When Abby McManus, Operations Director at SwimLabs Littleton, applied for a grant from USA Swimming, she didn’t know just how much it would positively impact the local community and the coaches. The grant funding made kids swim lessons in the southwest Denver metro area accessible and affordable for families in underserved communities.
Read on to learn what Abby and the staff at SwimLabs Littleton accomplished with the grant money, meet the local elementary school that stepped up to promote the program, and witness how swim lessons changed children’s—and parents’—lives.
Why Kids Swim Lessons Are Critical for Water Safety
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 1–4 and one of the leading causes for children ages 5–14. Learning to swim is one of the most effective ways to reduce that risk (source: Centers for Disease Control).
Even more troubling is that underserved and at-risk communities make up a large portion of this discrepancy. These communities have higher incidents of drowning deaths and are at a much higher risk of having a drowning incident. Hispanic children aged 1–14 years are about 1.5 times more likely to die from drowning than white children. Surveys show that Hispanic parents are 2–3 times more likely to report that their child cannot swim compared to white parents (source: Centers for Disease Control).
Kids swim lessons are not affordable for everyone. And in some cases, the parents themselves do not know how to swim, so the children never learn. They may not prioritize kids swim lessons or know how to access them. Barriers often include cost, transportation, language, and cultural perceptions about water safety.
This is not just about having a fun time at the pool in the summer, it’s first and foremost about water safety and drowning prevention. That’s why the statistics are so motivating for the staff at SwimLabs Littleton. They want to make swimming a life skill that every child in the Denver area can access.
“The activities and programs at SwimLabs Littleton are driven by water safety,” said Abby McManus. “The staff have a passion for the sport of swimming, and believe every person should have the opportunity to learn to swim.”
USA Swimming Grant Allows Expansion of Existing Program
SwimLabs Littleton applied for a grant with USA Swimming, the largest swimming organization in the US. USA Swimming supports Olympic athletes and has many initiatives to give back, including one focused on teaching swimming to at-risk communities. They want to help the children who are at the highest risk of having a drowning incident. This grant funding, in its third round, is support that SwimLabs Littleton re-applies for each year. However, this year they secured double the funding from previous years and were awarded $10,000. This generous amount allows SwimLabs Littleton to help more kids in Colorado become safer in the water.
Partnering with Schools to Provide Affordable Kids Swim Lessons
With this new funding, SwimLabs Littleton set out to expand their existing program. They wanted to focus on the program’s reach to increase awareness in the target communities.
As luck would have it, Abby’s husband is a teacher at a Denver public elementary school serving an underserved community. Gust Elementary School in Southwest Denver is 98% minority and 79.6% Free and Reduced Lunch. Through their connection with a trusted advisor at the school, SwimLabs Littleton was able to socialize their program with parents of the schoolchildren. School employees even helped translate the program materials into Spanish.
The response from Gust students was overwhelming. While the swim program could accommodate the first 175 who applied for their fall 2025 session, the next session will be held in winter 2025/2026 and will admit everyone who applied.
“Gust Swim Camp”: Kids Swim Lessons Focused on Water Safety
SwimLabs Littleton dubbed their program “Gust Swim Camp” in honor of the elementary school. The staff at Gust Elementary School helped make this program a success through their valuable support and resources.
Kids swim lessons span eight weeks, are 30 minutes long, and support six children in each group. Coaches at SwimLabs Littleton were thrilled to have the opportunity to teach children ages 7-10. This is a key development period, and the ability to pick up these skills is high at this age. It’s the perfect time to focus on safety skills.
The coaches shifted their usual curriculum slightly to focus more on water safety. The goal is to ensure that children know what to do if they fall into a body of water.
The result of the program was a real splash (c’mon, we had to). Many participants have developed a love for swimming, and some have since joined local swim teams. It warms the coaches’ hearts to know not only that they have instilled a love of water and swimming in the kids, but also that they have given them the tools to practice water safety.
How Kids Swim Lessons Build Confidence and Save Lives
Teaching children to swim and practice water safety skills has far-reaching effects. The stories from parents and swimmers is the best testament to the program’s impact on the community.
One parent’s emotional response to watching her son swim across a pool for the first time was especially meaningful because they had experienced a drowning in their family. They came to SwimLabs Littleton and found the lessons very helpful and an affordable option. Previously, she could not afford swim lessons for her son.
Learning water safety makes vacations and water resorts more enjoyable for the entire family. One father shared how his family visited a large, indoor amusement park and water resort, but their children were too afraid of the water to enjoy the experience. Seeing his kids unable to enjoy the park like others led him to enroll his children in kids swim lessons. They became more confident in the water. The parents were so excited by the progress that they shared photos of their children swimming and playing at a water resort. The SwimLabs coaches find these stories so inspiring.
Zion: From Fear of Water to Competitive Swimmer
Perhaps the most memorable student was a young boy named Zion. Although his lessons were funded through a different grant, his story demonstrates the power of grant funding and the way SwimLabs Littleton aspires to reach swimmers of all ages and abilities.
Zion started kids swim lessons when he was four years old with an extreme fear of water. Living in foster care, his foster parents realized he had severe water trauma in the past, but they didn’t know what had caused it. Zion would begin to tremble at the sight of water, and terror would show in his eyes. His parents knew they wanted to address it and help him overcome his fear.
The coach at SwimLabs Littleton started slow with Zion. The same coach stayed with him the entire time to build trust, and they took small steps in each lesson. Sometimes it was just sitting on the side of the pool with his Dad, with his feet in the water. But once he learned how fun the water was, Zion loved it. He began to show up for lessons with a smile on his face.
As he grew up, Zion joined a swim team, became a competitive swimmer, and broke numerous records in his age group. He proudly trains and competes with ACES Swim Club, a team that celebrates swimmers of all abilities, and has earned a place in USA Swimming. He is embraced in the swimming world, and it’s safe to say that learning to swim was a game-changer for him.
The Welcomed Side Effect of Serving Communities in Need
As if the heartwarming stories from students and parents weren’t enough, the staff at SwimLabs Littleton experienced even more benefits from the grant-funded program.
“Our coaches’ reaction to the program and their dedication to these camps was amazing,” said Abby. “Coaches even offered to volunteer their time in addition to the camps. It was extremely meaningful for them, working with this demographic of kids, and older kids, really made them realize how cool their job is. It’s awesome to start with a kid who is afraid of the water, have them leave loving the water, and know that the kid is safe. It’s very rewarding.”
In October, Abby was invited to speak at the USA Swimming Foundation’s annual Golden Goggles award ceremony in Denver. At the donor gathering the evening before the event, Abby shared success stories from the kids swim lessons program. She highlighted just how vital the grant funding has been for the program and the local, historically underserved community. Together, they are making real-life differences in people’s lives.
Every child deserves the opportunity to become safer in the water. Through partnerships with schools, grant funding, and passionate coaches, SwimLabs Littleton continues working to make quality kids swim lessons accessible to families throughout Littleton and the Denver metro area.