BEAVERCREEK — A swim school that is dedicated stafety and to helping children not only learn how to swim has moved into town. Aqua-Tots Swim School, located at 2451 Lakeview Drive next to the new Aldi Foods and Hobby Lobby in Beavercreek officially opened the first of May.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), every day about 10 people die from unintentional drowning. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages one to 14 years, and the fifth leading cause for people of all ages. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that in 2016, Ohio is among the top 10 states for child drownings and is the highest ranking northern state. So, Aqua-Tots Swim School believes It’s imperative that children learn to swim, not only to have fun in the water, but to be safe in and around the water.
“We’re extremely excited to expand our business and serve more Miami Valley families and get involved in the community,” Beavercreek’s Aqua-Tots Swim School location Owner Rebecca Sinopoli said.
Founded in 1991, Aqua-Tots Swim Schools operate 70 schools worldwide. This Beavercreek location is the second school for owners Paul and Rebecca Sinopoli, the first location being in Springboro The Sinopolis served in the US Air Force for the past 26 years and recently retired to open the local Aqua-Tots Swim Schools.
“We start teaching classes to students at the age of 4 months and go up to adulthood. We teach basic swimming lessons up to competitive-style swimming. But, of course, our main focus is safety and lifelong love of swimming,” General Manager and Master Swim Instructor, Brittany Haley said. “We teach them there are options in swimming in case of emergencies, especially when not in a controlled environment like a swimming pool.”
The school already has 400 students enrolled.
“It’s been a big hit here in Beavercreek. We’ve been busy with families coming in to take advantage of the free lesson, to see if they like what we have to offer, and then getting signed up,” Haley said. “We teach students in groups no larger than four to ensure that each student gets the individualized attention they deserve. Private and semi-private classes are also available, but we’ve learned that students learn better in groups.”
Aqua-Tots employees instructors from high school, colleges, and adults. They each go through extensive training, which is a three tiered course, including online training, in-water training, and 33 hours of intensive water training with a Master Instructor. Haley was handpicked by corporate and is only one out of five to be a master instructor and travels around the world to train other Master Instructors.
“We’re very fortunate to have Brittany with us and to have her so close,” Paul Sinopolis said.
“It’s just so exciting to watch students grow in their skills from year to year,” Haley said. “And to see how much fun they have with the school.”
The swim club offers gender friendly changing rooms and restrooms, spacious lockers and dryers. It offers open swims to members as well as non-members and host local charity events. It offers birthday parties and will consider facilitating events as long as they are safe.
“Our goal is to educate the community by helping parents prevent water accidents through teaching quality swim lessons at a young age, and to partner with other organizations and families to reduce this preventable tragedy in Ohio,” Rebecca Sinopoli said. “Whether a child learns to swim through Aqua-Tots or another qualified program, the most important thing is that they learn to swim.”
For more information contact Aqua-Tots Swim Schools at 937-886-4321 or visit them at www.aqua-tots.com.
