Big Splash was developed by an educator and aquatic specialist. Karen Taylor Burton has been making differences in all aspects of aquatic education for over forty years.  Karen has offered swim instruction to people of all ages, skill levels, and economic backgrounds.  She has also provided dedicated service to students with special needs. Throughout the years, Karen and her staff have instructed students with many varying needs and disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell anemia, fetal alcohol syndrome, brittle bone disease, transverse myelitis, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, blindness, deafness, autism, Asperger’s syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone), learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  The aquatic approaches she has developed have allowed many students to become mainstreamed into small classes affording these children opportunities to interact with their peers on a nearly equal playing field. Karen’s aquatic programming has become known for its self-motivating approach to swimming instruction by using positive reinforcement, praise and rewards to help students learn while facilitating flexibility in techniques to meet individual needs.

Our aim is not to produce a champion, but to provide an atmosphere where champions are inevitable. However, swimming is a means to an end – to build self-confidence, self discipline, integrity and courage for life. Big Splash strives to serve all students of varying needs and backgrounds – to help students to swim and be safe in and around water by using a method of self-motivation based upon positive reinforcement, praise and reward. Our “gentle push” approach to instruction provides students the opportunity to learn quickly and efficiently and to reach their greatest swimming potential.