Aqua-Tots Swim Schools opened its first Surprise location on June 6, marking the ninth location in Phoenix for the swim school franchise that has over a 26-year presence in the Valley.

The new location is at the Shops at Surprise, a retail development center on the corner of Litchfield and Bell roads. The state-of-the-art swim school takes up a 5,000 square-foot space featuring a lounge-style lobby with a large glass viewing area for parents, play area for siblings and children not in lessons, snack bar and retail area and family-focused equipped locker rooms.

The year-round indoor pool provides a safe environment for youth swimmers, ages four months and up. The swim school offers a 1-to-4 teacher-student ratio, with eight different swim levels for various abilities, from parent and tot stages to advanced. Each lesson also includes a brief consultation with parents to help encourage progress between lessons.

“I take pride in the total Aqua-Tots experience,” said Jamie Cartledge, owner of two swim schools and one lifeguard management company. “I want customers to walk into a comfortable setting where they are valued on a personal level and feel that they can make a meaningful connection. My roots are deep within the Midwest and I strive every day to capture a unique warmth and fun environment where people feel that they are a priority because that is when the ordinary becomes the extraordinary.”

A complimentary open house will take place on June 15 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott  will speak at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Aqua-Tots Swim Schools’ location to mark the city’s dedication to drowning prevention.

In addition, the facility will provide free swim lessons for children in the heated indoor Aqua-Tots Swim Schools’ pool, a bounce house, face painting and food and beverages from local partners. The Surprise Fire Department will be in attendance with firefighters and a firetruck, Councilman Skip Hall of District 5, along with many Surprise city council and community members that will welcome the new business to the city.

“We are very pleased to have such a prestigious swim school come to Surprise,” Wolcott said. “With summer quickly approaching, being knowledgeable about water safety and drowning prevention is important for the residents and families in Surprise.”

To celebrate the opening of the Aqua-Tots Surprise, the swim school will offer a family enrollment special of $99 which includes two lessons per week during a four-week period and will be available throughout the month of June.

Registration for spring lessons are currently underway. Aqua-Tots Surprise is located at 13833 W. Bell Road, Suite 104, Surprise. For more information on Aqua-Tots or to enroll for swim lessons, please visit www.aqua-tots.com or call (623) 455-5571.