The basics:

• Stewie the Duck Swim School opens in Clifton fall 2025
• Honors memory of grocery chain founder’s grandson who drowned in 1989
• Facility features ADA-compliant amenities
• Proceeds fund lessons for underserved kids, lifeguard training 

Farm-fresh grocery chain Stew Leonard’s has broken ground on a state-of-the art swim school in New Jersey. The new location honors the memory of the founder’s grandson, who drowned as a toddler.

The Stewie the Duck Swim School is scheduled to open this fall, according to Stew Leonard’s. The aquatic academy is located adjacent to the family-run company’s store at the Styertowne Shopping Center in Clifton.

Amenities at the 9,300-square-foot aquatic center include:

• A heated, 4-foot-deep pool
• An Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant chair lift
• Private changing rooms and family restrooms

It will also have “a fun, farm-themed design” inspired by the lively grocery store. Touches include colorful visuals from the “Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim” book — and an animatronic Stewie the Duck.

All swim school instructors and lifeguards will be American Red Cross certified in lifeguard training and as water safety instructors. Classes will follow an American Red Cross curriculum. Offerings range from parent and child to pre-swim team.

The Stewie the Duck Swim School is part of a charitable organization launched 35 years ago by CEO Stew Leonard Jr. and his wife, Kim, after their 21-month-old son died in a 1989 drowning accident.

Guided by a mission of “Saving lives, one lesson at a time,” the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation has spent more than three decades championing water safety. Over the years, the nonprofit has raised more than $6 million toward education, advocacy and support for swim safety initiatives.

Lifeguard training

The nonprofit’s efforts have provided swim scholarships and lifeguard training. Additionally, it has published two children’s books on water safety as well as developed a free water safety app and game.

The foundation’s first Stewie the Duck Swim School opened two years ago in Norwalk, Conn.

According to the foundation, the Clifton site will contribute 100% of proceeds to provide swim lessons for underserved children along with lifeguard training nationwide.

The swim school takes over space that previously housed a Lucille Roberts Health Club. It is funded in part through a $300,000 grant from the Fiscal Year 2025 New Jersey state budget.

During a July 1 groundbreaking ceremony, Clifton Mayor Raymond Grabowski; city council members; and Sen. John McKeon, D-27th District, joined the Leonard family in celebrating the project. A staged ceremonial dirt pile with shovels marked the occasion in front of the soon-to-open facility.

Construction has already begun inside of the building.

Building on a legacy

Ryann Leonard, executive director of the foundation and daughter of Stew Leonard’s CEO, said they’ll be able to double their impact to serve up to 2,000 children a week thanks to the upcoming facility.

Grabowski has said the city is honored to welcome the second Stewie the Duck Swim School and grateful the family is investing further in Clifton. He also believes it “builds on Stew Leonard’s legacy of making a positive impact across the Tri-State Area.”

McKeon has said he’s proud “to have secured funding for this critically important facility that will provide thousands of New Jersey children with access to professional, high-quality water safety education.”