About
Bear Paddle Swim School in Orland Park, IL offers year-round swim lessons in a fun, safe, and clean environment. They focus on skill-based swimming instruction for children of all ages and abilities, aiming to build confidence and promote water safety. The facility provides a child-friendly atmosphere with a strong emphasis on positive reinforcement and engaging teaching methods.
Bear Paddle Swim School maintains their pools at a comfortable 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) to ensure a warm and enjoyable learning environment for all swimmers.
What are people saying (AI review summary)? Reviews for this swim school are mixed. Negative feedback primarily focuses on consistent staff turnover, which led to a lack of progress and inconsistent instruction, poor communication regarding instructor changes and facility rules, and difficulty escalating concerns to higher management. One reviewer also noted an unsanitary locker room. Conversely, positive reviews highly commend specific instructors, such as Nicole and Nyiah, for their welcoming demeanor, kindness, and ability to build trust and rapport with children. These positive experiences resulted in significant learning, increased comfort, and heightened enthusiasm for swimming among the students.
Location
Gallery
Amenities
-
Accepts Credit Cards
-
Accessible Entrance
-
Accessible Restroom
Reviews
Listing Reviews
August 12th, 2025pink panther
I had both of my children enrolled and saw little to no progress after 6 weeks due to the consistent staff turnover. I initially signed up for a particular session for a particular instructor and within one session she no longer worked there. Staff didn't give me a heads up, despite knowing how important it was for us to have a consistent staff member who could quickly build trust and a rapport. No one even told me that person no longer worked there until I asked after noticing a sub for the second week in a row. No one at the desk could give any updates on when there would be a new permanent instructor in the spot and every week it was a different instructor with a varying level of skill. Some instructors were very engaging and skilled and many were not. One week we experienced an incident with one of the young instructors and when asked to be put in touch with the district or regional manager to discuss concerns, the staff basically told me there wasn't anyone outside of them to address the concern with. Not to mention, the locker room had a strong smell of urine. I would not recommend this location.
April 12th, 2025Brenda Carrillo
I really had big expectations for this place, it is located in a great location but just felt dismissive. They offer family swimming on the weekends which at first was a great option for me, after booking my first class they basically told me to leave because I was not in the pool with the kids, I wasn't aware of the rules so we left after the kids being in the pool for 5 minutes. The following weekend, we booked another family class but this time I was told they did not received any confirmation and an incident just had happened in the pool that we couldn't get in. I do understand accidents can happen but this incident is happening back to back that just made feel some type of way. I basically drive 45min to this location just because is in a great area but is not what I expected, canceling soon.
April 19th, 2025J P
We have had nothing but wonderful experiences here. Especially Nicole, she made us feel welcome when just starting out, guided our lesson choices for new swimmers and answered all our questions. 10/10 will be back because of her! Don’t get me started on how much my girls have learned and how much more comfortable they are in the water.
August 4th, 2025katie pruitt
Switched to Bear Paddle swim school from Aqua Tots after having a bad experience with how my 4 year old was treated. Highly recommend Bear Paddle as the swim instructors are incredibly kind with the kids - even when they lose focus.
March 25th, 2025Jessica Wright
Nyiah is an incredible instructor at Bear Paddle! I trust her completely with my daughter, and her warm, inviting nature made all the difference. From day one, my daughter felt completely at ease with her, and now she looks forward to swimming every single day. Seeing her excitement and confidence in the water is more than I could have ever hoped for!
Leave a review
Opening Hours
| Sunday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Monday | 4:00 – 8:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 4:00 – 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, 4:00 – 8:00 PM |
| Thursday | 4:00 – 8:00 PM |
| Friday | 4:00 – 8:00 PM |
| Saturday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Drop Us a Line