Goldfish Swim School Awarded National Grant from the USA Swimming Foundation
We’re honored to share the USA Swimming Foundation has awarded not one, but two Goldfish Swim School locations with grant funding that will propel our mission to help even more children learn how to be safer in and around the water!
Continue reading to learn more about this life-changing program, and how our schools plan to use these grants to give the gift of water safety to children who might not otherwise have access to life-saving swim lessons and community-focused water safety programs.
How the USA Swimming Foundation Saves Lives & Builds Champions
As the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, the USA Swimming Foundation shares our goal of educating children and their families on the importance of learning how to swim, and aims to provide opportunities for every child in the U.S. to receive swim instruction, regardless of financial capacity.
Through their annual grant program, the USA Swimming Foundation partners with water safety advocates and swim lesson providers, like Goldfish Swim School, as part of their effort to ensure more children have the opportunity to begin their journey toward becoming safer, more confident swimmers.
Since 2007, more than 7.5 million children have benefitted from the initiatives set forth by the USA Swimming Foundation and its network of 1,000+ swim lesson providers across the country.
This year, the foundation received its largest number of grant applications to date, vetting more than 270 applicants through a competitive review process that entailed each swim lesson provider submitting a detailed outline of their proposed plans for using the grant money.
The organization ultimately selected 60 learn-to-swim programs to receive grant funding, which will provide 12,000 children across 20 states with the opportunity to learn how to swim as communities return to pools!
Making Waves That Make a Difference
We’re pleased to share our Clarkston, MI and Dayton, OH swim schools were among the list of deserving learn-to-swim facilities fortunate enough to be selected for this incredible opportunity.
Here’s how both Goldfish Swim Schools are partnering with local nonprofits, elementary schools and organizations to make a difference in the lives of children within their communities:
- Goldfish Swim School Dayton will provide three-month swim lesson packages to 30 children from local elementary schools, Preschool Promise in Montgomery County and the Dayton Children’s Hospital.
- Goldfish Swim School Clarkston will provide 20 children from nearby elementary schools with swim lessons over a two-month time period, or the equivalent in Jump Start Clinics, which provide a well-rounded swim lesson curriculum in a shorter time span.
Making Waves. Giving Back. Saving Lives.
Accidental drowning continues to be the leading cause of death for children under the age of four, and this grant will get us one step closer to reducing that number and spreading the ever-important message of water safety.
Our goal is to combat the drowning epidemic, and the best way to do that is through partnerships that allow us to make a difference in our communities – which, for us, means equipping children with the skills they need to feel confident and safe in and around the water.
Learn more about the other ways we’re teaming up with the USA Swimming Foundation, and our goal of raising $1 million to ensure even more children across the country are provided with opportunities to receive water safety education that can save their life. In our first year, we raised over $220,000!
Join Us!
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to provide even more children with a fun and safe place to learn and grow, while developing such a crucial life skill that we hope will foster a love of swimming and provide a lifetime of happiness for the families we serve.
Are you looking to give the gift of water safety to a child in your life? Contact a local Goldfish Swim School near you to learn how they can help your little one build confidence and achieve extraordinary results.
Do you have a love of swimming and a passion for teaching children? With 100+ locations (and growing!), Goldfish Swim Schools across North America teach hundreds of thousands of kids how to be safer in and around the water each week. Head over to our website to learn how you can be part of a franchise that’s making waves!