There’s always something to celebrate around here! This month, in addition to celebrating National Bath Safety Month and what a GOLDEN year 2023 will be, we’re celebrating National Pediatrician Day! National Pediatrician Day falls on January 28th, and is a day for us to celebrate the very special people that we count on to take great care of our little ones – pediatricians!

At Goldfish, we know just how important of a role pediatricians play in our lives, and the lives of our members. We know that doctors are a new parent’s greatest resource! From the very first check-up after birth, parents and doctors discuss everything from getting babies into a sleep schedule to how much time babies should spend on their tummies. That’s why we developed a whole program around how we can partner pediatricians to help keep kiddos safe! Goldfish RX was created to help spread the word about drowning prevention and to utilize our resources to keep kiddos safer in and around the water.

FIN FACT: The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines credit swim lessons as an important layer of drowning prevention, and recommend that kiddos start lessons as early as age 1.

It’s our goal to streamline the water safety conversations between parents and doctors. We’ve developed materials for our schools to share with their local pediatricians that show them how crucial swim lessons are for little ones, so that they can share the facts with their patients – working hand in hand (or fin in fin!) to decrease the statistics. The scary fact is that drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4. The even lesser known fact is that swim lessons can help decrease that risk of drowning by 88%.  This is why we’re so passionate about ensuring kiddos get into swim lessons as soon as possible and stick with it, in order to learn the skills they need to be safer in and around the water!

It’s only right that as we celebrate National Pediatrician Day, we celebrate our friend and o-fish-al pediatrician of Goldfish Swim School, Dr. Molly O’Shea! Dr. Molly has been in the biz for over 30 years – wearing the hats of a trusted doctor first and foremost, then keynote speaker, media consultant, journalist, AND pediatric care business owner. Dr. Molly’s passions align with ours – helping parents raise Happy, Healthy (little!) Humans!

Dr. Molly firmly believes in the importance of swim lessons – from a safety perspective, as well as from a holistic, child-development perspective. We’ve teamed up to promote the Safer Swimmer Pledge, Water Safety Month, our Dream Big, Little Fish campaign, Baby Safety Month, Golden Years, and so much more! As a Wavemaker for Water Safety, Dr. Molly has become a regular in our blog and on our social media feed! Not only has she been a great resource for talking about water safety, but she also helps us promote and chat with our families about life lessons, patience, goal setting and mental health. Dr. Molly has been a fintastic part of the Goldfish Family, as well as the families in our communities, so we want to take a moment to send her a big HIGH FIVE!

In honor of National Pediatrician Day, we hope you’ll celebrate alongside us! Spread a little positivity and show your appreciation for your local pediatrician by dropping off treats or coffee, leaving them a great review online, or spreading the word about them on your social media! And from our team at Goldfish Swim School, we extend a great big ‘Thank You’ to all of the pediatricians across North America that help the little humans of their communities grow up to make waves, in and out of the pool!