Please, please, please...just those tykes that are potty trained. This class consists of three levels, all of which are taught in one session because children learn at different rates and have different abilities.  This will allow those children who are ready to move on to harder skills to move forward in learning.  At the end of the session each child will be given an exit assessments to determine which certificate they will earn and which level they are ready to enroll in next.


Level 1.  Orients children to the aquatic  environment and helps them gain basic aquatic skills. All Preschool Aquatics Level 1 exit skills can be performed with help from the instructor.

Level 2. 
Helps children gain greater independence in their skills and develop more comfort in and around water. The objectives of this level are to build on the basic aquatic skills learned in Level 1 and to give children further success with fundamental aquatic skills performed to a slightly more advanced degree than at Level 1.  Most skills in this level are performed with assistance (starting and stopping a skill).  This level marks the beginning of independent aquatic locomotion skills.  Children continue to explore using simultaneous and alternating arm and leg actions on the front and back to gain more proficiency for future strokes.  Level 2 also adds to the self-help and basic rescue skills introduced in Level 1.

Level 3. 
Helps children start to gain basic swimming propulsive skills to be comfortable in and around water. The objective of Level 3 is to build on the skills learned in the previous two levels by providing additional guided practice of basic aquatic skills at slightly more proficient performance levels and greater distances and times.  Skills in this level are performed independently.  Children will be taught to improve coordination of combined simultaneous arm and leg actions and alternating arm and leg actions.  Safety topics are taught in every lesson.

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Designed to help participants achieve maximum success, Learn to Swim courses are based on a logical, six-level progression that helps swimmers about 6+ years old to develop their water safety, survival and swimming skills. This page contains course descriptions for Learn to Swim levels 1 through 6. Please click here to see the 2018 course schedule. Click here for course availability (PDF).


Learn to Swim - Level 1 - Introduction to Water Skills
Helps participants feel comfortable in the water. Recommended age is 6 and older.

Skills Taught
• Enter and exit water using ladder, steps or side
• Blow bubbles through mouth and nose
• Bob in the water
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects
• Glide and float on front and back
• Tread water using arm and hand actions
• Make alternating and simultaneous leg actions on front and back
• Make alternating and simultaneous arm actions on front and back
• Combine arm and leg actions on front and back

Exit Skills

1. Enter independently, using either the steps, or side, travel at least five yards, bob three times then safely exit the water.  Participants can walk, move along the side or “swim”.

2. Glide on front at least two body lengths, roll to a back float for three seconds and recover to a vertical position. This part of the assessment can be performed with support.

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Learn to Swim - Level 2 - Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Gives participants success with fundamental skills. Students in this course can complete the exit skills for Level 1.

Skills Taught
• Enter and exit water by stepping or jumping from the side
• Fully submerge and hold breath
• Bob in the water
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects
• Front, jellyfish and tuck floats
• Recover to vertical position
• Roll from front to back and back to front
• Change direction of travel while swimming on front or back
• Tread water using arm and leg actions
• Combined arm and leg action on front and back
• Finning arm action

Exit Skills

1. Step from side into chest-deep water, move into a front float for five seconds, roll to back, float for five seconds then return to a vertical position.

2. Move into a back float for five seconds, roll to front then recover to a vertical position.

3. Push off and swim using combined arm and leg actions on front for five body lengths, roll to back, float for fifteen seconds, roll to front then continue swimming for five body lengths.

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Learn to Swim - Level 3 - Stroke Development
Builds on the skills in Level 2 through additional guided practice in deeper water. Introduces the elementary back stroke and side stroke. Students in this course can complete the exit skills for Level 2.

Skills Taught
• Enter water by jumping from the side
• Headfirst entries from the side in sitting and kneeling positions
• Bobbing while moving toward safety
• Rotary breathing
• Survival float
• Back float
• Change from vertical to horizontal position on front and back
• Tread water
• Flutter, scissor, dolphin and breaststroke kicks on front
• Front crawl and elementary backstroke

Exit Skills

1. Jump into deep water from the side, swim front crawl for fifteen yards, maintain position by treading or floating for thirty seconds and swim elementary backstroke for fifteen yards.

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Learn to Swim - Level 4 - Stroke Development
Develops confidence in the skills learned and improves other aquatic skills. Students in this course can complete the exit skills for Level 3.

Skills Taught
• Headfirst entries from the side in the compact and stride positions
• Swim under water
• Feet first surface dive
• Survival swimming
• Front crawl and backstroke open turns
• Tread water using 2 different kicks
• Front and back crawl
• Elementary backstroke
• Breaststroke
• Sidestroke
• Butterfly
• Flutter and dolphin kicks on back

Exit Skills

1. Perform a feet first entry into deep water, swim front crawl for twenty-five yards, change direction and position as necessary and swim elementary backstroke for twenty-five yards.

2. Swim breaststroke for fifteen yards, change direction and position as necessary and swim back crawl for fifteen yards.

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Learn to Swim - Level 5 - Stroke Refinement
Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes. Students in this course can complete the exit skills for Level 4.


Skills Taught
• Shallow-angle dive from the side then glide and begin a front stroke
• Tuck and pike surface dives, submerge completely
• Front flip turn and backstroke flip turn while swimming
• Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke, butterfly
• Sculling

Exit Skills

1. Perform a shallow-angle dive into deep water, swim front crawl for fifty yards, change direction and position of travel as necessary and swim elementary backstroke for fifty yards.

2. Swim breaststroke for twenty-five yards, change direction and position of travel as necessary and swim back crawl for twenty-five yards.

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Learn to Swim - Level 6 - Swimming and Skill Proficiency
Refines the strokes so participants swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with "menu" options that focus on preparing participants for more advanced courses, such as Water Safety Instructor, or other aquatic activities, such as competitive swimming or diving. Students in this course can complete the exit skills for Level 5.

Options include
• Fitness swimmer
• Personal water safety
• Fundamentals of diving

Exit Skills

1. Swim five hundred yards continuously using any three strokes of your choice, swimming at least fifty yards of each stroke.

2. Jump into deep water, perform a survival float for five minutes, roll onto back and perform a back float for five minutes.

3. Perform a feet first surface dive, retrieve an object from the bottom of the pool at a depth of seven to ten feet, return to surface and return to starting point.

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We plan to offer programs that help boy scouts earn their lifesaving and swimming merit badges. We don't currently have any courses scheduled but would be happy to do so if there is enough interest. We'll need six to eight boys to form a class and cost will be $25 per boy per merit badge.

Please check back or contact us for more information about these classes. Thanks.

current course offerings