GRANDVILLE, Mich. — Goldfish Swim School, a school aiming to teach young children water safety and swimming skills, will be opening a new location in Grandville soon.
Goldfish Swim School has locations around the state, including Clarkston, Okemos, Rochester and more. Mark Biebuyck, Vice President of Corporate Development, said the company decided to expand further into West Michigan partially due to the proximity to Lake Michigan.
"This area is so active and competitive and family-focused that, you know, enhancing the opportunities for people to to learn the lifesaving skill of swimming, we thought this would be a perfect area for that," Biebuyck said.
Biebuyck said starting basic swimming lessons before a child turns 1 is crucial to prevent drowning, which he said is the leading cause of accidental death for children under 4.
"Four months is not too early, the parent and the child will be in the water together at that age and they'll be learning to acclimate in the water, have fun and also most importantly, the safety skills," Biebuyck said. "Even at that age, we just begin to teach some of those skills."
Biebuyck said all the instructors at the Grandville location are local, and that they are always undergoing more training to give the best information to participants.
While the main focus is always safety, Biebuyck said the instructors also aim to make the experience fun for kids.
"There's a lot of high fives here, there's a lot of encouragement, there's awards given out and prizes, and so beyond the safety, there is a ton of fun that is going to happen in these waters."
To learn more about Goldfish Swim School or sign your child up for lessons, click here.
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