Who knew there was so much choice when it comes to swim schools? As more people come to value the importance of learning to swim for their children — intellectual and physical development for kids, vastly improved water safety, and the well-known physical benefits, not to mention how much fun swimming and water activities are — more swim programs and schools have opened.
Since 1993, Foss Swim School has set itself apart with a unique model and curriculum. Over the years we have refined what we teach and how we teach it to provide the best possible learning outcomes for your swimmer — what we call the Swim Path®, a curriculum that meets each swimmer wherever they are on their journey and helps guide them toward becoming a safer, stronger swimmer in a way that works for them
We are confident that no other major program offers all that we do. The things that we believe make our program the best available are:
- A school that is set up like a school: We teach swimming in quarters with scheduled classes, not the “drop-in/continuous advancement” models others sometimes use. Our experience has convinced us that the trust and relationships formed between teacher and student, and between the students, are critical to learning. Advancing as a group lets kids learn from each other and get in enough repetitions to solidify and master skills, instead of advancing when they can perform a given skill.
- 20+ levels – more than any other school: With levels across all skill levels and ages from six months to 10+ years, FOSS has a mix of classes that ensures every student is with a group of kids who are similar in skills (so they can learn together) and age (to encourage social development and engagement.) This means our instructors also go through a detailed and robust 55-hour training program – but the results are worth it.
- Our unique curriculum founded on safety and fun: First developed by founder Jon Foss and refined over decades, our curriculum is built on the latest swim science. We focus on making learning to swim fun, keeping kids swimming as much as possible during a class, teaching kids to enjoy but also respect water, and mastery of core safety skills. Level by level, each skill is broken into teachable components in a unique way and each skill builds on the others. No other school does it quite like FOSS, and if you ask our families, they’ll tell you how well it works.
- Facilities built for teaching and family comfort: Our pools are designed to provide the best experience for students learning our curriculum, with warm water and a depth, length and size designed for learning (rather than sharing a pool with a swim team.) Our facilities are designed to be easy for families, with private changing rooms and showers and heated floors. And we invest in the best water and air filtration available.
- Parent engagement as part of the program: Some swim schools actively discourage parents from watching the class from the swim deck. We believe parents are a critical part of the program, and should be able to see with their own eyes what and how their child is learning as well as offering encouragement – just being there and being engaged shows kids this matters. Parents and teachers communicate at FOSS and can work together to help a student progress.
- Non-franchised business: Some swim schools operate under a franchise model, with each location owned and operated separately while sharing operational structure, corporate services and marketing dollars. To maintain quality assurance and consistency across locations, and to make the best use of our staff’s talents, we believe a company-owned model is better.
- Swim camps: Not every school offers condensed swim camps as a complement to their regular teaching track. We believe these 2 and 4-week camps can help students master skills faster as well as offer families another option for their swimmers.
- Our staff: Of course we’re biased, but we think we have the best staff anywhere. Our training program is unlike that found anywhere else. From the friendly faces you see when you walk in the door, to outgoing instructors who know how to make swimming fun, to professional support staff, everyone at FOSS makes swim school unique, fun, and effective!
Of course, there are many other factors a family will consider when choosing a school, like location and value, where FOSS also has a competitive offering. Taken together, we believe that the combination of qualities enjoyed by FOSS families make us the right choice.
Come in to your local FOSS to try a free preview lesson, or just drop in and talk to us anytime, and see for yourself!
