1851

When you walk into a <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=bigger-is-better-for-big-blue-swim-school-2708478" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Big Blue Swim School</a>, you’ll immediately notice a well-lit and welcoming environment filled with swimming engagement specialists busy empowering children in the water beyond safety to a mindset of achievement. This mission has been well established by the company’s leaders who are focused on continuously innovating their team, method and technology to live out its mission on a daily basis. And now, the newly <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=bigger-is-better-for-big-blue-swim-school-2708478" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">franchised swim-class</a> company has set out a plan to bring this experience to families across the U.S.&nbsp;Not only does <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool">Big Blue Swim School</a> achieve results better and faster than any competitor in the space, but it also keeps the parent’s schedules in mind by providing a flexible class structure model, made possible in large part by its massive, 13-lane swimming pools.“Parents are so busy, and it’s not practical for them to organize their lives around a rigid schedule of swim classes,” said Chris DeJong, Big Blue Swim School’s co-founder and CMO. “By building bigger pools, we’ve been able to offer far more class times and accommodate more families with children in different levels than traditional facilities.”DeJong, who co-founded Big Blue Swim School with&nbsp;John Lonergan after narrowly missing the qualification time for the 2008 Olympic swim team (coming in behind Michael Phelps), helped design a curriculum that, like <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/locations?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=bigger-is-better-for-big-blue-swim-school-2708478" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Big Blue’s facilities</a>, bucks tradition in favor of innovation.&nbsp;Big Blue Swim School’s distance-based curriculum focuses on four points of execution -- explain, demonstrate, mimic and correct -- that allow the child engagement specialists that teach the classes to measure students’ progress in the ways that actually matter, and more quickly achieve better results.&nbsp;“Most people of my generation, myself included, hated learning to swim,” he said. “We really learned from our experiences, and we set out to fix that. We took our high-level knowledge and boiled all of that down to a digestible curriculum that helps students learn faster, and unlike other concepts, we don’t evaluate our students by age. We evaluate their progress based on the distances they are able to swim, which really shows how well they are able to swim. Parents appreciate this results-based approach because it’s clear that it quickly helps keep their children safe in and around water.”&nbsp;In addition to its proprietary curriculum, Big Blue has also set itself apart from swim-school competitors by emphasizing technology, specifically a proprietary software called Lesson Buddy that is run on iPads that instructors use to track the progress of each of their students, and that parents use to view progress reports and schedule classes.“We’re able to track progress much more efficiently than our competitors,” DeJong said. “That allows us to customize our training and make sure that every student is getting the attention they need in the right areas.”DeJong says that approach was developed in an effort to modernize <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=bigger-is-better-for-big-blue-swim-school-2708478" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">swim classes</a>, filling a gap in the industry that had been growing for years.“Many people over the age of 30 learned to swim in a sub-optimal environment,” he said. “When we started giving lessons, we looked into the park district and YMCA lessons, as well as private lessons, and we saw a gap that we decided we could fill. No one was really approaching teaching kids how to swim properly, and we set out to fix that.”&nbsp;DeJong says teaching kids ignited a new passion in him.“I started teaching lessons after my professional swimming career ended, and I rediscovered a love of swimming after seeing kids make that magical transformation from being afraid of even looking at a pool to going underwater and conquering that fear,” he said. “When a child makes that leap and feels that pride of facing their fear, that translates not just into a more confident swimmer but also a more confident child.”&nbsp;Big Blue’s massive pools and flexible scheduling make it easy for customers to sign up, and the innovative lessons make the classes highly effective, but it’s any number of other little details that DeJong says keeps students delighted throughout each session at Big Blue.&nbsp;“Every corner of the operation has been designed to make people happy,” he said. “The water in the pool is always warm, at 91 degrees, with air temperature slightly higher than that. We’ve got organic lollipops that kids go crazy for. We have beautiful dressing rooms with high-end hair dryers — it all makes for a place kids and parents are excited to return to.”That’s not just a theory. Ever since DeJong and Lonergan opened the first Big Blue Swim School in 2009, the business has rapidly taken on a bigger and bigger customer base. The <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=bigger-is-better-for-big-blue-swim-school-2708478" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">swim school franchise</a> now has four facilities in the Chicago suburbs, with plans to open a fifth in March 2019 in Chicago proper, and DeJong says each of them is regularly packed with students.“There is nothing like walking into one of our schools and seeing it absolutely bustling,” he said. “13 lanes, all full; people on decks; lifeguards with eyes on every corner of the pool; instructors walking around with iPads. It’s an exciting thing to see.”

Bigger is Better for Big Blue Swim School

1851 Franchise

By leveraging larger pools and facilities, the swim-class franchise offers a more flexible and effective distance-focused model for students and parents.


This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

bigger-is-better-for-big-blue-swim-school

Mainland

Mainland Secures Nearly $10 Million in Media Value for Franchise Clients in Early 2025

mainland-secures-nearly-10-million-in-media-value-for-franchise-clients-in-early-2025

Mathnasium

How These Arizona Mathnasium Learning Centers Franchisees Expanded to 10 Locations 

how-these-arizona-mathnasium-learning-centers-franchisees-expanded-to-10-locations

BoConcept

BoConcept - Home Furnishing Franchise Agg - Santiago Sideboard - 1851 Franchise

Home Furnishings Business: BoConcept Introduces Santiago Sideboard by Morten Georgsen

home-furnishings-business-boconcept-introduces-santiago-sideboard-by-morten-georgsen

BooXkeeping

BooXkeeping Franchise Expands to Seminole County, Florida, with New Franchisee Ross Duhaime

booxkeeping-franchise-expands-to-seminole-county-florida-with-new-franchisee-ross-duhaime

Sylvan Learning

How Sylvan Learning Positions Franchisees for Institutional Partnership Success

how-sylvan-learning-positions-franchisees-for-institutional-partnership-success

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

Login

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Hooters - Bankruptcy Chapter 11 - 1851 Franchise

Hooters Prepares for Bankruptcy Amid Financial Struggles

hooters-prepares-for-bankruptcy-amid-financial-struggles

Burger King’s Parent Company Restructures Operations in China and the U.S. To Drive Growth

burger-kings-parent-company-restructures-operations-in-china-and-the-us-to-drive-growth

Papa Johns Faces Potential Takeover as Turnaround Efforts Continue

papa-johns-faces-potential-takeover-as-turnaround-efforts-continue

1851 Agg - McDonald's Sales Decline Expansion Continues - 1851 Franchise

McDonald’s Franchisees Feel the Pressure as Sales Decline and Expansion Continues

mcdonalds-franchisees-feel-the-pressure-as-sales-decline-and-expansion-continues

Restaurant Industry Set to Hit $1.5 Trillion in Sales in 2025 Despite Economic Pressures

restaurant-industry-set-to-hit-15-trillion-in-sales-in-2025-despite-economic-pressures

Lucas Kovalcik Shares How The Gravity Vault Is Making Climbing Gyms Accessible Across the U.S.

lucas-kovalcik-shares-how-the-gravity-vault-is-making-climbing-gyms-accessible-across-the-us

Trua Senior Living Locators CEO Discusses Franchising Success and a Clinical Approach to Senior Placement

trua-senior-living-locators-ceo-discusses-franchising-success-and-a-clinical-approach-to-senior-placement

Don Yurick Talks Master Franchising and Growth with Hammer & Nails Grooming 

don-yurick-talks-master-franchising-and-growth-with-hammer-nails-grooming

Lindora’s New President Discusses Franchise Growth and the Future of Health and Wellness

lindoras-new-president-discusses-franchise-growth-and-the-future-of-health-and-wellness

Franchisee spotlight featuring Ian and Dick Rydholm with gradient blue background and Sylvan logo

Ian and Dick Rydholm Celebrate 30 Years of Transforming Lives Through Sylvan Learning in El Paso, Texas

ian-and-dick-rydholm-celebrate-30-years-of-transforming-lives-through-sylvan

Paris Baguette Ranks Among Top Franchises on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® for 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Paris Baguette Ranks Among Top Franchises on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® for 2025

paris-baguette-ranks-among-top-franchises-on-entrepreneurs-franchise-500-for-2025

Florida Franchisee Reflects on Success and Growth with Sylvan Learning

florida-franchisee-reflects-on-success-and-growth-with-sylvan-learning

Domonique Downing - Big Frog Franchise - Fayetteville, GA - 1851 Franchise

Coca-Cola Scientist Finds Path to Autonomy with Big Frog Franchise in Fayetteville, Georgia

big-frog-franchise-fayetteville-georgia

DOJ FTC Antitrust Guidelines - Franchise News - 1851 Franchise

DOJ and FTC Issue New Antitrust Guidelines with Implications for Franchising

doj-and-ftc-issue-new-antitrust-guidelines-with-implications-for-franchising

Bigger is Better for Big Blue Swim School

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS