TROY, Mich. (Sept. 7, 2023) – Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC has signed an agreement to grow the brand in Florida, with the state’s eighth location slated to open at 15710 W. Colonial Drive in Winter Garden in late 2023. 

Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children aged four months to 12 years in a safe, child-friendly environment using a research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay®. 

The new school will be the second in the Orlando area for local owners, husband-and-wife team Gina Jacobs Thomas and Jon Thomas. They opened their first Goldfish Swim School in June 2017 at 5445 Lake Howell Road in Winter Park.

As parents themselves, the duo’s mission is to educate families within the Winter Garden community about the importance of water safety and to help meet the demands of those looking for quality swim lessons as Florida also leads the nation in drownings.

Earlier this year, Gina Jacobs Thomas was named a Woman of the Year by Orlando Magazine and recently the Winter Park school’s full team was awarded the Core Value award for Treating People with Integrity, Compassion and Trust at Goldfish Swim School’s School Leadership Summit.

“Living in Florida, Jon and I feel a unique responsibility to help more children learn the important life skill of swimming and being safe in and around the water,” said Jacobs Thomas. “We look forward to being able to serve even more families within the Central Florida community with our new school.”

The new Goldfish Swim School in Winter Garden will be family-run and will eventually create approximately 50 part-time and full-time jobs in the area.  

“Gina and Jon are ideal franchise owners to expand the Goldfish Swim School brand in the Winter Garden community because of their passion and commitment to kids and water safety ,” said Chris McCuiston, CEO and co-founder of Goldfish Swim School. “The Winter Garden Goldfish Swim School will meet an important need in the community, and we look forward to opening our eighth Florida location.”

Additional swim schools throughout the state are located in Bonita Springs, Coral Springs, Lakewood Ranch and Pembroke Pines. There are also two swim schools in development in Royal Palm Beach and Saint Johns.

With now more than 150 locations open and an additional 150+ schools in development, the brand remains focused on its strategic franchise expansion across North America.  Franchise opportunities remain available in Dallas, throughout California and in Canada. 

For more information on Goldfish Swim School and its franchising opportunities, please visit https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/franchise-opportunities/ or call 248-801-1850.  

About Goldfish Swim School:   

Founded in 2006 by husband-and-wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Troy, Michigan-based Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children aged four months to 12 years. Classes are led by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly environment using a research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay®. Since opening its first franchised location in 2009, the brand has grown to 150+ schools in 30+ states, with an additional 150+ in development. Goldfish is ranked No. 69 overall in Entrepreneur’s 2023 Franchise 500 and has been recognized as the No. 1 provider of children’s swimming lessons for seven consecutive years, was recently named to Inc. 5000 for 2023 and is rated as a Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review for 2023. Goldfish Swim School is currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America. For information on franchising, go to www.goldfishswimschool.com/franchising-opportunities. 

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