When SWIMkids instructor Tenea Kissling was tasked with choosing an inspiring community leader for a school project, she didn’t have to look far. Tenea chose our very own founder and owner, Lana Whitehead, as her subject.We’re so proud to share Tenea’s essay with our SWIMkids family—a heartfelt look at Lana’s
As temperatures rise and summer approaches, families naturally spend more time around pools, lakes, and splash pads. That makes this the perfect time to enroll your child in swim lessons! Choosing the right program can make all the difference. A primary goal of swim lessons should be water safety—preparing a
SWIMkids USA has won the Healthcare Leadership award for community impact given by AZ Business magazine. The award reflects the hard work of staff and the passion and direction of Lana Whitehead who started her business back in 1971.We thought this was a great opportunity to share Lana’s story of
You would have thought I was opening a treasure chest. My 3-year-old daughter, Kelsey and 4-year-old son, Robbie watched as I pulled clothes out of our suitcase. On top was Kelsey’s delicate lavender dress with its satin sash. Then, Robbie’s nice slacks and his little-boy-sized red tie. Tucked under them
Your water workout gives your body and heart all the benefit of an aerobic workout without impact on the joints. But another amazing perk of swimming is that it’s great for your brain! President of SWIMkids USA Lana Whitehead holds degrees in exercise physiology, special education and she’s a member
Swim lessons save lives. Our parents have shared stories of seeing their child use a skill they learned in class to help themselves when they got in an uncertain situation in the water. We are thrilled to help parents in their effort to make their child safer around water! No
How do you think it sounds when someone is drowning? That drowning victims make a lot of noise is only one of the false-assumptions around water safety, which keep drowning tragedies too often at the top of the daily news. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – in the
The same night as the Parade of Nations for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Rio’s Maracanã Stadium was going on, a second Parade of Nations was happening in Mesa at SWIMkids USA. The Rio parade was awe-inspiring as it featured top athletes from across the globe marching together
There are surprising benefits to year-round swim lessons. As the weather turns cooler and summer ends, keep ’em swimming! It can make their learning easier. Research out of Australia (https://app.griffith.edu.au/news/2013/08/13/swimming-a-smart-move-for-children/shows) proves that children, who were taught to swim by 5 years, had statistically higher IQs. Turns out, some of what
The American Academy of Pediatrics is putting a spotlight on baby swim lessons by recommending swim lessons begin at age 1. Their previous guidelines recommended the starting age as 4 years old. The new guidelines also recommend that all children learn to swim to keep them safer around water. “At