Garden City tapped as site for first Goldfish Swim School in New York by fast-growing Michigan-based franchise network

Construction is underway in Garden City on the first Goldfish Swim School in New York state.

The $3 million, 7,100-square-foot facility is located at Stewart Plaza, 650 Stewart Ave., Suite 25, immediately south of the Roosevelt Field mall.

It will employ 50 workers when it begins offering year-round swim lessons to children ages 4 months through 12 years after opening this spring.

Franchise co-owner Katie Lee said Garden City is an ideal location for Goldfish’s unique approach to teaching kids to swim.

“It’s a community that has lots of growing families with parents who want their children to be safer in the water,” she said. “We’re also confident they’ll appreciate our Perpetual Lessons model, which is the perfect solution for parents looking to balance a desire to keep their kids’ swim skills sharp with a busy schedule.”

Goldfish’s Perpetual Lessons model doesn’t lock families into a set time or day. Goldfish lets them choose a lesson time that best fits their schedule. Then, if their schedule changes, parents can notify Goldfish and select a different date and time.

The model also allows parents to pay month-to-month, rather than for a months-long session in advance.

Lee — who also is co-owner of Goldfish franchises in Farmington Hills, Rochester and Macomb, Mich., as well as Fishers 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, as is the ambient air in the pool area to eliminate shivering when kids leave the water.

Colorful murals and faux palm trees evoke a tropical beach house, and parents can observe lessons from an air-conditioned viewing gallery.

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

Goldfish’s Garden City plans are part of a larger growth spurt for the Michigan-based operation.

Established in 2006 by husband-and-wife team Jenny and Chris McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages 4 months to 12 years. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, kid-friendly and fun environment.

Goldfish currently teaches more than 36,000 students per week to swim and be safer in and around the water. Headquartered in Birmingham, Mich., Goldfish Swim School opened its first franchise in 2009 in Farmington Hills, Mich., and is in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout the country. More than 45 schools are currently open or in development in more than 10 states.

More information is available at 516-267-5120 or www.goldfishswimschool.com.