Jim Herrick Swim School

I was immediately impressed with this place. Despite it being in a residential area and in the back of a house, it’s a legitimate and professional business. From the parking area to the office to the waiting/​changing area and the two pools, my first impression was off to a great start. My daughter who is 4 ½ has been swimming for a while now needs focus on the proper technique for the four strokes. Unlike the YMCA, she isn’t coddled at JHSS. I love that in her first session Trish assessed her abilities and immediately began focusing on her technique without holding her. Trish would give her plenty of space to swim alone. In that first session she also taught her a diving technique. Another thing I loved from the first session is that the office staff noticed I speak Spanish to my daughter. Although she also speaks English, I was happy that they took the initiative to ask for my preference because I aim at her practicing Spanish as much as possible.
Although my daughter didn’t want to go to a new place (she likes her private sessions at the Y), she really enjoyed the her first session at JHSS & got excited to hear I decided towards two times a week.
After only two sessions, I knew that I had to recommend this place to fellow Unilocalers.

I have two boys attending Jim Herrick Swim School and they love it. My 3 year old is swimming after taking lessons over the summer. He still is learning, but definitely on the right path and loving every moment. My 18 month old can go under water and dying to just take off and join his brother. They both cried at first, but once they got a regular instructor, they loved it. We tried another school in Sherman Oaks and that did not go well at all. Jim Herrick philosophy and teaching method has worked for my boys. The instructors are patient and go at the students pace. My biggest lesson in finding the right swim school was truly understanding that in order to flourish, children need to feel safe and comfortable (it made a world of a difference for my boys). Consistency is key!

I have been to three mommy and me swim classes with my 17 month old son. It took him some time to warm up to the new environment and he seems to be enjoying himself. We are both learning techniques like blowing bubbles and putting his head in the water. Also he is learning to trust the instructors Nena and Leela (I’m sorry if I got your name wrong). They are great with him and all the other babies. Lots of singing and interaction. The water is clean and warm and the pool is covered so the sun doesn’t burn us. I can’t wait to put him into private lessons and hope that one of them will be able to be his instructor.

Monica is wonderful, she taught me to swim when I was young. Now I bring all three of my kiddos here for summer swim lessons. I love the style of teaching that is used at this school. Monica is especially gentle and patient… she has really helped out my middle son who was very scared to take lessons when he started a few months ago and he’s making great progress!

My three boys love jim herricks swim school. Miss Daisy is an amazing teacher. I have a special needs child in a wheelchair and Miss Monica always saves me a spot so I have an easier time parking.

I really didn’t know what to expect since this was our (me and my 18 mons old boy) first time. We ended up loving it and have an appointment for next week’s class already. I thought my baby was going to cry or not want to do it but it was the complete opposite. I didn’t feel weird or awkward at all. Tish/​Trish (sorry I forgot which one it was) and Mimi, the teachers, were very nice. Mimi even spent some one on one time with my baby to teach us the ready-​go technique (putting your son under water) which normally isn’t done in the first class. Since my baby felt so comfortable in the water, I thought why not try. We tried it then again and again and he did great. Overall, I’m happy with the whole experience. I’m definitely looking forward for the next class next week.

Our daughter (4 years old) has been going there for 9 months now, once a week, and is water safe, diving into the pool, and learning different strokes. She was able to swim across the length of the pool alone. She loves coach Nena. Thank you for all your efforts. Looking forward to many more years. Soon we will be taking our little one.
After sometime you feel like family with the staff, coaches, and other parents. We all look forward to our Saturday mornings.
They teach the fundamental and more, in a way your kid won’t forget. Our daughter loves it so much she wants to join the swim team and grow up to be a diver.

My daughter loves going to Jim Herrick’s swim school. Nena is her instructor and is great with my daughter. We were there for a year and before we finished my daughter who was 4 at the time, could tread water for 60 seconds, swim the length of the pool and had started to learn free style stroke. I took her out because she was burned out on swimming, between her preschool’s pool, our pool at home and swim lessons… she had enough. We are going to go back in April for the swim season! Highly recommend them! 2 thumbs up!

Learning to swim isn’t just for kids! MONICA is a fantastic teacher for adults too! After an injury my doctor recommended swimming as a form of exercise. I learned to swim at the age of 5 and love the water, but swimming laps for an hour requires skill and doing all the strokes correctly. MONICA was a national swimming competitor and an incredible instructor. In seconds she can spot the smallest details that I have done incorrectly for years. I’ve improved 100% in just a few lessons, and thankful I found this swim school and MONICA.

My daughter’s swimming has vastly improved in the few weeks that she has been coming to this school and working with her instructor Austin. I am so pleased with our experience here!

We have had a great experience at Jim Herrick Swim School, which is mostly thanks to our amazing swim instructor, Monica. We have been sending our now 4 yr old for a year and are just now getting our 2 yr old into lessons as well. Monica successfully turned our water fearing, NO WATER ON MY FACE son into a water lover who feels so happy and confident in the water that now it’s hard to get him to stop swimming! I truly believe in the one-​on-​one swim instruction which keeps my son in line, I feel like if there were other students in the group he would definitely become more distracted. He is water safe at this point, which makes mommy and daddy very happy and secure. He’s treading water, paddling, kicking and taking breaths and is beginning to get a handle on diving and the freestyle stroke. If you are looking for great instruction, a comfortable and easy environment then this is your place and Monica is fantastic. I do know that most of the instructors are great as well so I don’t think you can go wrong. They also have a little play area in the yard next to the pools which is great if you have a little one with you during an older one’s lesson.

Great experience! My son is loving his swim lessons with Mimi every week. The school provides a wonderful learning environment. They are in a residential neighborhood with two pools and surprisingly plenty of parking. It is buzzing with children and parents, making it exciting for new kids. When they see all that’s going on in the water and fun waiting areas, they become excited to join in and be part of the fun. Each lesson is private, short and sweet. They’re just 20 minutes long for toddlers, which is just right for their attention span and learning ability. My son has progressed so much already in only 6 weeks. Im really impressed with the methods they use.
My child loves his teacher! He talks about and looks forward to class all week long. Mimi is great with him. He had one lesson in the beginning where he just didnt want to get in the water. But, we scheduled a make up class and Mimi was able to move right through it with him. Ever since, its been smooth sailing! I’ve watched the other teachers with their students and they are excellent as well. All have a no nonsense attitude and keep the children focused and progressing.
The mommy and me group classes for babies look like a lot of fun and a great way to introduce children to the water. I’m looking forward to beginning those with my one year old.

I live in Valencia and was recommended this swim school by a family friend who has a 1.5 year old that can swim underwater thanks to this school.
Due to the distance alone I was reluctant to go. I tried a local facility and was extremely dissatisfied, so I thought I would make a trip to Valley Village and see how I felt about Jim Herricks.
My first lesson was great (after a minor scheduling issue) and the second lesson was terrible. I was very unhappy and decided to email the director. I must admit, I read some reviews and almost went that route but I am glad I didn’t. Dillon (director) responded to my email right away and was not only very polite, honest and apologetic, but he immediately found a solution to my problems. Him and his sister (Lacy) went out of their ways to make sure we were happy and their customer service and problem solving skills were beyond impressive.
The last two weeks my kiddo has had Daisy and we are very happy. As I am on my way to her 3^rd lesson (from Valencia to Valley Village) I am totally confident my daughter is in the right place.
My little one is 2.5 and was going under water holding her breathe on her 3^rd lesson! Daisy works GREAT with my daughter and we look forward to her lessons all week. I am astounded that she can already hold her breath and go under! Thank you!

I took my baby to the Mommy & Me on Wednesdays with Jordan. All we did was walk around in the water. No songs, No games, we only played with a few toys the entire class. The experience was nothing like I had been told when I called to reserve a spot. Very disappointed!

Very pleased with there teaching method. My 3 ½ year old is really progressing well. Love the teachers!!!

I got a living social deal to try some swim lessons for my new baby. Not only was the staff super un-​friendly, but they seemed totally put out when I simply tried to reschedule a class and never called me back. To the point that my living social expired! So, i’m out the money for the deal, but maybe its for the best… I wouldn’t want my new baby in that environment anyway. Yuck!

Disappointed at the mixed messages I received from different people who work there.
I was promised classes on Saturdays bu one person and a call back. When no one called me back I called them again only to find out that not only they are not available but that the drive for the teacher is too far so I will have to pay extra, wait a few weeks and that might child might be too young for an hour long class. ALL of which was an opposite info in my first conversation with them.

Very disappointed. I took my son for swimming lessons. The only thing his teacher did was hold him in the water. He didnt learn anything. The staff is not very friendly. When I called for a quote I was never told I would be charged a registration fee.

I decided to try Jim Herrick after several recommendations from other parents at my kid’s school. We had to «undo» some water fear issues so the first few lessons were a bit rough, but our instructor Reina with the help of Christian were awesome! Reina totally won my daughter over and gained her trust in the water, which was key considering our previous swim lesson trauma. I just took my daughter to a lesson for the first time in months (husband was taking her because I was pregnant and then caring for our newborn) and Wow! I’m amazed at how far she’s come along. She went in the pool without a hitch, put her face in the water, searched for toys, and was happy, smiling and laughing during her lesson. This is a 180 from shaking, crying hysterically and clinging onto us. I’m so happy I found this school and that my daughter is now loving the water.
I also commend their staff for being so flexible with make ups. One weekend Reina could not make it, and my daughter was thrown off by a substitute teacher. The sub (Monica) was great and didn’t force the issue. She and the owner both agreed that we could make up the session with Reina, since that’s whom my daughter has built a relationship with. Kudos!

My daughter has been taking classes for 3 years and loves her teacher, Monica. I must say that the actual classes have been great and my daughter learned to swim successfully. My problem was with Patty, she plays favorites and only takes time requests/​changes from people she likes. She is not helpful in scheduling make-​ups. We’ve shown up several times where she made a mistake in double booking Monica. Very abrupt and rude. They need to have a better person representing their brand.