Youth Swim Lessons

Register for Swim Lessons

Nurturing skills and building confidence in the water

For more than 160 years, the YMCA has nurtured potential and united communities to create lasting, meaningful change. In each of our communities, the Y is in the service of building a better us. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to teach youth, teens, and adults to swim, so they can stay safe around water and learn the skills they need to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for staying healthy.

Y swim instructors are nationally certified. Their training includes CPR, AED, First Aid and Oxygen Administration. Swim lessons provide important life skills that could save a life and will benefit youth and adult swimming students for a lifetime.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Infant and Toddler Group Swim Lessons (Ages 6 months – 3)

At the YMCA, our goal is to create a healthy respect for water to keep youth safe while creating a lifelong love of aquatics environments. Accompanied by a parent*, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building swim lessons experiences. At the same time, parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision. 

Infants and toddlers will be introduced to the aquatic environment safely and comfortably to gain confidence and a healthy respect for the water. As students progress and grow, they begin to explore body positions, blowing bubbles and fundamental safety and aquatics skills. 

*Parent must participate in the water with child during the class

Preschool and School-Aged Lessons

New to swim lessons? The basis of Y swim lessons is water safety skills. Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills: swim, float, swim—sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide and exit—and jump, push, turn, grab. 

As students progress, they are taught in swim lessons the recommended skills for all to have around water, including safe water habits, underwater exploration and how to swim to safety and exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Activities, games, and drills geared to reinforce learning are utilized heavily as students continue through this skill-based approach to swimming. After having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills, build stroke techniques, develop skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being and foster a lifetime of physical activity

Youth Advanced Swim Lessons

After having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique preventing chronic disease, increasing social-emotional and cognitive well-being and fostering a lifetime of physical activity. Students work on refining stroke technique and learning all major competitive strokes in swimming lessons.

The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke. Students will learn about competitive swimming and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle. 

Backyard Swim Lessons

Looking for private swim lessons in the comfort of your own home? Backyard swim lessons are a great way for child(ren) to learn how to swim in their own pool. Backyard swim lessons can be taught in a one-on-one private setting or in a small group with up to four kids of similar swimming ability.

Lessons are provided by a certified YMCA Swim Instructor and accompanied by a certified Lifeguard.

Contact us to inquire about Backyard Swim Lessons.

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Private Swim Lessons

Are you looking to refine a specific stroke, perfect your flip-turn, have a flexible swim lesson schedule and want quick results or individual attention? Private swim lessons are perfect for you! 

Private Lessons focus on increasing your child’s skill at any age. 

  • Lessons are private one-on-one instruction with participant and swim instructor 
  • Lessons are scheduled at the frequency, days and times that fit your schedule

Contact us to inquire about Private Swim Lessons.

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Trust Our Team

Parents can help establish trust between youth and their instructors by sitting back from the class and allowing the instructor to give guidance, help solve issues, etc. Talk with your child(ren) about their time at lessons and your role during this time versus the instructor. If needed, talk with the instructor about how to help establish boundaries.

Swim Regularly

Reinforce and practice swim skills taught at class by spending time together during a recreational swim at your local YMCA.

Prevent Drowning

Safety is the number one priority around any depth of water. Find tips and information to help keep your family safe here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our lessons are broken out by age group – then Stage (swim ability level). Please refer to our Swim Lesson Indicator to assist you in determining the proper Stage of lessons for your child.

Personal requests for instructors cannot be made for group lessons, but you certainly can consider taking private lessons with an instructor. For more information, please refer to our Private Lessons.
  • Off-Season Weekday Lessons: Twice a week for 4 weeks for a total of 8 classes. Lessons are 30-minutes each.
  • Summer Weekday Lessons: Monday-Thursday for 2 weeks for a total of 8 classes. Lessons are 30-minutes each.
  • Year-Round Saturday Lessons: Once a week for 4 weeks for a total of 4 classes. Lessons are 30-minutes each.
Classes are scheduled in Sessions to make it easier for families to manage short commitments to lessons. If you miss a class, we do not offer make-ups.  What happens if there is bad weather and class is canceled? If we need to cancel a class, we usually make them up the Friday of that same week during your normally scheduled time and will send out communication to all participants.

We will always do our best to assist you in rescheduling your programs; if that cannot work out, then we will offer you a credit or refund before the season/session starts.

Private lessons often have wait lists. We do our best to get back to you timely, however that depends on having an instructor who is available during your requested day and times. We strongly encourage you to list as much available time to come for lessons so that we can match you to an instructor as soon as possible.

If you cancel your registration before the registration closes for the session (25th of the month prior) you will receive a full refund. If you need to cancel before the start of the session (before the 1st class if held) you will receive a 50% system credit refund. After that, all refunds and credits are at the discretion of the Aquatics Director.

  • For your safety, the pool may be closed, and lessons canceled. Our policy is to clear the pool upon the first audible occurrence of thunder and/or sighting of lightning within six (6) mile radius. The pool will remain closed 30 minutes from the last occurrence or sighting.
    • If classes are canceled over 30 minutes before the start of class,
    • participants will be called or emailed to be informed.
    • If classes are canceled less than 30 minutes before the start of class, notification may not be possible.
  • Make-up lessons will only occur if the YMCA cancels the weekday lessons. No make-ups for personal schedule reasons, sickness, or other personal circumstances.
  • Make-up lessons will be held on Friday of that week at the original class time.

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