YMCA of the Palm Beaches

Youth Swimming Lessons

Progressive Swim Lessons
YMCA Progressive Swim Lessons are designed to encourage your child’s involvement in learning to swim from infant to young adult. YMCA Progressive Swim Lessons teaches swimmers survival skills, safety skills, and competitive stroke techniques to become a great swimmer. The final level is the YMCA Waves competitive swim team. Progressive Swim Lessons are offered weekday afternoons or Saturday mornings in monthly sessions and each child is rewarded with a progress report at the end of each session.

Parent/Tot
The foundation of the Parent and Tot aquatic class is a set of basic skills that prepares infants and young children to become comfortable in the water so they are willing and ready to learn to swim. These basic skills include adjusting to the water environment, showing comfort while maintaining a front or back position in the water and demonstrating breath control (i.e., blowing bubbles or voluntarily fully submerging under water).
 

Preschool Lesson Levels
 

	SHRIMP - Parent-Child (6 to 36 months) A parent and child work together to provide the child with a positive first experience in the water. In this class, parents will learn the basic cues and holds to teach their children basic water skills. Fundamental skills will be introduced through songs, games and activities. The SHRIMP program prepares the child for group lessons without a parent or guardian in the water.
	PIKE - (3 to 5 years) (Max 6 students) At this level, children attend classes without their parents in the water. It helps build confidence, develop safe behavior and water adjustment. It focuses on teaching basic paddle stroke, kicking skills, pool safety and increasing comfortableness putting face in the water while blowing bubbles.
	EEL - (3 to 5 years) EEL swimmers are the advanced beginner level that reinforces PIKE skills. Your child will learn to paddle on their front, back and side without a float belt; jump in without assistance; EEL swimmers are comfortable in the water and able to swim on their own without support for a short distance. Additional endurance and skill performance will be included at this level.
	RAY - (3 to 5 years) The RAY level is designed for an intermediate pre-preschooler who is able to swim 30 feet on their own. The child learns to swim more independently. Children will float on front and back without a float belt; tread water with a float belt; swim front/back crawl, breaststroke, elementary backstroke, and sidestroke 20 feet without a float belt. Stroke improvement and endurance are the prime objectives.
	STARFISH - (3 to 5 years) This advanced class is designed for the swimmer too young to participate in the Guppy level yet ready for advanced skills. STARFISH refines strokes learned previously in RAY without a float belt; child does the font and back float for one minute and does a head first dive without assistance. Course includes an introduction to additional safety skills, increased endurance, water sports and stroke refinement.
	YOUTH LEVEL LESSONS
	POLLIWOG (6 and up) This class is for the novice swimmer with little or no swimming skills or who has a fear of the water. POLLIWOG is the beginning level for school age children who have never taken YMCA lessons. The class is designed to have the child become acquainted with the water. Children will learn the fundamentals of swimming.
	GUPPY - (6 and up) Children continue to practice and build upon basic skills without aid of floatation devices. They are introduced to front and back crawl, side stroke, breast stroke and elementary back stroke. More synchronized swimming and wet ball skills are taught. Diving skills are being taught as well.
	MINNOW - (6 and up) This intermediate level class will encourage endurance building, stroke development and safety skills. MINNOW further refines the child’s strokes and dives, as well as, increasing pool and personal safety, boating, and rescue skills. Children will learn to swim 25 yards using front/back crawl. Advanced strokes including the backstroke, breaststroke, and sidestroke will be taught.
	FISH - (6 and up) This class builds on previous skills by adding the butterfly stroke, first aid, basic snorkel skills and teamwork. At this level children continue to swim strokes adding the appropriate turns and building endurance. The child will also perform floats; swim butterfly stroke; head/feet first sculling; head-first dive and swim down 6 – 8 feet.
	FLYING FISH This advanced level classes encourage stroke refinement and advanced swimming skills. Butterfly, flip-turns, and starts will be introduced. Water Polo skills, personal ground rules for risk, leadership and setting goals. At this advanced level, children will develop the ability to perform more complex combination of swimming movements.
	SHARK At this level SHARKS continue to improve strokes and turns. SHARK students will learn inverted breaststroke, over arm sidestroke; swim 100 yards of front/back crawl with flip turn and breaststroke with turn; swim inverted breaststroke for for 50 yards; butterfly stroke for 25 yards ; 200 yards of individual medley consisting of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, front crawl.

Swim Lesson Fees:

For more information about drowning prevention or for statistics on drownings in Palm Beach County, please download the Palm Beach County Drowning Prevention Coalition brochure.