Sherman Swim School
Community SubscriberA family business in Lafayette, Sherman Swim School has taught over 39,000 students to swim and turned out numerous diving champions since 1961. We offer year-round lessons in a warm, protected environment. Our instructors love children and have received extensive in-water training. Private lessons coupled with patient, encouraging teachers & extremely comfortable water (90°-94°) create an ideal learning environment for swimmers of all ages. Swimming & Diving lessons begin every 3-4 weeks with lessons offered one, two or three days per week.
Also available to rent for Parties!
Convenient Lafayette Location (just off Mt. Diablo Blvd).
If you can't find a private instructor to meet you at a public pool (that sounds unlikely, to me) check out Sherman Swim School in Lafayette. I HIGHLY recommend them, and found it absolutely worth the drive through the tunnel to Lafayette where it's always warmer and usually sunny! And they keep the pool really warm. All lessons are private, and their instructors are dedicated and have been there for a long time - not teenagers just in it for a summer or two. No pre-swimmer is too challenging for them! Good luck.
Try Sherman Swim School in Lafayette. Private or semi-private (2 kids), great instructors, warm pool, and totally worth the drive thru the tunnel. It's always sunny in Lafayette! :)
Our son made the most progress in terms of skills at Sherman Swim School in Lafayette. So yes, you might need to drive thru the tunnel, to where they take swimming quite seriously :) That being said, the lessons at Sherman were super fun! They were just focused. They only do private or semi-private lessons, so there isn't much time for goofing off. And depending on where you live (and time of day), it's just as far to Alameda as to Lafayette... As for your son's approach to lessons, that's on you a little bit (sorry to say)... Of course a quality instructor will help (and private or semi-private lessons with attention on him almost all the time), but don't forget to set firm expectations for listening, etc - just as if he were in a classroom! Maybe set up a reward system for being a good listener and following all the instructions?
I also appreciate that you broke your question into 2 parts, because I think it's important that kids learn to swim properly, with strokes like freestyle, etc. but ALSO have free, unstructured pool time, and there is a definite lack of that opportunity in the bay area! (and I'm referring to pre-covid days, of course)
We had a great experience with Sherman Swim School in Lafayette. They only do private lessons, but they're only 15-20 min (2x/week) so they're reasonably priced, for private lessons. And to be honest, that's about all a little kid can handle as far as attention span, etc. It's good bang for your buck. My son was also fearful about putting his head underwater and they were GREAT about taking things at his pace and making it fun. He LOVED his teacher (Tiffany) but there were other great teachers there too. We're headed back this Summer for more lessons. We live in Oakland and elect to go through the tunnel to Lafayette for the warmer weather and an outdoor (but tented/shady) pool. The distance is the same, time-wise, to something like Aquatech in Alameda anyway. Best of luck!
I have been very very happy with Sherman Swim School in Lafayette. Katie, in particular, is excellent (she teaches my 2.5yo). I would give them a call, and ask if they have instructors available with experience with your son’s needs. Hopefully they will be able to help. Good luck, and hang in there!
Sherman Swim in Lafayette is great. My 2 kids learned there. They have a website which you can google.
Sherman Swim School, in Lafayette! So very worth the drive thru the tunnel. The weather is always warm, the water is always warm, the instructors are wonderful. Your child will make huge strides in a short amount of time. They seem to specialize in shy, reticent little swimmers!
Try Sherman Swim School in Lafayette. They do private lessons, semi-private with 2 kids, and start at age 9 months.
My twins took lessons there when they were pre-school aged and got a very good foundation in swimming. A bonus of the location in Lafayette is that the weather is usually warm there, so getting out of the pool is not as much of a shock (it's an outdoor pool.)
It's expensive.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
August 2011
I saw a post from a mom whose 4-year-old had a bad experience with another swim school, who needed a warmer and more supportive environment. I wanted to recommend Sherman Swim School in Lafayette to her. We have gone off and on (for older and younger child) for the past 5 years. The Sherman family has owned the school for the past 50 years, and Steve Sherman is usually on site and you can talk to him easily. Parents can sit on the deck at picnic tables or in comfy deck chairs. The instructors are friendly, skilled at teaching, and work hard during every lesson. But, they do not offer group lessons, and private swim lessons are expensive. www.shermanswim.com anon
March 2010
Re: Swimming for almost 2 year old
You're lucky -- Sherman Swim, which is in Lafayette where you live, is the perfect place -- shallow warm pools, excellent instructors. We have gone there (over the hill from Oakland) for about 4 summers, with my now 7-year-old, and last year my just-turned-3 year old started. She is asking when summer is coming so she can swim again (they do have spring classes, we just only swim in the summer) They have a web site you can google. They are not inexpensive, however, although it is a great experience. anon
Try Sherman Swim School in Lafayette (www.shermanswim.com) Not cheap, but very good. My guy started there at 3.5, but they teach kids as young as 9 months.
May 2009
I would appreciate up-to-date feedback about the Sherman Swim School in Lafayette. Our 5 year-old loves the water when she is in the pool with us and wears her floaties. But she had a negative first experience with swim lessons last summer at Mills. We would like her to take private lessons with an experienced instructor who is gentle yet firm and can work with our daughter about overcoming her fear of putting her head in the water. Thanks! Swim Mom-To-Be
Sherman Swim School is a great place to have your child learn to swim. The instructors are all great, patient, and well-trained. It is a bit pricey but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for and my son has done well there. The classes are 15 min. long which may seem like nothing but quite a lot gets accomplished since it's one-on-one and 3 days/week. You can also try Harriet Plumber swim school (Lafayette too). Same pricing and philosophy but year round vs. spring-autumn for Sherman. Martha
I don't know of that school but my son has been at Harrier Plummer Academy in Lafayette for the past year and has worked with all of the teachers. It is great! They are all so supportive and encouraging. I have seen them work with kids at all levels and some with fears and the kids always come out feeling proud. I can't say enough about this place. Sevgi
Sherman Swim School is great! Our then-3.5 year old attended 3 sessions last summer and went from being terrified to even get in to the pool (it took us 45 minutes before he'd get in our neighborhood pool the weekend before his lessons started), to going underwater, blowing bubbles, and dog-paddling. We've signed him up for 2 sessions for this summer, and may add one more. Sherman is rather pricy (as I'm sure you know), but the classes are individual, just the right length, and really worked for us! Most of the teachers seem to be college-age, but the ones we had (and others we observed) were great.
I put both of my kids through swim lessons at Sherman and it was great. Both of them took lessons there for 2 summers and are now swimmers. My 8 year old son is now on swim team and my 5 year old daughter is joining pre swim team this year. It is a bit pricey, but worth it in the end, in my opinion. We had my son in group swim lessons elsewhere before we found Sherman swim school. The teacher would ask him to put his face in the water, he would say, ''No thank you'' and they wouldn't work with him beyond that. At Sherman, the expectation is that the kids will immerse and somehow the teachers make it fun. The Shermans are in the pool and there are also teen teachers. We have had lessons with both the adults and teens -- the teens are very well trained and equally effective. The pool is small and there is a sun shade over it. It is an intimate setting, and there are maybe 4 private lessons going on at once. It works nicely. Try it, it is fun and your child will be ! swimming and jumping off the diving board by summer's end. Another similar program in Lafayette is Harriet Plummer. Have fun
Jan 2008
I am interested in hearing reviews of Harriet Plummer Aquatic School and Sherman Swim School. I have checked the archives, but I am particularly keen on hearing the two programs compared and contrasted if anyone is familiar with both. The ''FAQs'' on the Harriet Plummer website sounded as though they employ a bit of a ''tough love'' approach, but I don't know if that is actually the case. My non-swimming yet water-loving son is almost 5 and can be tentative in new situations. So, I just want to be sure he is as comfortable as possible so that his associations with swimming are positive. Thanks.
harriet plummer and sherman swim are both in the east bay city of lafayette, but from my experience at both, differ dramatically in approach. i should mention that my parenting orientation is very pro-child, and i try very hard never to make my children suffer unnecessarily -- it bothers me to hear them cry.
with that in mind, your depiction of harrient plummer as the ''tough love'' approach is consistent with my experience. my oldest child went to one lesson there, actually one-half of a lesson there, before i pulled him out 7 years ago. i was not comfortable watching my child(ren) cry when being introduced to the water -- and was not comfortable with the philosphy of HP.
sherman, by contrast, is much softer and gentler. they try to work with children's innate water fears and support them. my children all went to sherman and while it may have taken a bit longer to learn to swim than at the HP sink or swim school, they never felt abandon or cried.
now many years later, they are little fish - loving water and having fun, safe and secure. i would not recommend the HP method unless 1) you have a strong constitution and do not have a problem with making your child cry (at least for the short term) or 2) you have a child who is VERY EAGER to put their face in the water and take off (in which case you may not need lessons!) bekki
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