Seahorse Academy LLC — Local services in Bend

Our experience at Seahorse Academy had been nothing short of amazing! Amanda and Bekah are some of the most knowledgeable and encouraging swim instructors in their field! Their facility is inviting and has plenty of toys, color paper + crayons, along with books, a chalk wall and jungle gym to keep kids entertained before and after their swim lessons. They hang the kids art all over once done coloring 🤍 They have lots of changing stations for the parents and kids with privacy curtains as well if needed. It's warm in there at all times and so no one is cold when getting out. We have been with them for a couple of years now and both my kids attend. One since they were 6/8 months now 2.5 and the other started when they were 1.5/2 now 4 and they LOVE going to swim! If they could run up the ramp to greet their instructors they would but they need to walk for safety 😉 They have excelled in their lessons and their confidence has blossomed in the time we have been there! The kids reenact their swim lessons in the bath. The instructors are very happy to see the kids and are so loving and kind, yes they push the kids to get them to that next level. They know what your child is capable of in the moment (including swim buddies) they are there and would never think of putting their safety at risk, after all that's why they are there to help save lives. I love that once we had one kid locked in for lessons (water babies) our second who was a little older needed private lessons (which weren't available at that time) was put on a waiting list that ended up being a pretty short wait for us was then added to the Seahorse family! If you have one kid in and another waiting to get in , it's nice that siblings have some priority to attend when they have openings come up. As far as payments are concerned, it's easy. They put out an envelope on the front desk when payment is due and you can pay via Venmo or check. Simple as that. They have $75 annual fee which I wouldn't see why they wouldn't to maintain everything. If any classes are cancelled on their end we don't get charged for them. If they have time and room for a make up class that week they will most certainly offer it! When signing up their schedule is limited and they mention that right in the beginning and you able to put you top three days and time slots that work for you and they will try their very hardest to get something that works for you and your family. Remember you are not the only family they are doing this for, you are one of many that they want to make happy and make something work for your schedule because they want you there! We love it here and as a gentle reminder the staff is small, they have two main instructors one or two in training and finally someone now to help with cleaning and laundry etc. (That's another beautiful thing is that they supply towels, lotion, and wipes ). They do not have someone at the front desk at all times and as that may be frustrating to some they do get back to you when they can! I personally have had wonderful communication with them. They are straight forward people/communicators. They are not sugar coating people and they don't need to be. That does not mean they are not loving or caring or compassionate people. They are! They are slowly growing and are able to delegate more! They are doing a fabulous job and I'm so happy we get to be apart of something so beautiful in our community 🤍 Once more, remember behind every business especially a small business in your own home town are people like you and me. They have personal lives outside of work and we need to have grace for them. You never know what someone is going through and so please try to look outside yourself and provide patience for what you might not know. Having a go with the flow attitude about things that are out of your control will benefit you in the long run, no matter what situation it is applied to. Oh did I mention they will send pics and videos of your kid in the pool every now and again showing their progress! Experience it...

We swam with Seahorse Academy for 9 months. My son is almost 12, and high functioning autistic. He loves water, but hates to get his face, ears, and head wet. They were successful at helping get his head wet with a swim cap, and his eyes under with goggles. He is still learning basic swim skills for sure. It would have all been OK, and we would have continued on… except my kiddo had an experience at the end of his last lesson which left him feeling truly broken. My son states that he was tired mentally and physically from the lesson that day. He was also still tired from a cold he had just gotten over. He felt just done. I heard some disruptive noise from the pool (they keep the music up fairly loud so I couldn't understand the conversations), and parents also sit at a level where they cannot view the pool. He wanted to be done and he said the instructor told him, “if I did not behave, she would push me underwater and step on me” and then she did. My son, like I mentioned, is on the spectrum, and is just understanding metaphors. He knows very few! He honestly believed that when Bekah said she was "going to put her foot down about behaving," she was going to put her foot on him when he was put under water to get a ring. It was the combo of that misunderstanding, and being afraid and feeling disrespected b/c he was not prepared and able to take a breath before going under. It does not matter the length of reasoning or reassurance, he never wanted to go back. We worked with our private behavioral specialist that has known Tavin for quite some time now about this new fear on the morning of the lesson. He was in a very negative emotional space regarding returning to lessons. His therapist suggested he go and just hang his feet in the water for that day as a way to rebuild trust with his swim instructor which I proposed very nicely to Amanda. Instead, Amanda accused me of letting another adult fill his head and letting him believe that he is in charge. Lots of lengthy exchanges from the swim school. She felt it was ridiculous and a “waste of time.” She also expressed that I was causing 4 different problems by suggesting this and laid them out for me. We will never go back. Not b/c I wanted to be right, or don’t think there are still skills my son obviously needs in the pool. It is her total lack of any compassion, unwillingness to listen to our concerns, and her inability to learn or grow from something she may have not expected. Talking to other former members this is a response that is typical. The belief that she explicitly knows every in and out of every situation and kiddos trusted in her care. Condemning and lecturing intent and mistakes regarding parents…and even specialists too. There is going to most likely be a comment about “pushing through”, and undermining instructors, and all the things we needed to do. In the end I am the Mom, she is the instructor. My child needed to feel safe in her care...

We had been attending lessons for a month, with zero issues, and in fact had been having a wonderful experience with instructor Rachel. However, that changed today. My daughter was obviously scared, clinging to the instructor, and saying “no, I don’t want to do that” multiple times for the last exercise she was asked to do (bubbles underwater, while grabbing a toy on the floor of the pool). I was watching as she was clinging to the instructor expressing her fear, and then without taking an adequate breath she was forced under the water to complete that exercise. I yelled out “no” and when they came up I told the instructor to never do that again, that if she is that scared and saying no, she needs to be respected. At that time, the owner Amanda, who was also teaching came over. Instead of being compassionate and understanding, she explained that “if we don’t push their boundaries, then they will continue to say no and not get the hang of it”, “maybe this isn’t the right fit for you” to which I told her we would speak after my second daughter was done with her lesson. When we stepped aside to speak later, she repeated the same things, and did not seem to have any kindness, compassion or respect for myself or the situation that had happened. She only continued to say that “she wouldn’t have her instruction methods undermined” and that “it wasn’t a good fit” to which I agreed and was offered a refund for my remaining lessons paid for. Not only am I upset and disappointed about my daughter’s experience, I’m appalled by the lack of kindness and compassion that the owner showed. For kids to learn, trust, and enjoy being in the water, those two qualities are key to ensuring that for each person. Apart from this issue, communicating via email or phone has been very frustrating. Not hearing back promptly, as in either no response or weeks later, (besides one time I did hear back the day after I emailed) and also no clarity in the communication. What we experienced today, shows the lack of professionalism and respect that this business operates on. I’m saddened for my kids, for my interaction with Amanda, but also for the other patrons and the business. As an owner of a small business, I would have expected more class and...