Testimonials

Thank you Joy! Nash and Clark were filled with stories when they got home and sure learned a lot! I was very impressed they know how to use an epi pen too! Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your patience, humour and candour. Kids learn best from story telling and you have that skill in spades!

Yours truly Kris

At critical moments it becomes clear that Joy is teaching because she enjoys seeing her kids progress. Yesterday, after a few weeks of work David seemed to have made a significant breakthrough towards the end of class. Joy kept working with him and allowed him to stay well into her next class as long as he stayed focused. Today David rewarded us with yet another big learning day.

The children aren't going to progress in every class, but when they do she really seems to want to make the most of it.

Tim Bernard

Just wanted to reach out to say thank you for a wonderful couple of weeks!

You are fantastic when it comes to children and teaching them how to swim. We have been doing swimming lessons for some time now and I have never seen our children respond to anyone the way that they have responded to you! They learned more in two weeks than they did the entire time they have being doing this. It is easy to see that you are passionate about what you do and I think that makes all the difference in the world. You make such a huge impact on these little people in such a short amount of time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to show our children the correct techniques and for your patience! I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.

Terra Leibold

My child Sydney started swimming with Joy Dawdy at the age of 3 . Joys perfect class size number of students and her expertise made me feel comfortable and at ease. Joy has a fun professional manner which shines thru to the children. We enjoyed the experience so much that we enrolled our youngest daughter the following summer even though she was petrified of the water and putting her face in Joy helped her achieve her goal and Taylor learned to swim!

Jackie Haskins

I have been taking both my girls for many years now to Baldwin backyard swimming lessons with Joy and her team. I will not go anywhere else. My girls now love the water and are very comfortable Swimming. joy has defiantly played a major role in making this happen. Smiling face with smiling eyes thank you joy!!

Carrie & Dave butorajac

My children have taken swimming lessons with Joy for several years now. In fact, they will tell you it is a highlight of their summer. Joy is an excellent teacher; she customizes her lessons to the strengths and needs of each child. My children and my friends' children (one of whom is autistic) take lessons together and Joy does a beautiful job of accommodating the needs of this diverse group. I was amazed to see my son (who was very afraid to put his head in the water) swim with developing skill and LOVE the pool by the end of his first two-week session with Joy. She interacts well with the children; she is so patient! She has a great sense of humour and creates a fun, no-pressure environment for her students. It is obvious that Joy has a heart for children and a passion for seeing them be successful in the pool. I am so pleased to see the skills my children have developed; Joy has enabled them to become capable swimmers who love the water. That makes me feel very good as a parent.

Our daughter began instruction in April 2012 terrified to put even her chin under water. As of December 2014 she has successfully completed Red Cross Level 7. She has developed a confidence and ability we are all so proud of and has achieved a love and respect for the water. I recommend Joy and her associate instructors as they provide patient and experienced guidance.

The Millers

It is always humbling when you must rely on others to teach your children something that you cannot teach them yourself. In the past, I had enrolled my daughter in swimming lessons but I was so uncomfortable that I could not stand to watch the lessons. The universe connected me with Joy, I expressed my apprehension and fears and not only did she listen to me, she respected my concerns and helped minimize my anxiety. What began as a 2 week session for both of my children 5 and 3, turned into 3 sessions consisting of 6 weeks of lessons. By the beginning of the 3rd session my daughter could swim all on her own. It is truly a marvel to behold. Joy's consistent, positive instruction never faltered. She built their confidence in the water and made them realize that they could swim, if only they tried. I found that I looked forward to each lesson as well, as I met some fantastic parents and have built some new friendships. Truly a fantastic experience!

Thanks Joy!

Christine Belan

On March 29th, 2007, my husband, 1year old daughter and 6 year old son George went for a family walk on our property at around 4:30pm. My son wanted to play mini-sticks on the ice with his baby sister for the first time. My husband and I did our regular checks ---there were no signs of wetness or weakness. George ran ahead and started chasing the puck around. My husband and I with Ruby followed behind. We stopped and began to have a conversation. After about 5 minutes my husband broke through the ice of the 41/2 meter pond, then I did then I reached for Ruby as she was going down. In a panic, I started to scream for George to come help. Ruby and I kept going under. My muscles felt paralyzed and it was very difficult to tread water and hold her up. My husband kept encouraging me to keep talking to him and stay calm (he was about 15 feet away but it felt and sounded like miles. This helped me to calm down and finally my brain started to work again. It flashed in my head the lesson Joy taught (our swimming instructor) of just focusing on keeping your little one’s face out of the water. I set her on her back, (my arms underneath along her body- she wouldn’t float, but it was much more manageable). When I could muster up the strength I would use her weight to break the ice and I would continue treading toward the shore. Incidentally, the pond is a drastic drop to it’s depth from the shoreline but the dogwood growing and the willows hanging down gave me hope in our 25-30 foot trek. I thought if I could just make it to the dogwood it would buy me 5-8 feet. Finally I got Ruby on the shoreline, it took me a little longer to slither myself out and then to stand and walk. Thank God George didn’t come to help when I screamed for him. He recalled Joy’s lesson of going for help when people fall through the ice-NOT TO TRY AND SAVE THEM YOURSELF. Unbeknownst to me, once he got to the house which is quite a distance away and on a slight hill he called 911 and went to the big picture window and would wave to husband who was trapped in the ice which helped him remain calm so he could coach me. From the time the call was placed Ruby and I spent over 15 minutes in the water---It took me quite some time before I could stand up and walk once I got out of the water. My husband was rescued by the OPP and Central Elgin Fire Department after spending over 1/2hour in the pond. Ambulance arrived and we were treated for hypothermia for about 6-7 hours in hospital. George received a citation for lifesaving from Julian Fantino at an OPP awards ceremony last fall. We are so proud.

Michelle Denniss

Many years ago I attended our Annual Church Picnic for Grace United Church @ Pearce Williams. A lovely woman Velma Murphy sat down to chat with me there. She told me that she and her family were at a cottage where she and her husband Bill, son Larry, daughter-in-law Marlene were relaxing by the dock chatting. They had put the 3 boys Darryl, and twins Brian and Michael down for a nap. At one point they noticed some splashing off the dock and thought there were birds in the water. Then they say a little hand grasping the dock. They ran over and there was 6 year old Darryl in the water. They were SHOCKED as they thought he was resting. He told them he had fallen in the water and was drowning and that he heard my voice (Joy) in his head telling him to look for safety. While she was recalling this story to me we both had tears in our eyes and realized how powerful this story was. She was grateful for what I had taught him and I was grateful that he had received the message. I am a firm believer that everyone should learn how to swim. Even if it is only enough that if you ever fall into water you can save yourself. You are never too old to learn to swim!

Joy Dawdy