List of Swimming Schools for Special Needs Kids in the Philippines

I have three kids with special needs. They are already in their teens but to me, they will always be kids at heart. They are active, stubborn & unconventional. All three of them love to eat veggies and fruits. They also love the water, not necessarily swimming but they love tho take baths and the calming sound they hear from running water. Though not one of them learned how to swim, I do plan on having them take swimming lessons in the future. I believe that the ability to swim is an important thing that we all need to learn as it could be used in times of emergency or catastrophe.

When I checked on Google to search for swimming schools for special needs kids in the country, I was kind of sad that we only have very few ones who offered classes but somehow I could understand why. It takes a lot of passion & discipline for a teacher to teach swimming lessons to students of all ages. What more, that dedication is challenged and tested once they do the extra mile of coaching and teaching persons with special needs. 

Nonetheless, I hope that in time, more  swimming schools will open to cater for people with special needs. With this knowledge, I decided to create a post as a point of reference for parents, teachers and anybody who will be interested in enrolling a special needs person in swimming lessons.

Below are the known swimming schools which cater for special needs kids & kids at heart in the Philippines:

(1) AQUALOGIC SWIM COMPANY - the Aqualogic Swim Company comprised a group of Aquatic educators from various swimming backgrounds dedicated to high quality & personalized instruction using the latest & most effective teaching method. Founded in 2006 by Ria Mackay who is also the Head Instructor, Ria was a competetive  swimmer in her younger years & has been teaching swimming for over 20 years both hear and abroad.

 

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 To know more about their swimming classes schedules and rates, visit their website @

 aqualogicswimco.com or you  can drop by at their facebook page.

 (2) POWERSWIM -  is a team of dedicated coaches whose motivation is to teach every child to respect the water while having tons of fun. They also encourage a healthy &  interactive, aquatic environment which help in making sure the kids become comfortable and confident swimmers. 

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 The team of coaches include:  

  * Coach Norman Pascua *

   ITU Certified Triathlon Coach  

   Head Coach for Shangrila Makati Trikids Program

   Certified PLS Level 7 Swim and Survive Swim Course

  * Coach Annie de Jesus *

   Certified PLS Level 7 Swim and Survive Swim Course

   Swim Coach for kids

   Certified Mom

  * Coach Jepthe Subagan *

    Certified PLS Level 7 Swim and Survive Swim Course
    Swim Coach for kids
    Swim Teacher for Babies and Toddlers
    MAED Special Education Candidate


For more information on their venues, schedules and rates, visit Powerswim Pilipinas
which is their facebook page or you can drop by at powerswim.net.


(3) CHITO RIVERA SWIMMING SCHOOL - The Chito Rivera's Learning and Aquatic Skills Incorporated was founded by Coach Chito Rivera who is well known  both in the Philippine Swimming & Teaching Community. He started teaching swimming lessons as early as 1980 and it is his passion for teaching that gave him the opportunity to work with different groups and attend seminars which further developed his skills which included but not limited to coaching swim clubs & school teams. Below are some of the highlights of Coach Chito Rivera's career :

2002  - Joined the leadership of Philippine Amateur Swimming Association & was elected Secretary General until 2004. In his stint as Secretary General of the country’s National Sports Association, he was able to put in place programs that helped the country win the Championship in the Southeast Asian Age-Group in 2003 which was held in the country. 

2003 - Appointed as the head of the Philippine  Delegation in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES) held in Vietnam 

2004 -  Appointed as the head of the Philippine Delegation in the 2004 Athens Olympics in Greece. 

It was after the Athens Olympics in Greece that Coach Chito  Rivera pursued his passion further by way of teaching and developing swimming in the grassroots, organizing competitions hoping that one day more patriotic Filipino swimmers will take part in this dream event and be able to win the elusive gold for the country.

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The Chito Rivera's Learning Aquatic Skills & Services Inc mission is not only to help individuals overcome their fear of the water but also to train swimmers whose desire to share their aquatic skills and passion for swimming are inherent in them. 

For updates on their swimming lessons schedules, venues & rates,visit chitorivera.com
or their facebook page @ facebook.com/chito.rivera.92
One more thing, If you have the passion to teach and share it by teaching swimming lessons, you can send your resume @ class_aquatics@yahoo.com or call/text 0917-8930723, 0922-8554358; 531-8081 loc. 1066 and 571-9262  to schedule for an interview.


(4) BERT LOZADA SWIM SCHOOL -  The Bert Lozada Swim School  started as a single venue in 1956 at YMCA & was founded by Remberto C. Lozada or " Tito Bert " who was introduced to swimming in 1953 by the age of 12. According to him, ever since he started swimming, he discovered that teaching others to swim especially young children has become his passion. As early as 1986, he formulated & implemented his own style of swimming which was a compilation of what he learned from his travel and from his travels during swimming competitions either as a competitor or as a coach.

The highlight of his coaching career came when he was head coach of the Philippine Team at the 1991 Southeast Asean Games (SEAGAMES) where the Philippines was able to achieve its best performance. But even before then, his swimmers were already qualifying for the Olympics, Asian Games and SEA Games. Most notable among his swimmers were Ryan Papa, Eric Buhain, and Roselle Papa.

Needless to say, BLSS has been touching lives since 1956. Today,  it is now the biggest & well managed swim school in the country with an average of 150 employees comprising of teachers, coaches & staff. It now has 56 venues all over the country and has produced 7 Olympians, several national swimmers & record holders.

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For more information regarding their class schedules, venues and rates, you can visit their website at bertlozadaswimschool.com. You can also get your swimming updates at  www.facebook.com/BertLozadaSwimSchool.
 

So far these are just a few of the known swimming schools who cater to special needs kids and kids at heart in the Philippines. Nevertheless, we are still fortunate that they have open their doors & shared their passion by doing the extra mile in believing that all of us have the capacity to learn & to swim, even those who have special needs.

If you know of other schools that are not in the list, feel free to get in touch with me via email or by sharing it in the comment section of this post. As they always say, sharing is caring.