Goldfish Swim School Makes its Biggest Splash Yet with 100th Location, Opening After Just 10 Years in Franchising

TROY, Mich. – Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC, the premier learn-to-swim franchise concept, is celebrating its historic 100th milestone location with the opening of Goldfish Swim School – Lakewood Ranch on Feb. 11. To celebrate and commemorate, the franchise is launching an immersive social media appreciation series, 100 Schools, 100 Reasons Why We Swim Goldfish, thanking its team and members across the communities it operates for their work and commitment in helping children be safer in and around the water. The appreciation series will result in a $10,000 giveback in swim lessons as the brand continues to spread its message of water safety.

The 100th location comes after a historic year for Goldfish – marking 10 years in franchising, opening 17 schools in 2019, and breaking into its 25th state. With an exciting launch point in 2020, this milestone opens the door for rapid growth plans, which include opening an additional 20 locations by year-end. As the brand continues to expand, it has put a strong focus on generating water safety awareness beyond the communities it operates, teaming up with the USA Swimming Foundation to support its ‘Make a Splash’ initiative. In its debut year, the franchise system rallied together raising $220,000 through its Float It Forward fundraising campaign.

“It’s a surreal feeling to have reached our 100th location and see the incredible impact our schools are making in their communities,” said Chris McCuiston, CEO and Co-Founder of Goldfish Swim School. “As we continue to grow, our impact will only strengthen as we aim to solidify our mark as the industry leader in innovation, member experience and community goodwill. Our success speaks to the culture we have worked so hard to cultivate. We thank our members and teams for their dedication – they are the very reason we’ve found success and are able to positively impact the lives of so many children and their families across North America.”

To celebrate, the franchise is stepping back and taking time to recognize and appreciate its members through the launch of 100 Schools, 100 Reasons Why We Swim Goldfish. On Facebook and Instagram, each member-comment on the featured post, with the hashtag #100ReasonsWhyWeSwimGoldfish, will be entered to win a $100 credit to their Goldfish Swim School account. Over the duration of the 100-day campaign, one winner will be announced each day, totaling a $10,000 give back in swim lessons.

Goldfish Swim School’s success has also been making waves in the franchise space with two recent award wins. The brand ranked in the top 10 on Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious List, which ranks the smartest-growing franchise brands based on franchise sales, unit growth and more. Additionally, Goldfish Swim School ranked #28 in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500®, the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Placement in the Franchise 500® is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry, making it one of the most competitive rankings. The Franchise 500® also ranked Goldfish Swim School as #1 in the Swimming Lessons Category.

These accomplishments would not have been possible without the brand’s commitment to innovation and keeping a keen eye on the ever-changing industry landscape. Goldfish Swim School has invested in increasing support and services for members and franchisees to assure a Golden Experience & Extraordinary Results across the board. Namely, the company rolled out a new POS and technology platform designed to enhance member experience with an online Parent Portal that allows for convenient scheduling, easy enrollment and payment management.

“Our franchise owners, team members, students and families mean everything to us,” said Jenny McCuiston, Co-Founder of Goldfish Swim School. “Together, we are able to make a powerful impact in ensuring more children learn the importance of water safety. As we continue to grow and expand our reach, we’re committed to the cause and aim to foster new partnerships and initiatives that allow us to truly make a difference in combatting the startling but true water safety statistics.”

As an official partner of the USA Swimming Foundation, Goldfish Swim School has committed to raising $1 million for the organization by 2024. It is fully dedicated to spreading awareness on the importance of water safety with the support of Brand Ambassador and World Champion Swimmer Ryan Murphy, the recent launch of Goldfish RX - a program that provides resources to local pediatricians to support the updated American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on drowning prevention, and providing free W.A.T.E.R Safety presentations to communities nationwide.

Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years, teaching more than 138,000 children each week how to be safer in and around the water. Each school offers swim lessons and programs using a proprietary philosophy, The Science of SwimPlay®, to build life skills both in and out of the water using play-based learning in a fun and safe environment. Each school’s number one focus and main priority is always the same – educating children on water safety while teaching them how to swim and respect the water.

About Goldfish Swim School

Founded by husband and wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay®. Goldfish currently teaches more than 138,000 students per week to swim and be safer in and around the water. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Goldfish Swim School was established in Birmingham, Michigan in 2006, and opened its first franchise location in 2009. Recently, the brand was recognized by Entrepreneur in its Franchise 500® ranking, Franchise Times’ 2020 Fast & Serious List, and Inc. Magazine’s 2019 Top 5000. Goldfish Swim School is currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America, with 100 schools open, and an additional 100+ in development in more than 34 states and Canada.

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