Wings Over Water

We enrolled or five year olds at Wings over Water after spending numerous sessions in town park and rec swim classes that never connected for them. Because we consider learning to swim is non-​negotiable, we thought we would spend a little more money and try Wings over Water, and we are so glad we did. The experience has been wonderful. My kids are excited to go each week and they are progressing. The teacher inspires confidence and we see marked improvement in our children after each class. The teacher is firm but very positive and supportive of each child, and the approach to teaching seems much more intuitive than the methods we were previously exposed to. All the staff we have interacted with have been professional, friendly, and helpful. The facilities are clean and well designed for parents helping their kids get ready and then get showered/​dried off/​changed. I wish we had come here from the beginning– my family is so very pleased with Wings Over Water!

My son has been taking lessons at WOW since he was six months old. He’s now 2 and starting to be able to swim by himself. We have found Melissa, the staff and all of the instructors to be helpful, responsive, friendly, and very accommodating. They even added a class for this fall at a date/​time requested because we could not make the other times work because of pre-​school/​nap schedules. WOW is more expensive than some other local programs, but you get what you pay for. We have had other swim lessons here and there, and the instructors are nowhere near as skilled and safety-​focused as at WOW.

I’m changing my review to 3 stars. It’s almost like they read my review… This week they are being extra accommodating – maybe because I stormed out early last week. Either way, they helped Ellie put her cap and goggles on this week and my daughter seems to be having fun! I’ll continue to improve my review if they keep this up.

love the food. what more can I say. Very friendly waitstaff as well! also I recommend the Caesar salad and get extra dressing. Mmmm

This is great place for kids to learn swimming. My son are with them since he was 3 years old and now he is 6 and he is doing great! Now my younger son is with them, They have great teatchers and technique!!.

Wings Over Water changed our family’s life. At eight years old, our son had a profound fear of water and would not enter a pool without both being held and having a floatation device on him. We had tried private and group lessons at almost every local and well respected swimming school in the area but nothing worked. The approach at WOW is unique and allowed for a breakthrough for our son. I cannot speak highly enough about the teachers in this wonderful school. Our son worked with 3 different teachers and they were incredibly persistent, patient, caring and talented. The facility is exceptionally clean and well run, it was a joy to be able to sit and watch his progress week by week. I cannot recommend this school strongly enough, like I said, their program changed our lives.

Awesome program my children progressed with their skills very quickly and as a former swim teacher I wish I used there technique to teach years ago. Amazing. Smart common sense approach to swim lessons.

First the stars are for the trainer we worked with. Without him they’d get not even 1 star.
They seem like a pyramid scam when dealing with the business side. You pay a fortune and you get your classes. If your lucky to get a slow day or a time the pool is dead that’s when your kid can get attention without chaos. Otherwise if you miss class you get a family swim pass, no make up lesson which is ultimately what you pay for, no? The «lessons». I guessed though. something is not nothing. At least you get at least one make up class during safety week.
I didn’t like that for existing classes when new kids would be added to the roster the while class reverted to the very beginning leaving our kids to sit and wait for «the bubble blowing to finish»
I didn’t like the fact the kids who are more advanced are not automatically moved up into next phase after being able to accomplish basics of their current session without having to go the whole session. For my child who doesn’t swim, I expected he would be with kids like him so they can grow together. It’s intimidating for little kids.
Anyway there are more regimented pools and classes around. Don’t be fooled by the colorful child friendly looking décor. The inability to breathe without the smell of chlorine making your eyes tear is a perk… shows chlorine is definitely working… to kill dirt and bacteria. They just need a really good scrub down. They should look at their pricing. This is like a holiday inn express pool not Chelsea Piers lol. They need to understand their audience and competition.
Again, trainers great with beginner swimmers… but aside from that we stopped half way through our session. We went for a good year. The hype became old very quickly.

My daughter has been at WOW since she was 2 years old. Their method of teaching is really one of a kind. It’s not the same old routine you find at your local pool. They teach swim safety before your child is even learning strokes etc. Because, really that is what every parents wants don’t they? …for their child to be SAFE in the water?
Case and point 2 summers ago my daughter was 3 years old. We were at a friend’s pool and she was playing on a floating mat. She wasn’t a STRONG swimmer but Melissa taught her how to be SAFE in the pool. As she was floating and playing with her cousin, I knew in the back of my mind that she as going to fall in and I was ok with it. I actually wanted her to fall in because I want to see if she could react properly while I was safely watching. Within minutes she flipped over and was in water over her head. Now it’s one thing to see your child do the safety drills in class but, it’s another to watch it in action with no instruction. She fell off and did EXACTLY what she was taught and swam to a safe place and held on until I could pull her out. She has been taught safety in the water which to me in invaluable. The comments about the staff being rude are simply not true. Melissa and her staff are firm yes. But, this to me is imperative in swim instruction. Children need to know while swimming is fun we have to always be safe and listen to instruction. I couldn’t imagine having her being taught anywhere else. My now 16 month old is enrolled and loving the water. The owner Melissa is incredibly passionate about swimming and she is just amazing with the little ones. She got my daughter through a really tough patch of being scared in the water. She really gets to know these kids and what works for them individually. Give them a shot. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Awesome swim school! Melissa and her staff are excellent instructors, professional and extremely caring and nurturing. My grandkids love it and are always eager for their lesson. I highly recommend them if you are serious about teaching kids to swim properly.

I went to W.o.W as an adult swimmer, who expressed my fears and anxieties toward the water. The front desk was very encouraging and attentive to my needs. Even though I live in Stamford, they suggested I enroll right away (but my class was a peak-​traffic time – that’s a whole other story).
I was suggested to enroll in the adult beginner class. I believe this was the wrong call completely. Even though the class size was small, each adult was on different levels. One student had already begun lessons a semester or two prior, one was an elderly woman who had much more experience with water than I clearly did, and one other adult, who was late to register had picked up on what I was having trouble with for a week on her first day. Needlesstosay, this really affected my self-​esteem.
The instructor was not personal, and was not able to give me the attention I needed during class. Our interaction was simply, awkward and uncomfortable, and I do not think he took the time to establish a sense of understanding between him and I, and for something I felt completely skeptical and unsure of, that is, the water. I already didn’t trust the water, or find my own strength, and he never allowed me to trust him either.
Early on, I considered switching to private lessons, and wondered if one-​on-​one would be better for me. Upon multiple attempts to bring up my concerns either by speaking to someone at the front desk (before or after class), making phone calls or filling out request forms, my needs had not been met. Ultimately, I ended up spending extra money on a private lesson in addition to the class.
After feeling as though my performance was not sufficient for the school, and that my needs were not important enough to be met, I decided to simply quit, and not show up. There was no follow-​up from the school, so I ended up calling, finally, to inform them that I did not want to be a part of the class. I did not even mention a refund, since that is against their policy.
I believe there were many things I learned as a young adult in the real-​world of service. I was a customer – a nervous, uncertain and confused one at that – but one who paid in full – and A LOT of money, to have the opportunity to be supported in something that is one of my greatest challenges and fears. W.o.W sort of… ruined the idea to ever learn how to swim and did not give me any attention. I felt terribly alone and unsupported. I did not feel as I was part of a team that encouraged me. I understand they were busy, and primarily serve their younger learners; I also understand I was discouraged and insecure. But for adult swimmers, be sure you know what your needs are, and be smart on where you choose to go.

They are very very rude. Call them and try to ask questions you will see. I signed my child there teacher was so cold and rude. They have an attitude like they don’t need your business.

My girls have been going here since they opened 2 years ago and I have nothing but praises for them. We love Melissa/​Edie, the owner of the place and the teachers we have had, except for one and he has left. One of my girls developed a sudden fear of jumping in after she’s been there for a session and had been doing so with no issue. Melissa not only guided her out of that phase, she did so gently, though firm with her request without making my daughter feel afraid or bad. For weeks, Melissa thought out of box and came up with really creative solutions for my daughter to try until they figured out something that worked and after that within a lesson or two, my daughter was back to water loving self.
Positives:
* facility — awesome heated pool in a warm room so kids don’t get cold coming out of the water; separate viewing room at a comfortable temp
* cleanliness — I know they are strict with their swim pants request, but the facility is spotless and their strictness with the policy makes me feel comfortable knowing my kids may swallow some water
* awesome instructors and really amazing teaching methodologies
I completely disagree that they keep your kids in a level longer than necessary just to make money. I know that it’s hard to see your kids in the same level a few times when you think they can swim really well. But they really evaluate your children accurately based on their techniques and needs. Just because your kids can «swim» around, it does not mean that they are doing it with the techniques that WOW is looking for in the next level. Why does this matter? Well, in the next level, they would be looking to build on that technique, if your kid doesn’t have it down, it would slow down the whole class while the instructor works with him/​her on it.
Cons:
* definitely VERY expensive, but not more than penguin and some other high end swim schools that don’t even have their own facility
* some of the front desk staffs. While we love the original front desk staff, the new ones have not been of equal quality and some are down right rude or incompetent. I hate that these are the first impression the school is getting as I know how great the school is.
* they may be getting too big… it is hard to get a spot, I get it, so some parents are very turned off by it, but they are very busy, I hope they can get the quality staff accordingly.
Bottom line, I HIGHLY recommend Wings Over Water! My girls love it there and I won’t go any where else as long as I am in the area.

I was really turned off by this place. I get the impression that they’re just running a mill. My 5-​yr old is a good swimmer but had an incident last summer that frightened her enough that at the beginning of this summer she was afraid to leave the steps. We have a swimming pool so even going in on a regular basis at her leisure wasn’t helping her overcome her fear and regain her confidence. Wings over Water is not equipped for a situation like hers because they wanted to put her in a beginner class for children afraid to put their heads under water! They were very adamant about this and approached it in a very dogmatic, formulaic way rather than understanding the individual’s circumstances. I am so glad I chose not to enroll her (they also do not even allow trial classes) because after just one week elsewhere (only 2 classes!) she’s back to diving into the deep end and swimming across the pool.

Wings Over Water is an educational swimming space for children, adults and their families. It’s not just marketing hype that they claim to be «one of a kind» and it’s because of their Swimplicity® methodology that is used. People who seek to get their kids swimming will be shocked at how quickly this place can do the task! The instructors are indeed professional and can tend to not just those looking to learn but those looking for stroke development, tri-​athlete training, and adaptive aquatic skills. They have family swim, lap swim and birthday parties but I’ve not tried those options yet.
The facilities are amazing and they’ve even got some decent gear for those who need the last minute item or two prior to taking a dunk.