Reflected on the surface of an indoor swimming pool are boys and girls in swimsuits who fist-bump and high-five their parents before grabbing kickboards, adjusting their goggles, and entering the water with a splash. It’s in these pool lanes, under the watchful gaze of a lifeguard, that a broader story of access, safety, and opportunity ripples outward. This is Triangle Aquatic Center’s (TAC) Make a Splash program.
The Make a Splash program at Triangle Aquatic Center (TAC) aims to remove barriers to swimming instruction and ensure that more area children have the opportunity to learn water safety skills like those taught by Sara Dobcsanyi.
TAC Swim Academy Associate Director Steve Hoffman oversees the daily operations of the facility’s learn-to-swim programs, managing curriculum development, instructor training, scheduling, and program quality. Within the Make a Splash initiative, he helps to coordinate the delivery of swim instruction, ensure that safety and teaching standards are maintained, and work to “provide meaningful access to swimming and water safety education for children in our community who may not otherwise have that opportunity.”
The Make a Splash program was launched through a partnership with the USA Swimming Foundation and its national Make a Splash initiative, which focuses on preventing drowning by expanding access to swimming lessons and water safety education. Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children, so adoption at TAC was a mission statement in action.
Make a Splash aligns with TAC’s broader aim of developing swimmers for lifelong success. Because Steve frames water safety as “a foundational life skill that helps children build confidence, independence, and resilience both in and out of the pool,” the program functions as a doorway through which swimmers learn essential safety skills and discover the joy of the water. The program doesn’t end with a lesson, as Steve says: “We hope these early experiences encourage healthy, active lifestyles and foster a lifelong love for swimming and aquatic activities.”
Results, Steve notes, aren’t measured merely by headcount. “Success isn’t just about participation, it’s about impact. Every child who completes the program gains an essential safety skill,” he says. The proof is found in everyday moments, like parents reporting that their child can safely enjoy activities like pool parties, beach trips, or family vacations involving water.
Yet barriers to access exist. Namely, education around water safety and access to facilities. Some families lack exposure to formal instruction, and parents who didn’t grow up swimming may unknowingly pass that fear on to their children. Make a Splash counters these challenges by delivering structured instruction that emphasizes both swimming skills and water safety education for swimmers and their families. By keeping communication open and creating a welcoming environment, where proud parents freely record their swimmers’ progress, TAC ensures that families — especially those new to aquatics — feel informed, supported, and confident as their children take their first strokes.
The program’s strength lies in its integration within TAC. As an established nonprofit with experienced instructors, TAC integrates Make a Splash into its broader Swim Academy structure and maximizes available resources. “Funding support from the USA Swimming Foundation, individual donors, and other community partners helps us offset program costs and make the lessons accessible to families,” Steve explains.
Participants between the ages of 5 and 12 learn age-appropriate swimming skills through structured, consistent instruction.
Safety is the initiative’s top priority. There are certified lifeguards present during lessons, and all instructors complete comprehensive training before they begin teaching and undergo ongoing staff development and safety education. Additionally, staff complete background checks and abuse prevention training. The result is a dependable, safety-first environment where preparation meets opportunity.
Program eligibility is targeted and transparent, with enrollment available to Wake County elementary-aged children who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Once enrolled, each swimmer receives a minimum of two months of instruction in the form of one 30-minute lesson per week. This consistent schedule allows swimmers to build comfort and reinforce skills over time.
Make a Splash serves children ages 5–12 who need to learn how to swim. TAC can accommodate up to 20 swimmers at a time, and the program runs year-round. The curriculum unfolds in two levels, with the foundational level building comfort, safety skills, and body control. The second level progresses toward independent swimming and stroke development.
Make a Splash is integrated within TAC’s broader Swim Academy programming, so staff expertise, training systems, and pool time are shared, which helps maintain operating standards and high program quality.
Coaches — like Sara Dobcsanyi and Samantha Gaines — come from TAC’s own ranks, with the program being taught by the same trained instructors who teach within TAC’s TITANS Swim Academy. All instructors complete comprehensive training that focuses on progression-based teaching methods, skill development techniques, water safety education, and child engagement and communication. The emphasis is on teachers who can pair knowledge with energy and empathy.
Lead Instructor Charlotte Evans (left) and Swim Academy Manager Darria Chance
“We look for instructors who are knowledgeable, energetic, organized, and able to connect well with both children and families,” Steve says. That passion and purpose is evident in the sounds of laughter, chants of “You can do it!” and cannonball countdowns audible from the pool deck.
Swimmers graduate from Make a Splash when they demonstrate the ability to safely and independently swim the full length of the pool using freestyle and backstroke with proper breathing. For families facing hardship, graduation can unlock ongoing participation through the Opportunity Scholarship, which last year awarded $34,000 to keep dedicated swimmers in the sport they love.
Stories of success come in many forms. For some, Steve says swimming becomes the first steps through a path to TAC’s TITANS Swim Team, building “skills, friendships, discipline, and a lasting connection to the sport.” Not all Make a Splash participants progress into higher-level programs or competitive swimming, but Steve says, “Success is not limited to competitive pathways. We also love hearing from families when their child confidently swims at a pool.”
The future of Make a Splash is anchored in the same principles that drive it today: trust, access, and community. That foundation only strengthens through partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and initiatives like Swim 1922, which help extend vital water safety education to families who might not otherwise reach the pool.
The Make a Splash initiative is a meaningful part of TAC’s mission to develop swimmers for lifelong
success through a lessons program that strives to create a positive and supportive environment.
As TAC looks ahead, the vision is one of expanding access, deepening instructional pathways, and ensuring every child who wants to continue swimming is able to do so. But expansion depends on the collective effort of donors, sponsors, and community partners who believe that water safety is not a privilege but a life-saving skill.
For those who want to help that circle of access continue to flow — through funding, volunteering, or partnership — TAC welcomes support that makes the mission to empower more children to feel safe, confident, and at home in the water possible. To learn more about how to support their mission, visit triangleaquatics.org or reach out to advancement@triangleaquatics.org.
triangleaquatics.org/programs/make-a-splash
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