Mesa-grown Aqua-Tots Swim Schools expands locally and internationally

May 30, 2019 at 9:38 am

Aqua-Tots Swim Schools has served as a staple in the Mesa business community since 1991. Co-founded by native Arizonans and Mesa residents, Ron and Jane Sciarro and Paul and Heather Preston, Aqua-Tots Swim Schools continues to expand locally through a new headquarters office, nationally through the opening of its 100th swim school and internationally with locations in 14 countries on three continents.

Aqua-Tots Swim Schools broke ground in January 2019 on their 12,000 sq. ft. headquarters office. The new state-of-the-art facility, located in front of the flagship Aqua-Tots Swim Schools location on Greenfield Road and Southern Avenue in Mesa, will boast 6,000 sq. ft. of office space and 6,000 sq. ft. dedicated to Uncle Bear's Grill and Tap for locals to enjoy, as well as a functional rooftop deck. It is slated to be completed in fall 2019.

"Aqua-Tots Swim School has been a great community leader in Mesa for nearly 30 years," Mayor John Giles said. "It is exciting to see a local business grow while providing vital services to children and families. Congratulations to the Sciarro and Preston families on their new Mesa headquarters and a job well done."

"When Jane and I began teaching swim lessons in Mesa in 1991, we were simply trying to offer parents quality swim instruction options for their children," says Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Co-Founder Ron Sciarro. "Little did we know that our passion for swim lessons would translate into 100 schools in 14 countries with millions of swim lessons taught annually. The new headquarters office is more than a dream come true for us; it's the dedication and hard work of hundreds of people and thousands of families that have entrusted us with their children for the last 28 years. We continue to be grateful to the entire Mesa community for allowing us the privilege of serving you."

Native to Mesa, Paul and Heather Preston joined the Sciarros in 2005 for the purpose of forming a franchise model to expand Aqua-Tots Swim Schools into what it's become today.

"This journey for us is about excellence," says Co-Founder Paul Preston. "If we are going to come alongside families and ask them to follow in our footsteps, we have to do this with integrity. We have to hold everything in the light of our core values to make sure that we're doing it for the right reasons. This endeavor is about more than teaching children how to swim. It's about giving families in the communities that we serve a better, safer future. That's what we strive to do every day, whether in the water or by coming alongside franchise owners."

Aqua-Tots Swim Schools launched its 100th worldwide swim school location in McKinney, Texas, in April 2019, bringing the global franchise one step closer to its mission of impacting every community with life-saving swimming skills as early as four months old.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are over 3,500 deaths due to drowning in the United States each year. That staggering number pales in comparison to the 360,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

"Drowning is the number one cause of injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4," says Paul Preston. "It's important for caregivers to realize that, and it's not talked about enough. People do everything they can to keep their children safe. They install the safest car seats, they give them healthy food, they take them to doctor for check ups. Why wouldn't they give them the skills they need to prevent the leading cause of death? And those skills can be learned in swim lessons. We're here to change these numbers."

Swim lessons, in fact, are one of the most effective ways for children to remain safe in and around the water. According to Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, consistency in formal swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children ages 1 to 4 years.

MEDIA CONTACT
Nicole Rose
(480) 621-3226
media@aqua-tots.com

About Aqua-Tots Swim Schools
Aqua-Tots Swim Schools serves 100 communities worldwide, offering dedicated, year-round, indoor swim instruction, community outreach and drowning prevention education to children of all abilities as early as 4 months old. As the world's largest swim school franchise, their hand-selected instructors are passionate about teaching children how to remain safe in and around the water, using tried-and-true curriculum, 28 years in the making and trusted worldwide to teach millions of swim lessons annually. To learn more, visit www.aqua-tots.com.