WHERE STRONG SWIMMERS BECOME CONFIDENT KIDS

The New Canaan YMCA follows the YMCA’s National swim lessons program, designed to teach safety, confidence, and strength in the water in a supportive and nurturing environment. The program is organized into eight levels and your child is assigned to a level at the beginning of each session.  In our bright aquatics center, swim lessons are available as parent/child classes, small group, private, and semi-private lessons.

The Y and the New Canaan Recreation Department are partnering to offer summer swim lessons at the Steve Benko Pool in Waveny Park! Parent/Child, Preschool, and School-Age swim lessons are available for children ages 6 months to 12 years.*

Registration begins Monday, April 8 and will be available online and at the Y’s Member Services Desk.

*Membership to the Steve Benko Pool is required prior to the first day of lessons. Click here or visit: newcanaanct.myrec.com to become a member. Membership at the New Canaan YMCA is not required.

SESSIONS:

Sessions run Monday-Friday, with 30 minute lessons running between 8:15 – 10:45 AM.

• Session 1: 6/24 – 6/28
• Session 2: 7/1 – 7/5 (no classes 7/4)
• Session 3: 7/8 – 7/12
• Session 4: 7/15 – 7/19
• Session 5: 7/22 – 7/26
• Session 6: 7/29 – 8/2
• Session 7: 8/5 – 8/9
• Session 8: 8/12 – 8/16

FEES:

• Parent & Child (ages 6 months-3 years): $29/session ($24 for session 2)
• Preschool (ages 3-5): $33/session ($27 for session 2)
• School-Age (ages 5-12): $38/session ($31 for session 2)

For additional information and any questions, contact Kristin White, Senior Director of Aquatics, at 203-920-1643 or by email.

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. Parent-child aquatic classes are a fun, special time for parents to interact with their children and with each other.

Parent-Child swim lessons ratio: 1:2 – 1:6

Level A: Water Discovery (Ages 6 Months-3 Years)

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

Level B: Water Exploration (Ages 16 Months-3 Years)

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

The most important aspect of preschool swimming is ensuring the child is comfortable in the water and ready to make the advancements to learn to swim independently. 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

Preschool swim lessons ratio: 1:2 – 1:4

Swimmers will be assigned to one of the following levels after his/her evaluation during the first class:

Level 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 level 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.

Level 2: Water Movement

In level 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.

Level 3: Water Stamina

In level 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.

*Parents and/or guardians of children who are in 4th grade or younger must remain in Dante’s Café or second floor viewing area during swim lessons.

Available for all swim levels, school-age lessons also continue to build upon fundamentals, learning additional water safety skills and developing stroke techniques.

School-Age swim lessons ratio: 1:2 – 1:4

Swimmers will be assigned to one of the following levels after his/her evaluation during the first class:

Level 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 level 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.

Level 2: Water Movement

In level 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.

Level 3: Water Stamina

In level 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.

Level 4: Stroke Introduction

Students in level 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.

Level 5: Stroke Development

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

Level 6: Stroke Mechanics

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

*Parents and/or guardians of children who are in 4th grade or younger must remain in Dante’s Café or second floor viewing area during swim lessons.

NEW! School-Age Stroke Refinement (Level 5+)

This class is for those who are a swim level 5 or higher looking to refine their swimming strokes. Participants must be able to swim 25 yards from one end of the pool to the other, without stopping or holding on to the side; in addition to being able to swim all four strokes with some proficiency.

In addition to our group lessons, we also offer private and semi-private swim lessons at the Y.  To learn more about private or semi-private swim lessons, please contact Kristin White, Senior Director of Aquatics, at 203-920-1643 or by email.

Free Swim is open to New Canaan YMCA members only and is not available for reciprocity members.

Children under 12 years and non-swimmers of any age MUST be accompanied into the pool and supervised by an adult over the age of 18, at all times. Youth members under 12 may be accompanied by one non-member parent or guardian, registration is required.

A ratio of 1 adult to no more than 6 children (no more than 2 non-swimmers) is required.

All children 15 years and under will have their swimming skills evaluated before entering the pool and be assigned a color-coded neck band:  RED (beginner), YELLOW (intermediate), or GREEN (advanced).

If you have any questions about the swim lessons program or are unsure of the appropriate level for your child, please contact Kristin White, Senior Director of Aquatics, at 203-920-1643 or by email. to schedule an evaluation. This brief evaluation allows for each child to be placed accordingly to ensure success and growth within the swim lessons program.

Swim Lessons Level Overview