a credit would sit in our account that we could use for the following month. Almost two weeks later I received an email with a refund for three lessons. I had submitted the cancellation request too late and would be charged for the first lesson of the month. I emailed back explaining what I had been told over the phone and had also explained in the cancellation request. After a week with no response, I emailed again. Still no response. Had I known I was going to be charged for the lessons, I would have used the one remaining for my twin who isnt having ear infection issues. I have not received a response or even the partial refund I was told i was receiving and were coming up on two weeks. The communication from this place can be considered poor at best. We wont be returning.

My family loves this place! My daughter (2 years old) started swim lessons there when the place opened back in August and has made incredible improvements. The staff is very friendly and the owner Anya definitely knows her stuff! Membership includes free family swim time as well which is a huge plus!!

Our child took swim lessons here for about 6 months, and it was a mixed bag for us.Pros - the facility is new and sparkling clean, very small-kid friendly, and the instructors are kind.Cons - Changing/shuffling of instructors, pricey, and a rigid make-up policy.Our child enjoyed her lessons here, but without any notice or communication to us, they changed her instructor. She had loved her instructor (and so did we), and suddenly she was with a new teacher who had no idea what she was working on with her prior instructor.We asked about keeping her with her prior instructor even if it meant we had to change class times, and were told that was not possible and they have a specific policy that they do not guarantee teachers and instructors are subject to change at any time without any prior notice or communication to the parents . Of course, this was after we had already paid for the full month.Young children need consistency and a strong connection with their teachers to learn. We knew another family whose kid had 3 different instructors in the same month. Once a week, 30 min lessons is not much time to begin with, and if instructors are constantly being changed that really limits the opportunity for kids to learn and develop their skills.

My kids are thriving at little whale!

This place truly is the best. The staff is amazing and they have a genuine interest in what they do. The price is WAY better than anywhere else I checked out and its a newer facility (very clean). Best of all, babies up to 6 months are free!!

My sister and I have been taking my nephews to this school for over a month now. Today wouldve been the start of the second month (already paid for). The kids have been loving it and we were excited to take them today until we realized the school was completely closed and there was a notice on the door saying there are some legal issues going on. They sent out an email with the same exact notice. However, there was no mention about the school being closed down. We received no call, no email, nothing with a heads up that the school would not be open, only an email mentioning that one of the owners is on leave. Several parents waited outside because no one was informed about the school being closed. VERY unprofessional and horrible business no matter the legal circumstances that may be going on. On top of that, tuition was supposed to be posted to our accounts yesterday so I really hope with the uninformed close of business that nobodys accounts were charged yesterday?!

My oldest daughter started here around 2.5 years old (she’s now 3.5) and we’ve had the BEST experience! We started with a city-run swim class and didn’t love it at all. Now, my daughter looks forward to her swim class and LOVES her swim instructor. She’s had the same instructor the entire year that we started! Now, my 2 month old is in a mom & me class that’s free!!The swim school is clean and the customer service is awesome! I’m really glad we found this gem!

Cute swim school with focus very much on kids. Great facility. The college students who teach and provide front desk assistance very good.Anya the owner comes across abrasive to the kids, she seems to get annoyed easily, and that unfortunately put my son off. He has become discouraged and no longer wants to go to swim class. A gentler touch ( they are only kids after all) would be my advice.Kinder gentler customer service would make this place great.We are going back to Arden Hills!

Nice place for kids and professional staff

Love it here. My daughter is 11 months and can swim several feet under water. I know as she gets older she will learn true technique and what to do in case she ends up in water unexpectedly.The staff, and owner, have all been great.I’m glad they’ve put my daughter in goggles and fins from the get-go. She is so used to it that it’s never been an issue! I think holding off until she’s older would have made it much harder.Thanks Little Whale!

Nice, clean and new facility. The idea is a good one but I echo the rotating door of instructors with no notice. We went through three in seven weeks. There was also a lot of focus on the equipment - goggles, fins, floats, going on and off which I felt took away from the already short class time and was confusing for the kids.I second that the biggest issue was the owners abrasive nature and clear frustration with kids and adults-alike. My daughter picked up on it and didnt want to come anymore. I also found myself dreading swim class and a bit uncomfortable in the tense environment. They are kids first, swimmers second - the focus should be fun. We are back at Rio and everyone is swimming and happy!

Was great until today.... Drove all the way here to find out they are closed due to unresolved legal issues.. Sign posted on window. No call, no email, etc. Dissappointing...

We love Little Whale! My kids do so well in this warm, welcoming environment and LOVE being able to be in the pool year round since it is indoors. Thanks Anya and team.

Very rude! I spoke to the finance person to find out if there is another way to pay for swim lessons rather than giving my bank information. In this day and age of identity theft there is too much risk to just give anyone your information especially for something as silly as swim lessons. There is no alternative which is ridiculous, but not my biggest complaint. The young woman was quite rude and disrespectful on the phone.

My four-year-old loved City swim lessons last year and wanted to do lessons again this year, so we tried a couple of lessons at Little Whale. Unfortunately, the swim lesson approach was too aggressive for our more cautious kids (four years and toddler age) who cried each time. We wanted swim lessons to be a fun experience for our kids, but instead, the experience scared them, and as a result, it is going to take some time to get the kids to want to go to any swim lessons again.My toddler (20 months) sobbed when the teacher immediately put equipment on him (goggles, fins, etc.) as soon as he entered the pool instead of letting him acclimate, and he wouldnt stop crying and would refuse any pool activity thereafter. He also disliked being made to swim through the tunnel, get propped on a floaty, etc. At his age, I was expecting to play with him in the water and sing songs- something simple and more age-appropriate, in my opinion. I really disliked the intense focus on props and equipment. Isnt being in the water fun enough? And why in the world does a 20-month-old who isnt putting his head under water or swimming need to wear goggles and fins?My older son was dunked by surprise by the teachers. He was clearly on the verge of tears multiple times during the lesson and the teachers never stopped to ask if he was okay and adjust their behavior. I believe, and know many experts agree, that kids should not be forced to do things in swim lessons, especially going underwater, until they are ready.Unfortunately, Little Whale has a strict refund policy, so we lost a lot of money for the months remaining lessons, even though we cancelled very early on. Ill transfer our credit to some friends who go there. For us, it was a bust, and I learned my lesson about doing trial lessons before committing to anything. Were going to try the Y next month, and I have no doubt it will be a better experience.

Swim lessons were fine. However the make up policy is for their profit. My grandson woke up with fever and they didnot allow him to mak up the class because it was a last minute cancelation

Wonderful teacher especially teacher heather. My son has grown so much as a swimmer with her guidance. Clean and new facility.

We love this place

Love the teachers and the method they use for instruction.

Such a great school!

If you are seeking quality swim instruction for your little ones, there is really nowhere else to look.

Very bad customers service, stay away from this place😕🤥