based on 1930 ratings.
What our members think of us!
The following comments were submitted by our customers when asked to provide feedback on our service. In the interest of transparency, we present these comments as provided except that personally identifiable information has been hidden unless the reviewer has requested their full name be included with the review. No unfavorable comments have been removed.
The gymnastics program was great for us, but lately my daughter has become less interested. She is in the super nova 2 and decided she didn't want to finish the session we enrolled in. She said "all we do is jump on a trampoline." I understand the focus on the team, but even the recreational children still want to be pushed to learn and master basic skills.
Love Miss Kayla the swimming instructor for my daughter she is amazing and so great at what she does!! :)
The front desk staff, Cindy, Aaron, and the incomparable Claire are fabulous. They make me feel known and welcomed.
The pool is wonderful. The locker room facilities are excellent. The prior cleaning lady was amazing. I'm sorry to have seen her leave. Perhaps you could try to keep the really good staff.
The staff is generally very responsive. This was a long, cold winter. Everyone had many layers of clothing. I had asked Emily if perhaps some hooks could be put up for our coats. In no time we had hooks on the wall in the locker room.
I have met some wonderful people here! Very nice morning social 1st Friday of each month!
Staff is wonderful and helpful! Beautiful facility is always kept clean and spotless, and the countless friends I’ve met here!
The teachers from stage 1 preschool are not equipped to teach this class. They barely engage with the students and spend a lot of time chatting with each other. If a child shows any resistance to the class they are ignored and not encouraged. There seems to be no plan for each class and the kids are left to sit on the side of the pool 95% of the time.
Unfortunately I think these girls are not outgoing or confident enough to work with 3/4 year olds and someone who is more enthusiastic and engaged would be far better suited.
I have had many other swim teachers for my kids who I have really liked and thought were excellent. This time around the class doesn’t seem worth the time or money.
Lots of programs for the Kids. Swimming is a life skill and the Y provides Swimming classes for everyone.
community service
Communication. Challenge more kids to give their very best in the different groups
List dates of each swim session on website
Clean and warm
The swim team experience at Stratford YMCA catapulted our sons confidence in his swim abilities. What was once a mere hobby to be in pool has blossomed into a love of swimming with a natural awareness of technique. He's now poised this year for competitive swim and he's excited for it.
Amanda is the best swimming teacher ever with kids and getting them out of their shells. My daughter hated to put her head under the water, but with Amanda’s patience and kindness she did it, and I am so happy. Thanks Amanda
Friendly staff, friendly patrons, very clean, inspiring quote of the day on the white board as you walk in, great classes and music, beautiful pool,
All the instructors are great and have done really well with my ADHD 6-year old.
I love the water aerobics and deep water classes. What I don't like is the limited parking in the morning.
Love the classes and the instructors
My answer was hard to give as a “number” because at the lower ages, the coaches are good with the kids and I would recommend the team for younger kids. Coach Sue is great and passionate about helping out the kids improve. Coach Jenn is amazing when the younger kids get to work with her. My concern comes from what I hear about the behavior of the head coach (Wesley) with the older kids. The fact that there is such a high departure rate of swimmers from that group leads a great deal credibility to what I have been hearing about. Families don’t decide to pull their kids and drive farther to other swim teams for no reason. A head coach chasing away the older and fast swimmers is so sad to hear about. You have already gotten detailed feedback about what to improve from parents of the older kids and nothing has been done. Take the parent feedback seriously if you care about the program.
Dire need of more lap swimming hours, lifeguards to arrive on time, honoring the hours on the schedule, respect for members’ time, and management should respond to emails.
I wish the locker rooms were better for the amount I pay each month. Amenities could be better but the gang showers and locker rooms are so outdated
The people.
Great staff, loads of skills learned, tremendous progress quickly, and my kids ALWAYS want to go.
They have a great program geared to each child’s skill and I see my child’s progression. My child is excited to go to swim class without anxiety. That is a win for me even if she has to repeat a class or two. Very professional and friendly.
Children should be motivated and encouraged at all times. There shouldn’t be “more special swimmers” receiving more affectionate or preferential treatment than others.
I don’t see a sense of unity within the team, and I see children excluding other children without any adult stepping in to prevent it.
As for practices, they should be more individualized whenever possible. The pool is very crowded.
Dryland training being more technical would also be an improvement.
Swim instructors professional and able to teach many different abilities and aptitudes and ages.
Pool and Locker Rooms very well maintained.
Many choices of classes.
You can improve the way that credit cards are run for sure. If a credit card is expired why run that credit card just simply reach out to the family and tell them they need to update it. We even members of the YMCA for years and years and obviously credit cards expire. We also go to the Stratford YMCA for swim and it's honestly not that fantastic of a facility although the swim instructors are amazing
The instructor is great, the environment is clean and welcoming, and overall it’s just been a fun time
Given the relatively low complexity of the “special” event (glow sticks and lights out), it would be great to have opportunities like this more frequently.
Clean. Great pool exercise room and cardo machines
The coaches are encouraging and passionate. They push and encourage my daughter without over pushing her. The team feels like a family.