Big Blue Swim School Fairless Hills
As her son struggled to float on his back during a swim lesson, Erica Kowal remembered thinking to herself, “there has to be something better.”
After some research, she found that to be the case. An elementary and special education teacher of 14 years, Kowal took the plunge in 2023, opening a Big Blue Swim School franchise in Paoli.
A Falls Township native, Kowal will open a brand-new Big Blue Swim School on March 3, 2025 in the Lincoln Highway shopping center where Funzilla and Arosso, A Touch of Sicily are located.
“This was really important for me to come back,” the mother of three said a few days before the center’s official grand opening as staff shined windows and painters put the final touches on the trim around the pool deck. “I grew up here.”
Her sister-in-law and Olympic swimmer Kristy Kowal, a silver medalist, is the franchise’s co-owner and brand ambassador.
The curriculum offered at Big Blue Swim Schools is what enticed Erica to become a franchise owner. Specifically, students are taught the importance of kicking.
“You walk around on your legs all day,” she said. “We’re just putting that in the pool.”
The roughly 9,000-square-foot Fairless Hills swim center offers weekly lessons for youth beginning at 3 months and continuing through age 12.
“The 3-month-olds are the best,” she said of the warm, soothing parent/infant swimming experience. “We want to build a positive relationship with the water. We don’t want them to have fear.”
All three of her children swim at the Paoli location. Her son, who at first struggled to float, is now swimming 240 feet. Big Blue Swim Schools have age-appropriate milestones for how far youth can swim based on their age and ability as depicted on the wall leading to the locker rooms.
By summer, Erica hopes to expand beyond the current pool of swim lesson types to offer adaptive needs lessons for children with special needs. Adult swim lessons will be added at a later date, she said.
Once the site is fully operational, Erica anticipates 1,500 weekly lessons at Fairless Hills, as compared to 900 per week at Paoli.
Reflecting on her local roots, Erica designed a wall of the swim center with a miniature depiction of Sylvester Stallone’s beloved “Rocky” raising his arms.
“I wanted it to look like someone’s yard,” she said of the colorful mural, which features houses amid a bright rainbow and sunny skies.
For now, Erica will split her time between her two locations. By summer, she will be opening a Big Blue Swim School in Cherry Hill, N.J., with a Springfield, Delaware County location following next year.
As for her momentum as a franchise owner?
“Just keep going,” she said of opening new locations.
To learn more
Big Blue Swim School Fairless Hills, 524 Lincoln Highway, Fairless Hills, is offering a grand opening special for new customers. Through March 31, 2025, customers can enjoy 50 percent off the first month of lessons, as well as a free trial lesson. To book a swim lesson, call 445-447-4600. For more information, visit https://bigblueswimschool.com/locations/pennsylvania/fairless-hills.