Swim Guru is great. They don't teach swim lessons in the traditional sense. It is water safety first. After just a couple of 15 minute lessons our kids (ages 3-4) were able to float unassisted on their backs. There is no play time at Swim Guru. They teach kids first how to survive in the water then proper swim technique.
One of the best early swimming programs around. We signed our oldest up when she was 3 years old. The first few lessons were hard since they literally dunked her in to get her used to being underwater. Luckily they keep the lessons for the young ones to 15 minutes. After about 6-7 lessons of off and on crying, she started loving it. She's now 7 and can be in the pool for 4-6 hours at a time. We started our 5 year at 2 and she cried for many more lessons but eventually achieved the same results...two fish around pools.
I'm a huge fan of Swim Guru. They have an incredibly effective program that will really help parents feel good about their kids being around water. The initial set of lessons culminates with your kid jumping into the pool fully clothed (big jacket, shirt, pants, socks, and shoes) and navigating their way to safety .. they're definitely not kidding when they say your kid will know how to swim.