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Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Opens 100th Worldwide Swim School Location
The world’s largest swim school franchise opens its 100th location offering dedicated, year-round, indoor swim instruction to children as young as four months old
MESA, ARIZ. MAY 06, 2019 – Aqua-Tots Swim Schools, headquartered in Mesa, Arizona, launched its 100th worldwide swim school location in McKinney, Texas on Monday, April 29, 2019. With locations in 14 countries on three continents, this location brings the global franchise one step closer to its mission of impacting every community with life-saving swimming skills as early as four months old.
“When we started teaching children to swim 28 years ago, we were simply meeting a need in our community,” says Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Co-Founder, Ron Sciarro. “There were few places where parents could go that would listen to the goals they had for their children in the water, and we were willing to do that. We still are. Our mission is about far more than swim lessons. It’s about propelling lives, one swim lesson at a time, and we’re proud to have the opportunity to come alongside families in 100 communities to do that.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are over 3,500 deaths due to drowning in the United States each year. That staggering number pales in comparison to the 360,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
“Drowning is the number one cause of injury-related death among children ages 1-4,” says Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Co-Founder Paul Preston. “It’s important for caregivers to realize that, and it’s not talked about enough. People do everything they can to keep their children safe. They install the safest car seats, they give them healthy food, they take them to doctor for check ups. Why wouldn’t they give them the skills they need to prevent the leading cause of death? And those skills can be learned in swim lessons. We’re here to change these numbers. That’s what we strive to do every single day.”
Swim lessons, in fact, are one of the most effective ways for children to remain safe in and around the water. According to Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, consistency in formal swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children ages 1-4 years.
This is particularly important to note during May, National Drowning Awareness Month, when many people pause to focus on the realities of drowning and what can be done to prevent it. Pool fences and barriers, locked doors and gates, certified life vests, constant adult supervision, CPR training and swim lessons all work in layers to keep children safe in and around the water.