Swimming Safely

By LISA CIPRIANO

Old man winter won’t be sticking around for long. Spring will soon be here and that means summer will be quick to follow. 

Swimming is a favorite summer activity for most everyone, especially children. But, this fun activity can be a dangerous and even deadly one if your child is not adequately prepared when they encounter pools, lakes, oceans, rivers and even bathtubs and spas! 

According to the National Safety Council, about 10 people die from drowning every day in the United States. NSC statistics also show that drowning is the leading cause of death for young children and the second leading cause of preventable death through age 15.

Annette Tomina-Bommarito knows quite a bit about water safety as franchise owner of Aqua-Tots Swim Schools.

“We call them the ABC’s - A: Adult supervision ALWAYS while kids are swimming, B: Barriers to pools and bodies of water to keep kids away when adults are not around. And, C: Classes for kids of all ages to teach them how to swim and be safe around water,” Tomina-Bommarito explained.

In fact, since they opened their first Aqua-Tots franchise in late 2012, she and her partners have been dedicated to the business of keeping kids safe in and around water, teaching them to master it and helping them get some important exercise in the process.

“Swimming teaches confidence, keeps your child’s heart and lungs healthy, improves strength and flexibility, increases stamina and even improves balance and posture.  And the most important to me, is that swim lessons help prevent drownings,” said Tomina-Bommarito.

It all started when she was looking for the perfect franchise opportunity, came across Aqua-Tots and found the perfect fit. Since then, it’s been going rather swimmingly after she and her partners opened that first location in Troy.

“I worked in the franchise world on the franchisor side for many years, then I went into independent franchise consulting for up and coming franchise concepts.  When I wanted to grow my reach in the community, I decided to become a franchise owner,” she explained.  I did my research on many types of franchise opportunities and I knew I wanted to work with kids after going to school and obtaining my masters in social work.  Aqua-Tots was a perfect fit, it is focused on kids, keeping them safe and having fun doing it,” Tomina-Bommarito added.

Aqua-Tots is based in Mesa, Arizona and started in 1991 by a young couple teaching kids to swim safely in a backyard pool.  It is currently taught by certified swim instructors, has grown internationally and has over 120 locations in 14 countries on three continents.  They have our own unique, comprehensive swim curriculum recognized by the National Swim Association and their facilities are state-of-the art with a comfortable viewing area and fully stocked changing rooms. 

Because statistics show that safety around water is key for children of all ages, Aqua-Tots gets them started early.  In fact, it’s never too late to learn to swim and Aqua-Tots meets each student on his or her individual level.

“We start at 4 months old and up.  Our core business is teaching kids to swim, but we also teach adults.  We have nine levels of swimming and each level is skill based not age based,” explained Tomina-Bommarito.

You can even try out a class right now for free with just a phone call to any Aqua-Tots location near you or sign-up online at: https://promo.aqua-tots.com/. 

Their pools are indoor and heated to a pleasant ninety degrees for year-round use so that you or your child can comfortably master the water in time for the summer.

Aqua-Tots offers convenient hours, flexible pricing and many locations with more on the horizon. So, there’s no excuse not to jump right in and get your feet wet.

“We are open seven days a week, cost is based on how frequent you swim with us, tuition is charged monthly like your gym membership and we have eight metro Detroit locations serving our community.  Troy, Sterling Heights, Auburn Hills, Farmington Hills, Novi, Canton, Woodhaven and a Dearborn location that will be opening this spring,”

And, there will be plenty more Aqua-Tots locations locally and nationwide to choose from in the near future.

“We are currently working on two additional locations for metro Detroit.  We also have schools in San Diego, Orange County, and Fort Lauderdale Florida,” Tomina-Bommarito concluded.  

Parents who would like to enroll their children or even themselves in an Aqua-Tots swimming program can simply call your closest or email them at desk@aquatotsmi.com.