LYNNWOOD—A new youth swim school, Aqua-Tots, is coming to Lynnwood that will offer swim lessons for children between the ages of four months to twelve years old.
Aqua-Tots was founded in 1991 by husband-and-wife Ron and Jane Sciarro. Ron got the idea while working as a lifeguard in Tempe, Arizona, as a teenager and began teaching private swim lessons in a public pool.
Around 2005 the Sciarros teamed up with Paul Preston, Co-Founder, to make Aqua-Tots a brand – opening an indoor facility where families could take their kids for swim lessons year-round.
Since then the company has grown to 167 locations across 14 different countries. Lynnwood’s Aqua-Tots school will be the first ever location in Washington State.
When Erin and Ben Sheedy, Franchise Owners and Chief Operators at the upcoming Lynnwood location, moved to the Seattle area three years ago from Arizona, they immediately noticed a need for a youth swim school in the area.
“We have three small kids and when we were trying to find swim lessons for them, we realized it was really difficult to get them in anywhere,” said Erin Sheedy. “And even if they did have openings, you’d have to be online, right when they opened, or else you would be out and they wouldn’t get lessons.”
The couple decided to open a swim school of their own, in partnership with Aqua-Tots, to meet that need.
Though the Sheedy’s live in Seattle they ultimately decided on opening in Lynnwood because they fell in love with the location, being directly beside a Trader Joe’s so parents can drop their children off at swim school before shopping for groceries.
This will be the first swim school the Sheedy family has run but not their first business managed. Prior to opening an Aqua-Tots the two ran their own company building cell towers. One of the benefits of working under the umbrella of the Aqua-Tots brand, they shared, is the company provides a standardized curriculum and flies out a team of experienced instructors to train new staff members.
According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death in children aged one through four. The Sheedy’s said if their business is successful, they will ultimately be contributing to saving the lives of children within their community.
“That really means something to us, to start a business that means something to the community,” said Ben Sheedy. “Safety is so important for kids. We live around the ocean, we live near lakes, streams, kids are in the bathtubs. This is a skill that every child needs. If they don’t go with us, that’s okay. The goal is just kids in the water, that’s the most important thing. If they go with a competitor, if they go with the rec center, we just gotta get these kids in the water and what we’re doing is providing an outlet to do that because a lot of classes in the area are full right now.”
As far as getting more involved the community, separate to providing a potentially life-saving service, the Sheedy’s have already begun sponsoring school auctions around Lynnwood and Edmonds, and plans to open up their lobby space as a free community gathering space during less busy hours.
The school will also be launching a program for low-income families and children with disabilities. How this will work is if a family is unable to attend a paid-for swim lesson they can opt to donate their makeup session to a family in need. The Sheedys will then match each donation.
“What that will do is bank swim lessons that we can offer for families who have children with disabilities who can come in for a private lesson without worrying about the financial burden,” said Ben Sheedy.
In the future Aqua-Tots Lynnwood plans to expand services to offering competitive swim lessons to prepare kids for local swim teams.
The Lynnwood Aqua-Tots’ 60-foot by 24-foot pool is divided into 14 different swim zones which allows up to 14 classes to be taught at one time.
Aqua-Tots is now accepting enrollment of new students. The company is also currently hiring water safety instructors, water watchers, and front desk staff. Interested parties can enroll or apply by visiting www.aqua-tots.com/lynnwood.
Aqua-Tots Lynnwood is located at 19715 Highway 99, Suite 102.
Though the owners have not announced an official opening date, they said it should be some time early March. The facility is just undergoing final inspections and paint touchups until then, the owners said, adding that the “water is in the pool which is the big thing.”
Leading up to the opening date, the swim school plans to have an open house for the public, offering tours of the facility with light snacks and refreshments that will be announced at a later date.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
