When Yael was 16 she began to teach lessons in her parents small, kidney shaped pool. Over the years she taught at various apartment complexs where she lived, quickly growing, providing children with crucial water safety skills, a love for the water, and great swimming technique.
The business formalized in 2014, when Daphna, Yael's sister came on board providing much of the business infastructure. Today Little Kickers is proud to serve over 250 families and have added some wonderful new instructors to its roster.
Yael has been teaching swim lessons for over 8 years. Her aquatics career began when she was sixteen years old at the Cherry Creek Athletic Club located in Denver. She worked there as a swim instructor for two years, and then decided to start taking her own clients in her dad’s small pool in the backyard. It began only as seasonal lessons with about 15 different families. Yael has remarkable connection with the children she teaches, as well as their parents, and a passion for what she does. Yael has a B.S. degree in Business Management. In her free time she loves doing Crossfit, playing with her dog Teddie, and relaxing!
Daphna’s career in aquatics began in 2004, when she was a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Jewish Community Center of Denver, where she went on to become the Assistant Director of Aquatics. Daphna also has extensive program management experience in international education, working for nonprofit organizations on government programs for over 7 years, overseeing budgets, managing employees and client relations, and designing programs. Daphna holds a B.A. in International Relations from the Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Stephanie Jones is from St. George, Utah and has been living in Colorado for the last year with her husband. She has been teaching for nine years privately and at three different facilities. She has been trained in teaching children as young as three months old, teaching children one-on-one or in groups and teaching triathletes looking improve their stroke for speed or first learning as an adult. She has her Bachelors degree is Communication Disorders from Brigham Young University and is pursuing a masters degree in Speech Language Pathology.
Molly is from Salina, Kansas and is doing her undergraduate studies in international relations at the University of Denver. She has been a lifeguard and swim instructor for four years at two different facilities in Salina and is WSI certified to teach swim lessons through the Red Cross. Molly also coached for a local swim team during high school and swam competitively for eight years on a private team under USA Swimming regulations. In her free time, Molly enjoys being outdoors, photography, and babysitting!