Swim Lessons

We remain committed to the safety and health of our community. Several locations are now offering lessons.

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Nurturing skills and building confidence in the water

For more than 160 years, the YMCA has nurtured potential and united communities to create lasting, meaningful change. In each of our communities, the Y is in the service of building a better us. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to teach youth, teens, and adults to swim, so they can stay safe around water and learn the skills they need to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for staying healthy.

Y swim instructors are nationally certified. Their training includes CPR, AED, First Aid and Oxygen Administration. Swim lessons provide important life skills that could save a life and will benefit youth and adult swimming students for a lifetime.

Infant And Toddler Swim Lessons

At the YMCA, our goal is to create a healthy respect for water to keep youth safe while creating a lifelong love of aquatics environments. Accompanied by a parent*, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building swim lessons experiences. At the same time, parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision.

Infants and toddlers will be introduced to the aquatic environment safely and comfortably to gain confidence and a healthy respect for the water. As students progress and grow, they begin to explore body positions, blowing bubbles and fundamental safety and aquatics skills.

*Parent must participate in the water with child during the class

Preschool and Youth Lessons: Strong swimmers. Confident kids.

New to swim lessons? The basis of Y swim lessons is water safety skills. 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—and jump, push, turn, grab.

As students progress, they are taught in swim lessons the recommended skills for all to have around water, including safe water habits, underwater exploration and how to swim to safety and exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Activities, games, and drills geared to reinforce learning are utilized heavily as students continue through this skill-based approach to swimming. After having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills, build stroke techniques, develop skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being and foster a lifetime of physical activity.

Two elementary aged girls practicing their swim kicks with kickboards in an outdoor pool

Preschool and School Aged Advanced Swim Lessons

After having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique preventing chronic disease, increasing social-emotional and cognitive well-being and fostering a lifetime of physical activity. Students work on refining stroke technique and learning all major competitive strokes in swimming lessons. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke. Students will learn about competitive swimming and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.

A middle school paged boy practices kicking in the pool with a pool noodle

Teen & Adult Swim Lessons

No matter your age, water safety is important. Whether joining Y swim lessons to gain basic water safety skills, get over a fear of the water, or develop swimming techniques, we have options for teens and adults of all ages. Group swim lessons, semi-private, private and even Masters Swim programs are available through the YMCA.

No matter your age, water safety is important. For parents, your family is safer around water when you are comfortable around water and have the adult swimming skills to keep yourself and your children safe.

Closeup of a smiling young girl at the pool

Private and Semi-Private Swim Lessons

Are you looking to refine a specific stroke, perfect your flip-turn, have a flexible swim lesson schedule and want quick results or individual attention? Private and semi-private swim lessons are perfect for you!

Private Lessons focus on increasing your child’s skill at any age.

  • Lessons can be private one-on-one instruction or a semi-private lesson with two or more participants.
  • Lessons are scheduled at the frequency, days and times that fit your schedule.
    Private and semi-private lessons are not available or are limited during group lessons.
A closeup of a swim instructor helping a young girl float in an indoor pool

Specialty Programs and Classes

Swimmers who love the water and want further instruction for future aquatics activities enjoy participating in our Specialty Programs focused on leadership, competition and recreation. We continually develop our specialty swimming lesson program curriculum.

Stroke Development Clinics and Boosters

Stroke Development Clinics and Boosters are for advanced students ages five and up who wish to improve or perfect their technique.

  • Stroke Clinics focus on mastering one specific stroke at a time, such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.
  • Stroke Boosters focus on refining all four competitive swim strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Swimmers work on improving endurance, technique and speed.

Trust Our Team

Parents can help establish trust between youth and their instructors by sitting back from the class and allowing the instructor to give guidance, help solve issues, etc. Talk with your child(ren) about their time at lessons and your role during this time versus the instructor. If needed, talk with the instructor about how to help establish boundaries.

Swim Regularly

Reinforce and practice swim skills taught at class by spending time together during a recreational swim at your local YMCA and visit our online resources on HTX+ on-demand learning platform.

Learn More About HTX+ >

Prevent Drowning

Safety is the number one priority around any depth of water. Find tips and information to help keep your family safe here.

Learn More >

Frequently Asked Questions

All participants must wear a bathing suit and shower prior to class. Rash guards are also acceptable to wear over the top of the suit. In order to maintain aquatic safety, please refrain from wearing any cotton materials or heavy-weight items. Microfiber is acceptable. Please bring a towel. Goggles are only needed for advanced classes. Swim caps help keep hair back out of the face; however, they are not required. Long hair must be pulled back into a ponytail when in class. This will allow students to maneuver easier in the water. All children who are not potty trained must wear swimmer diapers. Regular diapers inflate and can break apart in the pool.

Infant/Toddler: 1 Instructor per 8-10 Participants
Preschool: 1 instructor per 4 participants
School-age: 1 instructor per 5 participants
Teen/Adult: 1 instructor per 8 participants

If you are looking for more individualized attention, please consider semi-private or private lesson options.

The pool will close for 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder is seen or heard, if the pool bottom is not visible or if conditions are unsafe.

Pools are connected to electrical equipment such as pumps and filters that can conduct charges from lightning strikes, even if the strike is outside the building. Because of this danger, the National Weather Service recommends that both outdoor and indoor pools be cleared during storms. We ask all members to exit the pool area and change in the locker rooms.

Staff will do their best to connect with you prior to a weather cancellation. Class makeup plans and options will be communicated directly with parents/participants. Please ensure we have your most up-to-date email and phone number on your account.

The progression of each participant is based on multiple factors, including age, development, previous skills and comfort in the water. The number of classes or sessions that a participant will need to achieve a skill will depend on those factors and the complexity of the skill. Swimming skills can continue to progress on to competitive swim, recreational programs, lifeguard skills and more. At the YMCA, we will help you progress through a lifetime love of the water. We encourage youth to take swim lessons throughout the year, even if it means only once a week. This will help enforce the skills and will add additional skills.

If there is a specific skill that you would like achieved, private swim lessons can focus on specific skills and work directly on achieving those skills.

The Y welcomes everyone. We raise funds in the community and due to generous donors, we are able to offer financial assistance to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to swim. Contact your YMCA to learn more about the financial assistance program. Apply for Financial Assistance >

The YMCA also offers programs at no cost to participants through local apartment complexes, school districts and other organizations.

An underwater shot of a young girl puffing out her cheeks with air, learning the basics of swimming

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