By Foss Swim School
As Foss Swim School continues to expand in the Denver, CO area, our team members moving into the area are also excited for the chance to meet new people, have new experiences, and expand the learn-to-swim options available to residents of the Mile High City.
“We made the leap together,” said Kat Tischer, who, along with her friend Katy Masloski, relocated to Colorado in June to establish the new schools. “We were actually roommates in Minnesota before we moved here. So, it’s been fun to do the move together and have lots of support.”
Tisher is the general manager for the new location in Lone Tree, while Masloski will take the helm in Castle Rock, both south of Denver. Ahead of the formal openings of the schools in late September of 2025, each has been recruiting teachers, meeting families, and learning about their new hometowns.
“The Denver area is absolutely beautiful. I’m still mesmerized by the mountains,” said Tischer. “The people are so kind here and very excited about FOSS coming here. There’s a really positive outlook.”
Four Schools, One Vision, More Opportunities to Learn
The two new schools will join two other locations north of Denver, in the suburbs of Northglenn and Westminster. With four schools covering a wide geographic area, even more families will be able to benefit from the Foss Swim School curriculum, getting the same quality swim education and the same customer experience wherever they enroll.
“The area has been booming for several years,” said Masloski. “It’s a very active community.” Entire families are moving from other states, and young transplants are starting their own families. The result is pent up demand for quality swim education.
“They’ve been turned away at other programs,” Masloski continued. “It’s very competitive and got hard for children to get into swim lessons in rec centers around here. Classes fill up very quickly. We’re bringing in so much availability and so much flexibility in our schedules that I think families are really yearning for.”
What FOSS Adds to the Denver Market
Foss Swim School differs in many ways from many of the programs currently in the Denver area, Masloski noted, so there is some education involved when she and Tischer go out into the community.
“We can teach all ages, because it’s not just a program for kids,” Masloski said. In addition to learn-to-swim classes for grade-school age children, FOSS has dedicated programs for babies and toddlers 6 months or older, and specific levels for older kids, and even teaches adults. For more advanced swimmers there are programs that focus on stroke quality and the fundamentals of competitive swimming – a range not found many other places.
The curriculum, broken down by age and skill level and focused on building skills step by step, is unique to FOSS. The quarterly enrollment schedule is also new for families used to paying monthly or by the lesson.
So is the professionalism, comfort, and customer service FOSS delivers: The pools are a warm 91 degrees and designed for learning, with a u-shape that offers more separation between classes. Extra stair stations let little swimmers ease in, and families appreciate the clean and comfortable changing rooms, ample showers on the pool deck, a small store, and family viewing areas.
Finding Local Talent with a Passion for Teaching
What really makes the FOSS program stand out, though, is its trained staff of teachers who deliver the FOS curriculum, and hiring and training the teams has been a key focus for Tischer and Masloski. FOSS prides itself on small class sizes compared with community programs and so there are many positions to fill.
So far at Lone Tree we’ve found we have a good balance of teachers in our midst,” said Tischer. “The supervisor and teacher assistant actually both came from different swim schools. We have former elementary teachers, and one who teaches pottery.” What they all have in common, she said, is a love of teaching and working with kids.
“We have a vision for our schools, and we are looking for people who share that,” agreed Masloski. “The people I’m hiring at Castle Rock are very eager and excited to be coached into being successful in this role. I have a lot of diversity in what people have done before – customer service, teaching, childcare – which I think is so impactful.”
The Start of Something New
As they ready their schools for ribbon cuttings and grand openings, Masloski and Tischer appreciate the opportunity they have in a new city. Both have been with FOSS for many years, but opening a new market is a new experience.
“We realize how impactful and amazing it is to trailblaze and serve a new community like this,” said Tischer. “We get to help inspire the new teams that are going to be a part of FOSS for years to come.”
