I combine water safety and child development principals to make learning to swim a magical experience for children and adults.
For more than 20 years, I've taught swim lessons in backyard pools, first in Los Angeles, and now in both California and the Seattle area. I have a passion for helping children become safe, confident, and joyful swimmers one at a time. My teaching methods are informed by my background in parent education, child development, and the study of developmental movement patterns. By working with children's natural reflexes and allowing their bodies to work with their breath, buoyancy and movement patterns, I help swimmers of all ages and abilities learn to move through the water with confidence and freedom.
I spent a decade teaching parent education through North Seattle College, and as a parent of three, I understand the importance of building trust with both children and families. Connection is at the heart of our approach: connection between swimmer and instructor, and between parents and instructors as well.
Every instructor on our team is carefully trained by me. Together, we use consistent games, techniques, and teaching philosophies to create a supportive, nurturing experience for every swimmer - one that promotes safety, confidence, and a lifelong love of the water.
Our Instructors
Instructor
Lori
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Instructor
Lori
Lori recently relocated to Seattle from the Chicagoland area with her 4-year-old daughter, Dahia. She has worked with children since age 11 through babysitting and camp counseling roles. Her professional background includes daycare and camp employment teaching swim lessons throughout high school. She holds a bachelor's degree in early childhood education with special education specialization. Prior to moving, Lori spent 7 years in elementary special education classrooms, then worked as a nanny in Montreal and provided family childcare during the pandemic before relocating to Seattle.
Instructor
Jes
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Instructor
Jes
Jes grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, surrounded by water and swimming from toddlerhood. She taught swimming and diving at the Nu'uanu YMCA for several years. After earning her BA in Business Administration from UW, she worked as an accountant before seeking a career change following her sons' births. She has served as a co-op parent for 5 years and combines her swimming passion with her love for young children. "I think it's so important our kiddos are water safe."
Instructor
Lee
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Instructor
Lee
Lee relocated from Michigan, where he spent summers swimming in the Great Lakes. He has been swimming since age 5 and competed for 3 years, including 2 years at varsity level in high school. In college, he completed a semester-long swimming course improving his strokes. Previously employed at Goldfish Swim School in Michigan working with ages 2-12, he also coached their level 3 Swim Force competitive team. He has been ELLIS Certified Lifeguard and summer camp counselor for ages 5-15. He holds a bachelor's in psychology and is pursuing his master's in Social Work at UW.
Instructor
Will
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Instructor
Will
Will hails from Wyoming via Oregon and New Mexico. He took summer swim lessons throughout childhood and was a certified open water lifeguard in high school. He competed as a figure skater and taught ice skating to ages 2-4. In college, he provided daycare supervision at a local church on Sundays and later worked as a K-12 school tour guide at a geology museum. Will holds degrees in Fine Art and Art History with art education coursework and is currently ACE-certified as a personal trainer while building a health and fitness coaching business.
Instructor
Lauren
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Instructor
Lauren
Lauren grew up in Seattle competing on swim team and lifeguarding for Parks Department for 12 years at both beaches and pools. She taught swim lessons to all levels, primarily 4-5 year olds, coached swim team and lifeguard training teams. Lauren babysat neighborhood children and family members. She now works part-time in accounting but missed swim instruction and returned to teaching. "I love teaching swimming; bubbles to butterfly, floats to flip turns."
Instructor
Mindy
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Instructor
Mindy
Mindy has loved water since her father taught swimming lessons in their backyard pool during her childhood. She spent 15 years working with children through nannying, camp counseling, and foster family support. She is passionate about building children's confidence both in and out of water.
Instructor
Michelle
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Instructor
Michelle
Michelle has been a preschool teacher at New Discovery School since 2013 and started at Little Fish in February 2020. Her first job at age 13 was at Ballard Pool working the cash register. Growing up a block from the pool, she completed all available swimming lessons starting at 3 months until joining the swim team. She enjoys yoga with her daughter, time with family pets, and Seattle activities.
Instructor
Nick
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Instructor
Nick
Nick is a self-proclaimed second-generation Water Baby with lifelong water passion. They are lifeguard and CPR certified, trained in multiple swim school methods including Little Fish. With 6 months formal teaching experience, they bring a history of babysitting, water polo, and swimming. Nick enjoys art, beach time, and cooking in spare time.
Instructor
Rebecca
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Instructor
Rebecca
Rebecca relocated from Las Vegas to the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two sons, and two golden retrievers over one year ago. She competed in swimming throughout school and taught her children water safety and swimming skills. The family loves kayaking and paddleboarding. Rebecca volunteers with school PTAs and a dog rescue organization that rescues overseas dogs, enjoys thrifting, hiking, camping, and walks with her dogs.
Instructor
Jesi Bensadon
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Instructor
Jesi Bensadon
Jesi has 4 years experience in Little Fish Swim School specialized techniques. Originally from Libby, Montana, she attended University of Washington earning her BA in Psychology in 2004. She has a husband Mark and two children: Jaxon (8) and Julia (4). She studied early childhood education through North Seattle College as a co-op parent. "Making a connection with a child and building trust that leads to conquering a fear feels like the most important job in the world."
Instructor
Alissa
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Instructor
Alissa
Alissa was born and raised in Washington and grew up in the water loving swim lessons. She started swimming competitively for a club team at age 10, before competing for 4 years on her varsity high school team. At 18, she was lifeguard certified and began teaching swim lessons, continuing through college and beyond. She has nearly 10 years of experience between King County Parks, the YMCA and even a brief stint in New Zealand while traveling abroad. When not at her job training travel agents, she can probably be found hanging out with her dog Fiona or planning the next country to add to her travels - 26 and counting!
Instructor
Gretchen
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Instructor
Gretchen
Gretchen grew up here in Seattle and has always loved swimming. Although she never swam competitively, she was on the Diving team for Roosevelt High School. She has continued her love of swimming by getting her PADI certification for scuba diving and never passing up an opportunity to jump in the water. Gretchen has been with us since 2018 and is also part of our Administration team. She has an 8 year old son that learned to swim at Little Fish and loves our program and hopes you will, too!
Instructor & Scheduling Manager
Beth
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Instructor & Scheduling Manager
Beth
Beth has been an instructor at Little Fish Swim School since June 2018 and has been teaching swimming for 6 years. She is lifeguard certified and trained in the Little Fish Swim School methods. She also is a lifeguard and swim instructor for the John Rogers Elementary school swim program. Beth grew up in Minnesota. She has a BS degree in science education and has worked in science museums in Oregon and Michigan and at the Seattle Children's Museum. She is a mom of two daughters, Anna, 13 and Maya, 10. Beth has studied early childhood education through North Seattle College as a co-op parent. In her spare time, Beth likes to volunteer at her daughters' schools as well as get outside to garden, bike, hike and snowshoe.
Instructor
Grayce
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Instructor
Grayce
Grayce is a Seattle native, second of 7 siblings, who swam from age 3 and later competed with Yost Park and YMCA swim teams. Noting the prevalence of non-swimmers around her, she felt waterproofing essential in Washington. She trained to become YMCA swim instructor early in high school before COVID. She spends time with family and reading, currently enrolled at Cascadia Community College for her AA in integrated studies.
Instructor
Chloe
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Instructor
Chloe
Hi my name is Chloe and I was a former swimming instructor for 6 years at the Lynnwood rec center. My teaching was with toddlers, kids, teenagers and adults. I'm very excited to be a part of the little fish team and hopefully get to meet you!
Instructor
Moira
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Instructor
Moira
Moira started taking swim lessons as a baby, and getting her out of the water has been impossible since! She has experience teaching swim lessons at local swim schools and in backyards. She has eight years of competitive swimming experience. Between her time as a camp counselor, nanny, and substitute early childhood education teacher she has worked with kids ranging from newborns to sixteen and adores every age in-between. She believes in swimming as both a survival skill and a way to find the lifelong joy of exercise. When not in the pool she can be found working as a bookkeeper and accounting assistant, sewing costumes for the next Ren Fair, or with her nose in a book.
Instructor
Rachael
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Instructor
Rachael
Rachael began teaching swim lessons at age 16, instructing first-time swimmers through adolescents preparing for swim team. She worked as lifeguard for many years prioritizing swim safety. Always called "a fish" by family, she competed in breaststroke through college, earned PADI scuba certification in 2010, learned surfing while in California, and regularly uses SUP in Seattle. She was Associate Producer and Host of nationally syndicated children's show Aqua Kids TV, diving with sharks and encouraging kids' aquatic ecosystem appreciation. She completed her master's in psychology at Seattle University and is now a licensed mental health counselor with clinical interests in neurodiversity and play therapy. She is pediatric first aid, CPR, and AED certified.
Instructor
Sara
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Instructor
Sara
Sara is a behavior specialist, preschool teacher, and lifelong swimmer. She learned to swim as a toddler when her parents moved into a Pennsylvania farmhouse with an inground pool. She brings formal education and 14+ years experience in psychology, biology, animal behavior, and disease ecology. She trained monkeys, crayfish, snails, and parasites before transitioning to early childhood education. She is a scientist and caregiver with overwhelming curiosity and gratitude for nature and children. She views swimming "as a source of great joy, but a cherished methodical movement and breath practice-a meditation." She relocated to Seattle in September 2019 with her partner and dog Obi.
Instructor
Mads
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Instructor
Mads
Mads is a University of Washington international studies major from Boston, Massachusetts. She spent childhood summers at local team swim practice and made varsity team in high school, becoming captain her senior year. She volunteered as swim instructor providing adaptive lessons to children with special needs, describing it as "such a rewarding experience to connect with children despite certain challenges." With three younger siblings and 8 years babysitting experience across all ages, she loves combining her passion for swimming with her love for kids.
Instructor
Connor
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Instructor
Connor
Connor was born in Utah but grew up across the United States, with Washington being his seventh state. He recently relocated from Colorado after 5 years as Red Cross certified lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor. He has 1+ year experience as Registered Behavioral Technician working with neurodivergent children, particularly autism spectrum disorder. He enjoys teaching, especially watching "kids master a new skill and can be proud of themselves." He holds an associate's degree in psychology and pursues his bachelor's at UW.
Instructor
Erin
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Instructor
Erin
Erin B. Bernau (she/her), MSW, LICSW, is a parent educator through North Seattle College's cooperative preschools and an adult psychotherapist in private practice. Erin is a licensed clinical social worker with more than twenty years of experience working with children and families. In 2022, she received the Val Donato Award for Parent Education. She earned her B.A. from Yale University and her Master's in Social Work from the University of Washington.
Instructor
Lilly
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Instructor
Lilly
Hi all! My name is Lilly (she/her) and I am from Baltimore, Maryland - home to the Chesapeake Bay. I grew up near and in the water, constantly swimming any chance I had. I have a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, and a Masters of Education in Higher Education Student Affairs. I love being a fun, but strong resource for kids on learning how to have fun in the water while teaching skills to keep them safe. I have a sweet and sassy border collie named Maki, who loves to run and play ball. See you in the pool!
Instructor
Austin
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Instructor
Austin
Austin is native to the PNW and has been swimming since he was a child. He has been an athlete competing in many sports all his life. He currently attends Seattle Pacific University and studies Sports Business. He also works as a tutor in Seattle Public Schools and has a passion for helping children succeed.
Ali has been swimming since before walking, loving anything water-related including paddleboarding, kayaking, and sailing. She is a preschool teacher with 15 years experience with children. Her favorite vacation activity is snorkeling, having swum with sharks and manta rays. She spends free time hiking, traveling, and taking road trips with her puppy Piper and cat Ophelia.
Instructor
Kavin
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Instructor
Kavin
Kavin has been raised across the United States: from Wisconsin to California to Washington. She is currently a freshman at the University of Washington Seattle studying biochemistry. She graduated high school this past summer and was the captain of her swim team for 2 years, making her well versed in competitive swimming. Kavin loves spending time with children and has volunteered at Camp Prov and other hospital facilities for children and their families as well as in educational environments.
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