I have been teaching backyard lessons and helping children learn to be safe and love the water for 20 years.
I started teaching swim lessons in pools around Los Angeles, and after the birth of my first kiddos, (twins who are now 10 years old,) we moved to Seattle and no one had a pool! So I found one.... and then another. I've been teaching lessons at home ever since we came here.
The methods I've developed with my expertise in both water safety and child development have made learning to swim a magical experience for hundreds of children over the years! Complementing my work in the water is also my career work as a Parent Education Instructor for North Seattle College for the last 8 years.
I work on building community and supporting families as we navigate the tumultuous journey of parenting. Working with families in and out of the water is my passion! I am a mama of 3 wild boys - twin 10 year olds, and a 5 year old.
Our swim school uses individual lessons with one swimmer and one instructor at a time in the water. We operate year round, with rolling sign-ups to ensure our clients are getting the flexibility that suits their own swimming goals. Some clients swim with us all year and some take a few lessons to brush up on safety before a big trip. For this reason we do not have sessions or blocks of lessons available. We have used the same methods to great success over the last several years. While our swimmers are a wide range of ages and abilities, our specialties are swimmers who are learning to swim for the first time and those who are particularly nervous in the water. To learn how to get the most out of your experience with Little Fish, please read the brief guide below.
When you arrive for your lesson, please park in the designated parking area in front of the house or directly across the street. Please follow the marked signs to the entrance of the pool.
Please be ready to enter the pool area enclosure as soon as the as your lesson begins. There is a clock on the outside of the enclosure for reference. Lessons are back to back and require punctuality in order to get the most of your swim time.
Feel free to arrive no more than 15 minutes before your scheduled slot and take about 15 minutes afterwards to get dressed and on your way. There is a changing/waiting room and bathroom at each location for your convenience.
Parents who are accompanied by very young wiggly children or those with particularly nervous swimmers are asked to watch from the lesson cam in the waiting room. There is also a bench in the enclosure for adults and siblings who wish to quietly observe the lesson. We find that our students do best when they can focus on and trust the instructor.
All of our swimmers wear goggles. Please let your instructor know if you need help adjusting them or recommendations on goggle types.
We offer high-anxiety consultations for swimmers who need additional support in the water. If you would like a high-anxiety consultation with Emily, please let your instructor know. They will have a recommendation on next steps and will refer you to Emily for further guidance.
We appreciate you doing your best to keep noise down to a minimum to minimize interrupting other swim lessons and respect our very sensitive neighbors.
If you need to cancel your lesson, we ask you to do it as soon as possible. We have many clients who are looking for lessons and would love to book your lesson. If you cancel more than 24 hours in advance, your credit will be banked into your account for you to rebook at your convenience. A purchased lesson is good for one year.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email Emily at littlefishswimschoolseattle@gmail.com
At Little Fish we offer individual one-on-one lessons and private family bubble swims.
15 minute one-on-one lesson: $30
30 minute one-on-one lesson: $60
50 minute private family bubble swim: $75
Lessons can be purchased in a pack for convenience when it comes time to book. We recommend purchasing your lessons before scheduling, particularly if you are booking on a day when lessons are released.
Cancellation policy: If a lesson or family swim is cancelled more than 24 hours before the start time, the credit is banked into your account and this time slot can now be booked by someone else. If you cancel a lesson less than 24 hours before it starts, you forfeit the credit and the lesson is available for booking. We kindly ask that if you know you will not make a lesson to cancel as soon as possible.
Step 1: Create an account on our website and consider downloading the app we use with our booking system, Achieve. Each person who is going to be swimming needs to fill waiver.
Step 2: Use the account to see availability. We have four seasons a year, each about three months long. A season of lesson availability is released quarterly. This makes up the bulk of our lessons but we do regularly add shifts for instructors and family swims throughout the season. Remember that you can check the availability at all three of our locations by filtering for each location individually. We teach lessons from 9am to 6pm, seven days a week. If you do not see a lesson at a time you are looking for, it is likely booked. With our generous cancellation policy, lessons open all the time. It is worth keeping an eye on our schedule to look for openings.
Step 3: Book the lessons. Every lesson is booked individually. A pack of lessons can be purchased (we offer 6 or 10 packs) but the booking is done one lesson at a time. A lesson is either 15 or 30 minutes long. Mark your calendar for the opening of each season! Many of our popular shifts are full by the end of opening day. While you do not have to purchase a lesson to see the availability or before you pick the lesson, we recommend doing so if you are interested in a popular time slot. We do offer recurring lessons for our Littlest Fish Beginning Bubbles classes only, to book these please email us.
Step 4. Keep in touch with Little Fish! Regularly check your account or app for new openings. Join the cancellation list and like us on Facebook for announcements.
Cancellation policy: If a lesson or family swim is cancelled more than 24 hours before the start time, the credit is banked into your account and this time slot can now be booked by someone else. If you cancel a lesson less than 24 hours before it starts, you forfeit the credit and the lesson is available for booking.
Check out the Wellness Living Achieve app to book on your phone!
