We've been upgraded

The YMCA is the leader in youth aquatics programming including swim lessons, safety around water, lifeguard training and more. In an effort to continue to grow and provide the highest quality experience for your child, we have recently upgraded our Swim lessons to include an easier way to choose the perfect program, track your child’s progress and help them grown stronger every day. Strong swimmers confident kids.

Program Enrollment

Once the Enrollment Guide is viewed and the appropriate program identified, please choose the age level from below to begin your program enrollment today. Parent and Child programs are perfect for children ages 6 months – 3 years. Preschool age programming is designed for those swimmers ages 3 – 5 years old and the school age are for youths 5 years of age – 12 years of age.

Swim Starters — Age 6 Months -36 Months

Accompanied by a parent, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence – building experiences, while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision.

A / WATER DISCOVERY

Parents accompany children in stage A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.

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B / WATER EXPLORATION

In stage B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.

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Swim Basics — Preschool Age 3-5 Years and Youth Age 6-12 Years

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.
  • Jump, push, turn, grab

1 / WATER ACCLIMATION

Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in stage 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.

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2 / WATER MOVEMENT

In stage 2, students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while also continuing to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.

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3 / WATER STAMINA

In stage 3, students learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.

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Swim Strokes — Preschool Age 3-5 Years and Youth Age 6-12 Years

Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and buid stroke technique, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity.

4 / STROKE INTRODUCTION

Students in stage 4 develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke.

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5 / STROKE DEVELOPMENT

Students in stage 5 work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke.

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6 / STROKE MECHANICS

In stage 6, students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.

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2023 Aquatic sponsor:

Aiden Rupp Memorial Scholarship Fund

Keeping Kids Safe Around Water

The Aiden Rupp Memorial Scholarship fund was established in 2012 at the Richard G. Snyder YMCA Campus. Aiden’s parents Tim and Amy Rupp created this fund in memory of their son whose life was cut short in a drowning accident in 2004. This trust has been created to fund swim lessons for children in need. Aiden loved the water and his memory is sure to live on in the new swimmers that are born each day.