About
La Petite Baleen Swim Schools offers infant swimming lessons, baby swim lessons, and formal swimming lessons that include activities such as underwater submersions, back floats, grasping the wall, and the use of goggles and fins. The program also offers free infant swim lessons as part of its swimming lessons for young children.
• Ages: 0–17 years old
La Petite Baleen Swim Schools describes its teaching approach as a developmental aquatic program emphasizing a balance between love and discipline, with a child development-centered curriculum and a focus on water safety awareness. Classes take place in an AQUATIC CLASSROOM® with clean, warm-water, sparkling clean pools and family-friendly facilities, and the program describes its classes as comprehensive and safety-centric. The program offers a free infant swim program for babies 2–5 months old, with a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio in infant swim lessons, and notes that Free Infant Swim Lessons are subject to availability, include an annual membership fee at registration, and auto-enroll infants into the swim program at 6 months old unless canceled before the promotion end date. La Petite Baleen Swim Schools notes that it has bilingual swim instructors who can teach in Spanish or English, uses an in-depth curriculum and ribbon level system, and states that its motto is “Pace, Pattern, Compassion, and Fun!” and that its AQUATIC CLASSROOM® sets the environment for learning, safety, and fun.
La Petite Baleen Swim Schools states that its teachers are highly trained to read body language and open up the line of communication with their students, and that it has highly trained teachers and knowledgeable Swim Formation staff. The program reports that it has been providing award-winning swimming lessons in the Bay Area since 1979 and has been teaching infants how to swim since its first baby swim class in 1979. La Petite Baleen began in the backyard pool of John Kolbisen and Irene Madrid’s Half Moon Bay home in 1979, and co-founder Irene Madrid wrote “Wiggle-butts & Up-faces: A Child’s Primer for Beginning Swimming,” which was published in 1989. The program states that “Teaching life skills through swimming in our AQUATIC CLASSROOM® is one of our philosophies at La Petite Baleen swim school,” and that its team is dedicated to offering ideal swim instruction, good customer service, community building, and having fun.
Parent testimonials describe patient and kind instruction, clean and welcoming facilities, and an exceptional experience at La Petite Baleen Swim Schools. One parent reports that their daughter began swimming there at 2 months old and that the program provided a strong foundation in water safety and family bonding through caring, interactive instruction. Another parent notes that their child built foundational skills at La Petite Baleen Swim Schools and that they will miss the instruction and community.
Last updated June 6, 2026.
• Ages: 0–17 years old
La Petite Baleen Swim Schools describes its teaching approach as a developmental aquatic program emphasizing a balance between love and discipline, with a child development-centered curriculum and a focus on water safety awareness. Classes take place in an AQUATIC CLASSROOM® with clean, warm-water, sparkling clean pools and family-friendly facilities, and the program describes its classes as comprehensive and safety-centric. The program offers a free infant swim program for babies 2–5 months old, with a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio in infant swim lessons, and notes that Free Infant Swim Lessons are subject to availability, include an annual membership fee at registration, and auto-enroll infants into the swim program at 6 months old unless canceled before the promotion end date. La Petite Baleen Swim Schools notes that it has bilingual swim instructors who can teach in Spanish or English, uses an in-depth curriculum and ribbon level system, and states that its motto is “Pace, Pattern, Compassion, and Fun!” and that its AQUATIC CLASSROOM® sets the environment for learning, safety, and fun.
La Petite Baleen Swim Schools states that its teachers are highly trained to read body language and open up the line of communication with their students, and that it has highly trained teachers and knowledgeable Swim Formation staff. The program reports that it has been providing award-winning swimming lessons in the Bay Area since 1979 and has been teaching infants how to swim since its first baby swim class in 1979. La Petite Baleen began in the backyard pool of John Kolbisen and Irene Madrid’s Half Moon Bay home in 1979, and co-founder Irene Madrid wrote “Wiggle-butts & Up-faces: A Child’s Primer for Beginning Swimming,” which was published in 1989. The program states that “Teaching life skills through swimming in our AQUATIC CLASSROOM® is one of our philosophies at La Petite Baleen swim school,” and that its team is dedicated to offering ideal swim instruction, good customer service, community building, and having fun.
Parent testimonials describe patient and kind instruction, clean and welcoming facilities, and an exceptional experience at La Petite Baleen Swim Schools. One parent reports that their daughter began swimming there at 2 months old and that the program provided a strong foundation in water safety and family bonding through caring, interactive instruction. Another parent notes that their child built foundational skills at La Petite Baleen Swim Schools and that they will miss the instruction and community.
Last updated June 6, 2026.
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