Aqua-Tots opens in Barcroft Plaza

Just in time for the opening of swimming pools next month, there’s a new place offering swimming lessons: Aqua-Tots swim school opened April 10 at Barcroft Plaza.

Aqua-Tots provides group, semi-private, and private lessons for children ages four months to 12 years old. Parents can sign up their kids for swimming lessons one, two, or three days a week.

The swim school also offers a one-week fast track program with daily lessons, a program for kids with special needs, and swim lessons for adults, says Dylan Antone, the manager of the Barcroft Plaza location. The water temperature in the pool is 90 degrees.

The Aqua-Tots Swim Schools franchise company was founded in 1991 after a lifeguard in Tempe, Ariz., came up with the concept. There are 134 locations in 25 states and 14 countries, with 90 new locations in development.

Mike Steele, the owner of the Barcroft Plaza Aqua-Tots, at 6345 Columbia Pike, also owns the Aqua-Tots on W. Broad Street in Falls Church.

“We’re passionate about providing the families in our communities a fun, safe, and friendly place to learn water safety skills,” says Steele. “The National Institutes of Health has found that participation in formal swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent for children under the age of four.”

Aqua-Tots Barcroft Plaza is hiring swim instructors, front desk staff, and an aquatics coordinator. Anyone interested should send a resume to [email protected].