As a mom of five young children, Emily Speer knows firsthand the importance of water safety. And she understands that a successful swim program teaches swim safety while also building a child’s confidence. “I learned with my own children that each one needed a different approach,” said Emily, the owner of Speer Swim School, LLC, “and that’s what we do for our clients.”
Since 2017, Speer Swim School, serving Delaware County and the Main Line, has offered personalized lessons in your own backyard pool. During the summer they offer lessons 5 days a week at Splash Swim Club in Marple, even for non-members. In 2022 Speer Swim School also partnered with the Marple Recreation Center and lessons are held at Marple Newtown High School three days a week during the fall and spring. Individual and small group lessons are available for beginner, novice, intermediate, and expert swimmers. This coming summer Emily is also looking into camp offerings. “My mission is to make things easier for parents when it comes to swim lessons,” Emily explained. “Whether it’s intensive sessions, mobile lessons, indoor or outdoor lessons, we want to make it convenient.”
The curriculum is based on over 25 years of swim instruction experience, and all of their instructors are highly trained in this swim method. Lessons start with safety swimming skills before moving to a learn-to-swim curriculum teaching proper technique. “Our instructors are also trained to build relationships with their students,” said Emily. “Whether it’s one-on-one or a group lesson, it’s so important to personalize it to each child. That is what helps build confidence.”
Emily grew up in the West Chester area and attended West Chester East High School. She’s always loved working with children and being near the water. At age 13, she began teaching children how to swim. While she was in middle school, a family friend who went to the Olympic swimming trials encouraged her to teach swim lessons at Malvern Prep. She enjoyed it so much that she continued teaching lessons throughout high school and college. While pursuing her degree at Penn State University in Elementary Education, she taught swim lessons there, to children of faculty and staff, using her own curriculum.
After graduating from Penn State in 2004, Emily moved back to the area and became a math teacher at Paxon Hollow Middle School. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology at Arcadia University, and her doctorate in Educational Leadership. She was able to continue teaching swim lessons in the summer by offering to teach children in their backyard pools.
After Emily’s third child was born in 2017 she started Speer Swim School, which is fully licensed and insured. “After having my own kids, swim safety became a huge mission for me,” Emily said. “I’m even more passionate after having my kids in swim lessons and learning what is needed in the swim world.” It was through word of mouth and social media that Emily was able to grow her client base.
Now, in its sixth year, Speer Swim School has 38 swim instructors, and last year taught 9,564 lessons to more than 750 students. Emily has also added to her staff, which now includes Marple resident Lisa Sack, who serves as her administrator and two local moms who are the pool deck supervisors.
Emily wants her own children to learn how to be safe around water, which means her older children need to be independent so that she can focus on her younger ones. Emily’s two oldest children have already graduated from the program, and she’s now focused on getting her 4 and 6-year-olds to swim. This summer her youngest child will be 2 and a half and ready to start the swim program.
Emily and her husband Ed live in Broomall with their children Bea (10), Eddie (8), Daphne (6), Richie (4) and Winnie (2), and two friendly cats. Emily enjoys being a dance mom for her daughter Beatrix, watching her children play sports and volunteering at St. Anastasia School, where her children attend. The Speer Family loves being outdoors, especially hiking, camping, or spending time at the beach or pool.
For Emily, the best part of her job is seeing students in her program succeed. “I love getting texts from parents who say their child is swimming independently, passed their swim test, or made the swim team,” she said. And what makes Emily’s work day fun? “It’s always fun to be in the pool!”
To learn more about Speer Swim School visit www.SpeerSwimSchool.com.