We are America’s Swim Instructor.
The Y is “America’s Swim Instructor” and the most accessible community resource to prevent drowning and encourage a lifelong enjoyment of swimming.
The Y introduced the country to the concept of group swim lessons more than 100 years ago, (1909), and each year, the Y teaches more than a million children invaluable water safety and swimming skills.
Our swim lessons are taught by nationally certified instructors and prepare kids of all ages to stay safe and have fun in the water, building strong swimmers and confident kids. Classes arrange swimmers broadly into age groups and then by skill level as kids progress through the instruction program. Our progressive-swim instruction method uses a problem-solving, guided-discovery teaching approach in a positive, caring environment.
Preschool and Youth Swim Lessons
Browse available classes online or find your Y location to get started.
Swim Starters
lessons for parents & children ages 6 months to 3 years
Swim Starters focuses on developing swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Caregivers also learn how to supervise children in the water, how to prevent accidents and how to plan for emergencies.
Swim Basics
lessons for kids ages 3 & up
Swim Basics develops personal water safety and basic swimming skills in students of all ages. Swimmers develop a high level of comfort in the water by practicing safe water habits, engaging in underwater exploration, and learning how to swim to safety and exit if they fall into a body of water.
Swim Strokes
lessons for kids ages 6 & up
Swim Strokes introduces and refines stroke technique in older students. Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being and foster a lifetime of physical activity.
Teen Swim Lessons
for swimmers ages 13-17
This class is designed for teens ages 13-17 that have just begun to swim or teens that are interested in perfecting their strokes. This program incorporates aspects of both the Youth and the Adult YMCA Swim objectives and will allow teens to become well-rounded, experienced swimmers.
At the Y, we know families take a variety of forms. As a result, we define parent broadly to include all adults with primary responsibility for raising children, including biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents, or any other type of parenting relationship.
Adult Swim Lessons
Browse available classes online or find your Y location to get started.
Lots of adults learn to swim at the Y under the patient and skillful direction of YMCA aquatics professionals. Enjoy learning with others, or one-on-one lessons to work at your own pace. Once you learn to swim, you’ll never feel unsafe around water, and you can enjoy the many physical benefits regular swimming can provide.
Adaptive Swim Lessions
Contact your Y location to get started.
Our certified YMCA swimming instructors provide exceptional guidance and can provide instruction for a variety of special needs. Previous experience in swimming is not required. Participants are enrolled in either a private or small group depending on their specific needs and abilities. Dates are by appointment only.
Private Swim Lessons
for swimmers ages 3 & up
Contact your Y location to get started.
Private swim lessons are offered for those that need a flexible schedule, or have specific goals in which they would like to achieve. Lessons are 30 minutes in length and offered in a comfortable one-on-one setting.
Find the Right Swim Lesson
What age group does your swimmer fall into?
All age groups are taught the same skills but divided according to their developmental milestones.
6 months–3 years
Parent* & Child:
Stages A–B
3 years–5 years
Preschool:
Stages 1–4
5 years–12 years
School Age:
Stages 1–6
12+ years
Teen & Adult:
Stages 1–6
What stage is your student ready for?
Can the student respond to verbal cues and jump on land?
NOT YET
A / WATER DISCOVERY
Is the student comfortable working with an instructor without a parent in the water?
NOT YET
B / WATER EXPLORATION
Will the student go underwater voluntarily?
NOT YET
1 / WATER ACCLIMATION
Can the student do a front and back float on their own?
NOT YET
2 / WATER MOVEMENT
Can the student swim 10–15 yards on their front and back?
NOT YET
3 / WATER STAMINA
Can the student swim 15 yards of front and back crawl?
NOT YET
4 / STROKE INTRODUCTION
Can the student swim front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke across the pool?
NOT YET
5 / STROKE DEVELOPMENT
Can the student swim front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke across the pool and back?
NOT YET
6 / STROKE MECHANICS