Buckler Aquatics

As per the review below from r bur"We also had the exact same experience at this locationThey dunked my daughter under the water on the very first lesson

Both my children have attended Buckler’s North York pool for swimming lessons for 4 or 5 years now. In my experience the instructors at Buckler are very focused on developing proper technique for each stroke through one on one personalized instruction. As a swimmer myself I am delighted with the look and efficiency of my kids strokes, and am confident in their swimming skills - which I owe entirely to the instructors at Buckler. The price is higher than some schools, but the quality of instruction, the helpfulness of the office staff with scheduling/payment and the excellent cancelation / makeup lesson policy is well worth the cost!

My son has been in private lessons for 3 years. His teacher is professional, effective and kind. My daughter started recently and loves her as well. Every week I see progress and my children have confidence in the pool.

My boys love Buckler Aquatics. Small class sizes make for lots of one-on-one with the teacher. They've made great progress in the year+ we've been going. I love that they are understanding and flexible when we can't make it due to illness or other commitments. Their customer service is great and the girls who run the pool are kind and friendly.

We have credits for make up classes that we couldn't go because of COVID, and are unable to reach someone to re-schedule. The staff never answers our calls, everything is done by leaving a voicemail, and they call you back (which they don't on most ocassions.) It's been a month now with several voicemail left, but the co-ordinator Jessica, at the McNicol location never calls back. Therefore we cannot book or even talk to someone. At this point I've given up, due to the frustration in dealing with this location. Would recommend paying per session because once they have your payment, they become very unreponsive.

Aug 2021: Started sending kids here for swimming lessons during pandemic as York Region programs were filled up - no regrets at all. You absolutely get what you pay for.COVID protocols: in-person screening, hand sanitizer, masks required (when not swimming), reduced class sizes. Sep 2021: proof of vax req'd.Instructors are great with kids - always had trouble getting kids to put their ears in the water in previous swim programs, but instructors were very persuasive. High ratio of instructors to kids means that development is quick and consistent. One member of staff is watching and tracking progress, and communicating with parents during every session.

Better for children aged 3 and above. Buckler Aquatics has a friendly staff & clean facility with viewing studio. We were assured that the programming was appropriate for 18months and above without a parent in the water. From a safety perspective, this is true. However, my son who is 18 months old, spent 20 of 30minutes sitting in a wet towel on the side of the deck while the two older kids in the class were able to hang out in the water because of their more advanced level. There were no tot docs, songs or games. His lessons involved being carried and dunked across the pool which is fine but when we asked if they could work on various skills like blowing bubbles or kicking his legs we were told this was not possible until the next level - which surprised me since he is already able to do these things. We ended up pulling him out half way through and despite voicing our concerns about the appropriateness of the level for his age, the program offers no refunds. As someone who has spent 15 years involved in aquatics including teaching and coaching I think the purpose of swimming lessons is to build confidence and comfort in the water. This involves making lessons fun and meeting kids where their skill level is at. We are returning to a Parent and Tot class in another program until our son is ready for regular programming.

Thank you so much for teaching my daughter to learn how to swim and to help her over come her fear of water! She is much more confident in the water and able to swim the lap of the pool without any difficulties. My daughter’s instructor and all of the staffs made her swimming lessons so much more enjoyable and a big thank you to the office staff for being courteous and accommodating for the make up classes. The staffs are enjoyable to talk to and I highly recommend Buckler Aquatics to anyone!Thank you so much for teaching my daughter to learn how to swim and to enjoy swimming!!!Jen Y., Toronto

Our children have been students at Buckler Aquatics for 5 years. When our older two were younger, we tried a few other swimming schools but they both ended up choosing Buckler. They liked the warm water, the low teacher to student ratio, and most of all, the caring and patient instructors who encouraged them to do their best. They have since graduated from the Red Cross program and the oldest has now become a junior swim instructor. Our younger two, one of whom has special needs, are currently enrolled in weekly lessons. As parents, we also appreciate the generous make-up policy and open communications on our children’s progress. We would highly recommend taking swimming and water safety classes at Buckler Aquatics to anyone.

My daughter loves swimming here for swimming lessons. We started her at 4 months and plan to continue as she grows. Only reason for the 4 stars is that the facility could really use a face lift, the showers are cold, and sometimes the pool is filthy. There was literally a few times we came in for a swim lesson to find soil moving around at the bottom of the pool. Other than facilities swimming lessons are great here, and the instructors are really nice.