Fast-growing Goldfish Swim School makes Canton debut

Goldfish, a Southeast Michigan–based network of swim schools that is on a national growth spurt, announces the opening of its Canton location on Friday, May 29.

The $1.5 million, 9,000-square-foot aquatic facility located at 225 Sheldon Road will employ 50 workers and offer year-round swim lessons to children ages 4 months through 12 years.

“Canton is an ideal market for our curriculum because it has lots of growing families with parents who care about their children and want them to be safe in the water,” said Katie Lee, a partner in the Canton Goldfish Swim School franchise.

Lee, who also is co-owner of Goldfish franchises in Farmington Hills, Rochester, Macomb, Fishers, Ind., and Carmel, Ind., noted that each location is designed to teach kids to swim in a fun and safe environment.

Goldfish pools, which are custom-made for teaching, are 4½ feet deep at their deepest. Water temperatures are kept at a comfortable 90 degrees, and colorful murals and faux palm trees evoke a tropical beach house.

Safety is also a constant theme, Lee said. For example, Goldfish has a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and staff members regularly visit local schools to give water safety presentations to children.

The ultimate goal, Lee said, is to ensure that children are comfortable, safe and confident in the water.

“It’s amazing to watch our students develop confidence in the pool and see how it transfers to all other aspects of their lives,” she said.

The American Association of Pediatrics says children can safely take swim lessons as early as age 1. Until 2010, the AAP had specified this number as age 4. But research that showed a reduced risk of drowning among preschoolers who had taken swimming lessons prompted the organization to revise its recommendation.

The Canton school is the seventh in Southeast Michigan for Goldfish, which has corporate headquarters in Birmingham. There also are Michigan outlets in Okemos and Grand Rapids.

Goldfish Swim School was started by Birmingham natives Jenny McCuiston –­ an Olympic swim trials qualifier with a degree in early childhood development – and her husband, Chris, a Michigan State University graduate who captained the Spartan baseball team. They developed the Goldfish curriculum in 2006 based on U.S. Swim School Association principles.

While the McCuistons still own the Birmingham school, Goldfish has expanded throughout the state and nationally by selling franchises. Currently, 29 schools are open or in development in Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey.

The McCuistons are working to increase their franchise network to 100 locations by 2024.

More information is available at 248-596-1914 or www.goldfishswimschool.com.