Local Business Spotlight: Long Island Swim School

This Patch article is sponsored by Long Island Swim School.

Local businesses are the heart of our communities. Patch had a chance to talk with Alexis Skelos, Executive Director, of Long Island Swim School.

Patch: Tell us a bit about your business or organization:
Alexis Skelos: Long Island Swim School is the teaching arm of the nationally ranked Long Island Aquatic Club. Our Learn to Swim programs create strong, safe, and confident swimmers for life. With locations in Garden City and Syosset we train over 2,000 children each week at every swim level from Beginner to Olympian.

Long Island Swim School offers swim lessons for children ages 2 - 14years old. The main emphasis of our programs is to teach children to swim correctly and develop essential water skills in a relaxed environment. Our goal driven and technique oriented approach is the key to your child's success. Through skill based quality teaching our students develop a joy for learning and a passion for swimming.

At Long Island Swim School, we teach children to swim the same way the best in the world do. By using age-appropriate, proven techniques children build real skills in kick, pull, body position, and breath control. Our logical, consistent progression turns every fundamental—whether blowing bubbles or learning butterfly timing—into a building block for efficient, confident swimming. Not every child will dream of Olympic glory, but every child should have the foundation to take them there.

Whether the end goal is a competitive journey or a recreational one, whether your child competes in 2044 or they are happy playing in their home pool, the skills they learn at Long Island Swim School will take them as far as their dreams allow.

Patch: How long have you been doing business in town?
Alexis Skelos: With a proven process led by real swim coaches, Long Island Swimming has taught thousands of children on Long Island how to swim over the past 45 years.

Patch: What attracted you to the line of work you’re in, and how did you get started?
Alexis Skelos: Long Island Swim School is led by a team of educators and coaches who believe proper swim lessons should be part of every child's development and education. Each of us grew up on Long Island, learned to love the water early on, and as educators enjoy sharing our knowledge and passion for the sport of swimming with children. Our program is the only one of its kind on Long Island, with coaches overseeing every aspect of the learn-to-swim process.

Patch: What's the most common piece of advice you give to customers?
Alexis Skelos: Frequency and consistency are key to learning how to swim. Children who take lessons year-round progress faster because they develop muscle memory. When swimming skills are practiced consistently, movements become automatic and your child no longer has to think about what to do, they simply react.

At Long Island Swim School, we apply the same training principles used with Olympic swimmers to our youngest beginners. Learning to swim isn’t just about knowing skills. Those skills must be practiced often. Frequent lessons build confidence, reinforce muscle memory, and turn effort into ease.

Have you ever noticed how much your child improves after several days in the pool on vacation? That rapid progress happens because frequency matters. More time in the water means more practice, more feedback, and faster learning.

Don’t take a break when your child’s muscles could be learning to swim. Year-round, consistent lessons help your child swim correctly, confidently, and without even thinking about it.

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of your job?
Alexis Skelos: The skills children learn at Long Island Swim School prepare them for success at every level of swimming. We love seeing our former students compete on high school and summer swim teams, and even go on to become lifeguards and swim instructors. Many credit the strong foundation they built here as being instrumental to the reason they continued their swimming journey.

Whether a child goes from beginner to Olympian, or simply enjoys the lifelong benefits of swimming, we are proud to provide opportunities for success at every level.

Patch: How would you say your business or organization distinguishes itself from the others?
Alexis Skelos: Our professional staff is made up of coaches and swimmers with the knowledge to provide children with the strongest possible foundation for long term success in the water.

Long Island Swim School is the teaching arm of Long Island Swimming, which has been serving families across Long Island since 1979. Under the direction of USA Swimming National Team coaches Dave Ferris and Ginny Nussbaum, two well respected coaches in the world of swimming, our program is built on proven techniques that work. From beginner swimmers to aspiring Olympians, we know how to teach skills correctly from the start.

What truly sets us apart is our goal driven, technique focused approach and hands on supervision. Our Site Supervisors, Alexis Skelos, Karla Spiegel, Danielle Algeri, and our leadership team bring over 40 years of combined teaching and coaching experience. Classes are regularly monitored, swimmers are consistently evaluated, and instructors receive ongoing education to ensure every student is challenged and improving.

Our instructors complete extensive, program specific training before leading classes. They understand the impact they can have on a child’s life and are passionate about creating a positive, safe, and motivating learning environment. Whether a child goes on to compete or simply develops a lifelong love for the water, our goal is the same: to help every swimmer succeed.

Patch: How can Patch readers learn more about your work and business?
Alexis Skelos: Stop by one of our locations in Garden City or Syosset during regular business hours and one of our staff members will be happy to speak with you more about our programs. You can also visit our website www.longislandswimschool.com or give us a call (516)378-8467.