Since celebrating its grand opening on April 2, Goldfish Swim School has been making a big splash (literally) in Covington. The school shares a 58,000-square-foot property on the site of a former Rouses grocery store with another new kid-focused destination, Urban Air Indoor Adventure Park, which opened at the same time.
Both ventures are owned and operated by the franchisees/husband-and-wife team of Joe Goodly and Rachelle Nurse, who said that while in the planning stages of this Urban Air — more than 350 parks are open or in development across the U.S. and Canada — it became obvious that opening a swim school on the generous property would benefit the community by providing an essential safety and instruction need.
“They are two completely separate companies,” said Nurse. “It turned out that the landlord had additional available space which was ideal for a swim school, and we recognized the lack of a swim school of this caliber in the area, especially considering the amount of children living within close proximity to the surrounding bodies of water.”
For Nurse and Goodly, the location was key.
“The market in St. Tammany Parish appealed to us due to its family values, community spirit, and significant number of families,” Nurse said. “It has allowed us to provide joy to children of all ages and their families.”
Besides offering an opportunity to splash around indoors on a hot summer day, the school serves a very real purpose.
“In the United States, more children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death,” said Nurse. “We aim for the Goldfish Swim School to bring safety, peace of mind for parents and ultimately reduce drowning incidents within the community.”
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “Most drownings in [young] children happen in swimming pools. Drowning can happen even when children are not expected to be near water, such as when they gain unsupervised access to pools.”
In addition to safety, the United States Swim School Association notes benefits well beyond the pool.
“Swimming affords a developing child the opportunity for a complete workout of heart, lungs, muscles and bones. It can improve quality of sleep and boost circulation, aiding the immune system function, resulting in fewer colds. Aquatic instruction is an ongoing process that should continue long term throughout childhood to maximize the child’s learning of proper swimming techniques and respect for the water.”
Swim school franchises have seen a steady increase in popularity as families look for exercise and activities outside the home or within indoor settings post-pandemic. Nurse and Goodly said they chose Goldfish for its unique swimming instruction guidelines, along with an established track record of success both in business and in swim training and safety across varied communities. Since opening its first franchise in 2009, Goldfish Swim School has grown to include more than 150 locations in more than 34 states and Canada.
“The Goldfish Swim School sets itself apart with its learn-to-swim concept through several key features including the ‘Science of Swimplay,’ a philosophy based on the idea that children learn best through play; a safe, indoor, shiver-free pool environment; and the organization’s partnerships with gold medalist Olympian swimmers, aquatic safety organizations, and philanthropic foundations to further our commitment to water safety, drowning prevention and universal access to swim lessons,” Nurse said. “…We plan to collaborate with various non-profits to provide underprivileged children with the opportunity to learn to swim.”
Currently swim lessons are offered for children between the ages of four months and 12 years, with the addition of possible adult programs and instruction as the business grows.
“Once fully operational, we anticipate having between 40 to 50 employees at the school, each qualified and trained to meet the highest standards in swim instruction and safety,” Nurse said. “All lifeguards receive training in the International Lifeguard Training Program (developed by the leaders in aquatic safety at Jeff Ellis and Associates), and we keep our classes small, ensuring a max student-to-teacher ratio of 4:1. The addition of adult classes or other services will be based on the expressed need within the community.”
Weekly 30-minute group swim lessons start at $31.25 per lesson. Lessons for babies ages 24 to 35 month who are comfortable in the pool without their parent or guardian in a smaller group class are available for $42 per lesson. Memberships range in price from $25/year for a basic member to $1,625/year for a charter member and include discounts and benefits such as additional swimming lessons, family swim passes and private pool parties.
For Nurse, the response of the community has been a huge reward and an added bonus to the school’s overall swim safety mission.
“After entering, some families have been particularly impressed with the facility and the indoor pool,” she said. “They appreciate the bright and lively atmosphere, as well as the shiver-free environment provided. Overall, we have been surprised by the level of joy that we personally experience as we see our swimmers continually progress. We feel very fortunate to be here in Covington and are thankful that we can provide this service to the surrounding community. “
Goldfish Swim School 50 Park Place Covington // 985-261-3864
goldfishswimschool.com/covington
@goldfish_covington // @goldfishcovington