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Minnow Swim ClubBook a First Splash

Scared of the water today. Swimming across it by summer.

A warm, small-group swim school in St. Paul — a 90° pool, ages 6 months to 12 years, and a path you can actually see.

Book a First Splash — $20See the path →

Your $20 comes off month one, and it includes a free level check-in.

A swim teacher in warm water holding a smiling toddler, foreheads close, both mid-laugh.

Why Minnow

A warm welcome. A visible plan.

Warm

Every parent worries about the water. That worry is why you're here — and it's the first thing we hold. Our job is to turn it into confidence, your child's and yours, one calm step at a time.

A parent holding a baby at the surface of a bright pool, tender and high-key.

Organized

  • Levels you can seeEight named steps, painted on the deck.
  • Max 4 per classNever more than four little swimmers.
  • Same time weeklyOne slot, every week — easy to keep.
Follow the path →

The level path

Always know where she is — and what's next.

Kids move up when they're ready, not when the calendar says so. Every step earns a badge, ages are just a guide, and the whole path is right there on the pool deck.

Levels 1–3 · the safety halfLevels 4–8 · the polish half

The 8 levels

From first bubbles to swim-team ready.

  1. Little Minnows

    6 mo–2.5 yr · parent & babya guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: be calm and happy in the water with you — bubbles, gentle dips, a supported back float.

    Unlocks: her first moments trusting a teacher's hands, not just yours.

    A parent gently holding a happy toddler in a supported back float, Little Minnows level.

  2. Ripples

    2.5–4 yra guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: put her face in, blow bubbles, and hold a back float on her own.

    Unlocks: letting go of the wall and moving under her own power.

  3. Floaters

    3–5 yra guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: float front and back and roll up to stand — the core safety skill.

    Unlocks: adding a kick and starting to travel.

  4. Gliders

    4–7 yra guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: streamline glide with a flutter kick, face in, front and back.

    Unlocks: adding her arms — turning a glide into a stroke.

    A young child mid-glide across the pool with a flutter kick, Gliders level.

  5. Freestylers

    5–9 yra guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: swim freestyle with side breathing and backstroke a full width.

    Unlocks: the next two strokes, and going farther.

    A child gliding underwater in sunlit blue, bubbles trailing, eyes open and happy.

  6. Strokemasters

    6–11 yra guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: swim all four strokes' basics with control.

    Unlocks: endurance, turns, and real refinement.

    A kid swimming freestyle with confident form, Strokemasters level.

  7. Riverriders

    8–12 yr · endurance & polisha guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: swim clean, continuous laps and tread water with deep-end confidence.

    Unlocks: the bridge to competitive and lifesaving skills.

  8. Swim Team Ready

    9–12 yr · team prepa guide, not a gate

    Graduates when she can: swim refined strokes with flip turns, pace, and endurance.

    Unlocks: swim team, the lifeguard path, or open water — she's ready.

    A preteen swimming a strong, focused lap, Swim Team Ready level.
  9. Not sure where she'd start? Your First Splash includes a free placement. →

Badges & milestones

Real skills, celebrated out loud.

  • Little Minnows — earned for being calm and happy in the water, bubbles and all.
  • Ripples — earned for face-in bubbles and a back float all on her own.
  • Floaters — earned for floating front and back, then standing up.
  • Gliders — earned for a streamline glide with a flutter kick, front and back.
  • Freestylers — earned for freestyle with side breathing and a full width of backstroke.
  • Strokemasters — earned for the basics of all four strokes, with control.
  • Riverriders — earned for clean continuous laps and deep-end treading.
  • Swim Team Ready — earned for refined strokes, flip turns, pace, and endurance.

Finish a level and the whole class does the pond-hop: your swimmer steps across the painted lily pads toward the deep end while classmates and the Guppy Gallery cheer. Then a stitched badge and a Level Up certificate go home — straight to the fridge.

A grinning kid with goggles pushed up on their forehead, water droplets everywhere.
Coach Nadia in the water mid-lesson, gently steadying a young swimmer, warm and focused.

Founder & head coach

Hi — I'm Nadia.

I swam through college and lifeguarded every summer of my twenties. None of it prepared me for the two seconds my own toddler slipped under at a family pool. Everyone was fine. I was not.

So I went looking for lessons, and found two kinds: warm but no plan, or organized but cold and shivery. Nobody offered both. So I built the third kind — one warm pool, four kids to a teacher, and a path you can see from the very first day.

Here's my promise for your kid: never rushed, always seen, always celebrated. From first splash to first lap, you'll know exactly where she is.

Coach Nadia

P.S. Every new swimmer gets a soft blue Minnow cap and a high-five from me on day one. It's my favorite part.

The teaching team

Gentle hands. Serious training.

  • A swim teacher in the water beside a child, close and reassuring, faces lit and warm.

    Coach Sam

    the calm one for wobbly first days.

    Teaches: Little Minnows–Floaters

    Keeps a mental list of every kid's favorite pool game.

  • A swim teacher in the water beside a child, close and reassuring, faces lit and warm.

    Coach Priya

    turns “won't let go of the wall” into “watch this.”

    Teaches: Ripples–Gliders

    Once a competitive breaststroker; still races the kids (and loses on purpose).

  • A swim teacher in the water beside a child, close and reassuring, faces lit and warm.

    Coach Marcus

    the stroke-technique guy who never stops smiling.

    Teaches: Freestylers–Riverriders

    Coached a middle-school swim team for six years.

  • A swim teacher in the water beside a child, close and reassuring, faces lit and warm.

    Coach Dana

    patient with the big feelings and the big goals.

    Teaches: Strokemasters–Swim Team Ready

    Has a high-five for every kind of small win.

How classes work

Four kids. One teacher. Every week.

  • Max 4kids per class. Never more.
  • 30 / 40 minshorter for the littles, longer up top.
  • 90°Fwarm water, always. Shiver-free.
  • 6 mo–12 yrevery age is welcome here.

Same teacher, same time, every week — so your kid builds trust, not just skills. Group classes cap at four. For an extra-nervous swimmer or a fast-tracker, semi-private and private lessons are there too.

A few kids at the pool wall with one teacher, calm and unhurried — a genuinely small class.

The pool

Warm water. Warm room. Warm welcome.

Shallow, bright, and shiver-free, with a graduated depth so babies stay in ankle-to-chest water.

A swim instructor with arms open, catching a joyful child mid-jump into the pool.

Programs by age

Start anywhere from six months to twelve years.

Likely start: Floaters or Gliders.

30 minutes, small group. Week one: floating, recovering to a stand, and the first real glide.

We confirm the right level in the water at your First Splash. Ages are a guide, not a gate.

The schedule

Built around your week — not the other way around.

Minnow Swim Club weekly class schedule by day and time.
Time bandMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Weekday PM
  • 4:00 Little Minnows
  • 4:40 Ripples
  • 5:20 Floaters
  • 6:00 Freestylers
  • 4:00 Ripples
  • 4:40 Gliders
  • 5:20 Strokemasters
  • 6:00 Riverriders
  • 4:00 Little Minnows
  • 4:40 Floaters
  • 5:20 Gliders
  • 6:00 Swim Team Ready
  • 4:00 Ripples
  • 4:40 Freestylers
  • 5:20 Strokemasters
  • 6:00 Riverriders
  • 4:00 Floaters
  • 4:40 Gliders
  • 5:20 Freestylers
  • 6:00 Strokemasters
Saturday AM
  • 9:00 Little Minnows
  • 9:40 Ripples
  • 10:20 Floaters
  • 11:00 Gliders
  • 11:40 Freestylers
Sunday AM
  • 9:00 Little Minnows
  • 9:40 Floaters
  • 10:20 Strokemasters
  • 11:00 Swim Team Ready
  • Safety half (Levels 1–3)
  • Polish half (Levels 4–8)

Splash Weeks

A school break is five lessons in a row.

  • Summer Splash Weeks

    Mon–Fri, 30 min daily.

    For the kid who wants to be pool-ready before the lake trip.

  • Winter Break

    Mon–Fri, 30 min daily.

    Keep the momentum going while it snows outside.

  • Spring Break

    Mon–Fri, 30 min daily.

    A focused week to shake off winter and level up.

A focused week can move a motivated kid up a level — and every kid still moves at their own pace.

Pricing

One price. On the page. Like it should be.

Your $20 First Splash comes off month one →

$32per lesson, billed monthly

  • Weekly lesson, same slot
  • Free level placement
  • Badges + certificates
  • 2 make-ups per term
  • Pause or cancel, two weeks' notice
  • No enrollment fee, month one

Want semi-private or private lessons? Just ask at your First Splash.

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Free parent handbook

Raise a confident, water-safe kid — without the poolside meltdowns

Every big feeling at the water's edge is normal — the tears, the clinging, the sudden “no, not today.”

This is the gentle, step-by-step guide our coaches share with families: what to say, what to skip, and how to turn dread into “again, again!”

  • Before the first splashthe calm car-ride talk that sets the tone
  • When the tears comewhat to say (and the one thing to never say)
  • Bath-time as practicefive tiny games that build real trust
  • Water safety, made simplethe four rules every family can keep
  • Celebrating small winshow confidence quietly snowballs

Parent voices

The wall was his best friend. Was.

  • “He wouldn't let go of the wall. Now he swims to the middle and grins back at me.”

    — Maya R., mom of a Floater

  • “She used to panic the second her face touched the water. Last week she blew bubbles for fun.”

    — Chris T., dad of a Ripple

  • “We have a lake house now. For the first time, I'm not holding my breath the whole trip.”

    — Dani K., mom of a Glider

  • “He was the only kid in his class who couldn't swim. Not anymore — and he's proud.”

    — Priya S., mom of a Freestyler

  • “She cried through lessons somewhere else. Here she asks if it's a pool day.”

    — Jordan L., mom of a Little Minnow
A joyful child mid-air jumping into a pool, arms wide, splash frozen below.

Book a trial

Ready for her first splash?

  1. Book a First SplashGrab a $20 trial spot online in a minute.
  2. Meet the waterA coach finds her level, right in the pool.
  3. Enroll if it's a fitYour $20 comes off month one. No pressure.

$20 toward month one · no commitment · we'll find her level together.

Prefer to talk? Call (651) 555-0142 or email hello@minnowswim.club.

Questions, poolside

What if she cries?

Totally normal, especially early on. Your coach has seen every kind of first day and knows how to help — and you can watch from a warm seat the whole time.

What should we bring?

Just a swimsuit, a towel, and a warm layer for after. We've got a full first-day list a little further down. First-timers get a Minnow cap on us.

What if he's behind for his age?

There's no “behind” here. We place by ability, not birthday, and every kid moves at their own pace. Ages are a guide, not a gate.

Do you do make-ups?

Yes — two make-up classes per term, booked online. Just give us 12 hours' notice, because colds happen.

Can I watch?

Always. The Guppy Gallery is a warm, dry room with clear sightlines, comfy benches, and a bottle-warmer. Some little ones focus better when they can't spot you — your coach will say so kindly.

When will she actually swim?

Every kid is different, so we won't promise a date. What we will promise: a visible path, and a badge for every real step along the way.

Do you take babies?

We do — from 6 months, in Little Minnows, with you right there in the water. It's the gentlest possible start.

How do siblings and discounts work?

Your second Minnow is 15% off, your third is 20% off. No enrollment fee your first month, and you can pause or cancel with two weeks' notice.

The first-day bag

An open swim bag laid out with a towel, suit, goggles, swim diaper, warm layer, and a snack.
  1. Swimsuit — comfy and easy to change out of.
  2. Towel — a big, cozy one.
  3. Goggles — optional for the littlest swimmers.
  4. Swim diaper — for under-3s, please.
  5. A warm layer — for the happy, tired ride home.
  6. A snack — they'll be hungry and proud.

Tears on day one are normal. We've got them — and you can watch from a warm seat the whole time.

Still deciding? Book a First Splash →