The purpose of the course is to familiarize children with the water and teach swimming readiness skills. In addition, Parent and Child Aquatics provides safety information for parents and teaches parents techniques they can use to help orient their children to the water. Children build self-confidence, listening, and water safety skills as well as floating, bubbles, and kicking through songs, games, and other activities.

Preschool Aquatics Level 1 is designed to orient young preschoolers to the

aquatic environment and to help them gain basic aquatic skills. In addition,

participants start learning about how to be safe around water. Swimmers will learn skills such as floating independently, gliding independently with their eyes in, kicking, and jumping in to swim back to the wall and climb out safely.

Preschool Aquatics Level 2 builds on the basic aquatic skills and water safety skills and concepts learned in Level 1. Participants begin to perform skills at a slightly more advanced level and begin gaining rudimentary propulsive skills on both the front and the back.

School Age Level 1 introduces basic aquatic skills, which participants continue to build on as they progress through Learn-to-Swim. In addition, participants start developing positive attitudes, effective swimming habits and safe practices in and around the water. Learn-to-Swim Level 1 skills overlap with the Preschool Aquatics Level 1 and 2 skills. This class is for new swimmers and will learn to do skills such as floating independently, gliding independently with their eyes in, kicking, and jumping in to swim back to the wall and climb out safely.

The objective of the School Age Level 2 class is to give participants success with fundamental skills. This level marks the beginning of true locomotion skills. Participants learn to glide and float without support and recover to a vertical position. Participants further develop simultaneous and alternating arm and leg actions on the front and back, laying the foundation for future strokes. This class is designed for swimmers who are comfortable in the water and are ready to learn how to move around independently.

The objectives of School Age Level 3 are to expand proficiency of previously learned skills by providing additional guided practice. Participants will learn, and practice survival floating and learn to swim front crawl and elementary backstroke at rudimentary proficiency levels. This level will introduce the scissors and dolphin kicks and extend the time duration for treading water. 

Interested patrons should complete and/or submit a request for Private Lessons through our Front Desk. Please be aware that it may take up to 14 business days to schedule a lesson, and that registration ends the second week into classes. Private/ Semi-Private Swim Lessons are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Semi-private swim lessons are limited to two (2) participants in the same family. All lessons are 30 minutes long, and they begin and end with the session for which they were purchased. 

American Red Cross lifeguarding course is offered at least three times a year to swimmers ages 15-older. Participants will earn an American Red Cross certification in Lifeguarding, CPR/AED for Professional Rescuer and First Aid with a successful completion of the course. All certifications are valid for 2 years from the date of the last day of the class. 

If you accept a lifeguarding position at the YMCA upon completion of your lifeguarding course, the Y will reimburse you for your training fees.