Kids' Swimming School To Open First NYC Spot In Brooklyn

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — A Michigan-based water safety group is planning to open its first New York City kids' swimming school in Brooklyn next year, the group announced.

Goldfish Swim School, which runs nearly 100 swimming schools across the country, will takeover a Gowanus warehouse-style building at 620 Degraw St. in the next few months.

The school will set up child swim lessons and water safety classes in the 9,200-square-foot location as early as mid-January. It will be run by Bob Ryan and Tim Casper, who also own Goldfish locations in New Jersey and Chicago.

“We are very excited to bring Goldfish’s state of the art swim facility, high quality instruction and impressive water safety curriculum to families in Brooklyn,” Ryan said. “We want to make sure children in Brooklyn have a safe, fun and friendly place to learn the life-saving skill of swimming.”

Goldfish Swim School is a kids' swimming lesson program that was created by husband and wife duo Chris and Jenny McCuiston. It uses "The Science of SwimPlay" philosophy to teach infants and children ages four months to 12 years old.

The Gowanus school will bring heated pools, a retail shop, a snack bar and a viewing space for parents to its Degraw Street outpost.

The school will offer lessons year-round and classes with only four children per instructor. Families can also bring their kids of different ages to learn in the same pool at the same time.

Families can also come for weekly "family swims" or reserve the space for party packages.

This is the first New York City location for Goldfish Swim School, which teaches 128,000 students per week at its other 92 locations. Its nearby spots include three locations in Long Island, one in Westchester and six in New Jersey.

The Brooklyn school is one of more than 100 new schools Goldfish plans to open across the country and in Canada in the near future, the company said.

The Gowanus school is looking for front desk staff, lifeguards and swim instructors as it finishes up construction. More information about the school and ways to pre-register for classes or apply for jobs can be found on the Goldfish website.