Description of Classes:

The swim lessons program is based on swimming skills that will allow participants to enjoy aquatic activities throughout their lives. These include personal safety, survival and rescue skills, stroke development and water sports and games. Below we have listed each level and the corresponding Red Cross level for easy identification. We will be testing all of the students on the first day of each session to determine appropriate class placement. Please indicate the level that most appropriately fits your child's skill level. We will be accepting limited registrations for each time frame to try to stay within YMCA guidelines of 1 instructor to 8 students maximum for youth levels and 1 instructor to 6 students maximum for preschool. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis.

Kippers Ages 6 mos-36 mos
Parent and child are in the water together. Children work on water adjustment and gain physical and social development through games and activities in the pool. Basic arm and leg movements and pool safety are a few topics covered. Child should wear a swim diaper or swim suit with tight fitting legs. No regular disposable diapers.

Pike Ages 3-1st grade (without parent)
This level helps children develop safe pool behavior, adjust to the water, and develop independent movement in the water. It is designed for new swimmers, teaching basic paddle stroke and kicking skills, pool safety, proper use of instructional floatation devices and personal flotation devices and comfort with holding the face in the water while blowing bubbles and swimming.

Eel Ages 3-1st grade (without parent)
This advanced beginner level reinforces Pike skills. It is for children who are comfortable in the water. They are taught to kick, float, and perform the progressive paddle stroke. They also learn basic boating safety and use personal flotation devices. Children can swim across the pool without assistance by the end of this level.

Rav Ages 3-1st grade (without parent)
At this level children review previous skills, learn more personal safety and rescue skills, build endurance by swimming on their front and their back and learn to tread water. Children can swim across the pool on their front and back without assistance by the end of this level.

Starfish Ages 3-1st grade (without parent)
Children at this level review previously learned skills and refine their strokes as well as their personal safety, rescue and floating skills. Children can swim the length of the pool on their front and back.

Polliwog (Level 1) Ages 6 and Up
This is the beginner level for school age children. It gets children acquainted with the pool, the use of flotation devices, and floating. By the end of this level, they should know the front paddle stroke, side and back paddle. Children can swim across the pool without assistance by the end of this level.

Guppy (Level II) Ages 6 and Up
The children continue to practice and build upon basic skills, now performing skills without a flotation device. They are introduced to lead-up strokes to the front crawl and back crawl.

Minnow (Level III) Ages 6 and Up
This is the initial intermediate level. The children further refine the lead-up strokes they have learned as their skills become more like those normally used in swimming. They learn personal safety skills.

Fish (Level IV) Ages 6 and Up
At this point, students work to perform the crawl stroke, elementary backstroke, back crawl and breaststroke with turns. They continue learning additional swimming movements and personal safety.

Flying Fish (Level V) Ages 6 and Up
At this advanced level, students work to perform the sidestroke and butterfly, refining previously learned strokes and increasing their endurance.

Shark (Level VI) Ages 6 and Up
The students at this level continue to improve their strokes with starts and turns and are introduced to the inverted breaststroke, the trudgeon crawl and the over arm sidestroke. Opportunities are provided for the work on synchronized swimming, rescue skills and competitive swimming.

Porpoise (Level VII) Ages 6 and Up
At this final level students are exposed to a wide range of aquatic experiences. In class these advanced swimmers learn new strokes and rescue skills as well as develop leadership skills.

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