C.H.
My daughter will start Emler at the end of the month. I put her in there b/c we have a friend with both her girls there. The oldest is not quite four, and the youngest just turned two. Both of them are able to jump in any pool, get to the surface, swim to the side, and climb out--and this was this past summer when they were even younger (the youngest wasn't two yet then). Meanwhile, my four-yr-old jumped in after seeing her friends do this (she's had several short swim lessons and has played in the Lifetime Fitness pool many times), and my daughter struggled to get to the surface. I was trying to get my son in his floatie and didn't see what happened. Luckily, my friend was right there and pulled my daughter up and out of the water.
There may be other more private lessons that are just as good or better for a more affordable price. Admittedly, I didn't do a whole lot of research; I just know that Emler is better than the lessons offered through the city, through YMCA, and through Lifetime Fitness.
P.S.
When I went to sign my daughter up, I saw the 2-yr-old class with kids swimming on their backs, turning over to their front, etc....in other words, VERY comfortable in the water! I'm hoping my daughter will be there by the end of her session so she can have a little more fun in the water this summer.