The YMCA Swim Lesson Curriculum incorporates core swim skills that every person needs to be safe around water. The foundation of our program is to teach students correct swim stroke techniques to increase their confidence around water and to remain safe.
Swim Starters develops water enrichment and aquatic readiness in children ages six months to three years. This category focuses on developing swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Parents also learn how to supervise children in the water, how to prevent accidents and how to plan for emergencies.
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 introduces and refines stroke technique in older students (school age, teens and adults). 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.
For children 6 months - 3 years old
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.
Parents accompany children in stage A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.
In stage B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
Available for Preschool Stages 3-5 Years Old, School Age Stages 5-12 Years Old
Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in stage 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming
Available for Preschool Stages 3-5 Years Old, School Age Stages 5-12 Years Old
In stage 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.
Available for Preschool Stages 3-5 Years Old, School Age Stages 5-12 Years Old
In stage 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.
Available for Preschool Stages 3-5 Years Old, School Age Stages 5-12 Years Old
Students in stage 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.
Available for School Age Stages 5-12 Years Old
Students in stage 5 work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke.
Available for School Age Stages 5-12 Years Old
In stage 6, students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.
Teen & Adult Stages 12 + years old
All classes are mandatory. Participants must be at least 15 years old on the first day of class. Pre Req Participants must be able to swim 300 yards continuously, using each of the following strokes for at least 100 yards: Freestyle (front crawl), Breaststroke. Tread water for 2 minutes using legs only.
Starting in the water, participants must be able to swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound weight, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object, and exit the water without using a ladder or steps all within 1 min and 40 seconds.
Stretch, tone, and strengthen muscles by using water resistance. This program consists of exercises that increase the range of motion in the shoulders, wrists, hips, knees, lower extremities, and abdominal areas.
A low impact, warm water workout for any fitness level. Designed to be comfortable, invigorating, and easy on your joints. This class improves strength, flexibility, and endurance to improve movement.
136 West Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702
203.754.9622
Monday – Friday:
5:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Saturday:
7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday:
7:30 AM - 2:00 PM
To provide programs that develop a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Serving Waterbury, Watertown, Woodbury, Middlebury, Prospect, Thomaston, Southbury, Bethlehem & Wolcott.
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