We are pleased to offer Parent & Child swim lessons as FREE for Nishna Valley Family YMCA members!!! This class is designed for ages 12 months to 36 months. Have your child get acclimated to the water and start in swim lessons through the familiarity of being with a parent!! This introduction to water class emphasizes parental teaching methods for water adjustment and basic skills. This class is led by a certified Red Cross instructor and an adult must be in the water with the child throughout the class time. This class is designed to make your child more comfortable in and enjoy being around the water. A great starter to preschool swim lessons!!!

Ages: 3-5 years

This class introduces children ages 3-5 to basic water skills and helps them feel comfortable and safe in the water. Class is taught by a certified Red Cross Water Safety Instructor. Students learn how to develop positive attitudes and safe practices in and around water, and build skills that will help them learn to swim strokes in the futureThis class orients children to the aquatic environment and helps them gain basic aquatic skills. Children must be potty trained to be in this class. Swim diapers are allowed, but child must be able to use the restroom on their own. Children who are not potty trained may enroll in parent and child swim lessons.

The children in this class will learn the following skills:

• Enter and exit water using ladder, steps or side
• Blow bubbles through mouth and nose for 3 seconds
• Submerge mouth, nose and eyes
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects in shallow water
• Front and back glides 2 body lengths and recover to a vertical position
• Front and back float for 3 seconds and recover to a vertical position
• Roll from front to back and back to front
• Tread with arm and hand actions
• Alternating and simultaneous leg actions on front and back
• Alternating and simultaneous arm actions on front and back
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back
• Complete the series of skills with support. Enter the water independently, using steps or side, travel at least 5 yards, submerge to mouth and blow bubbles, then safely exit the water

Ages: 3-5 years

This class helps children gain greater independence in their skills and develop more comfort in and around water. Note: All skills to be completed with assistance from equipment such as a barbell, noodle, or kickboard (no floaties, lifejackets, or puddle jumpers).

The children in this class will learn the following skills:

• Enter water by stepping into shoulder deep water
• Exit water using ladder, steps or side
• Bobbing 5 times
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects in chest deep water
• Front and back floats (3 seconds on front 5 seconds on back) and glides (2 body lengths)
• Recover from a front or back float or glide to a vertical position
• Roll from front to back and back to front
• Tread water using arm and leg actions
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back (3 body lengths)
• Finning arm action on back (3 body lengths)
• Complete the series of skills with minimal assistance. Glide on front for at least 2 body lengths, roll to back, float on back for 15 seconds, then recover to a vertical position.
• Complete the series of skills with minimal assistance. Glide on back for at least 2 body lengths, roll to front, and then recover to a vertical position.
• Complete the series of skills with minimal assistance. Swim using combined arm and leg actions on front for at least 3 body lengths, roll to back, float for 15 seconds, roll to front, then continue swimming on front for at least 3 body lengths.

Ages: 5-18 years

This is the beginner class for school-aged children.  There are no pre-requisites for this level.  In this class children will learn introduction skills to the water and safely enjoy it.

They will learn the following skills independently:

• Enter and exit water using ladder, steps or side independently
• Blow bubbles through mouth and nose independently
• Bobbing independently
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects independently
• Front and back glides and floats independently
• Recover to vertical position independently
• Roll from front to back and back to front independently
• Tread water using arm and hand actions with minimal support
• Alternating and simultaneous leg actions on front and back
• Alternating and simultaneous arm actions on front and back
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back

Ages: 5-18 years

In this class children will learn the fundamentals of aquatic skills, learning basic swimming skills to begin to travel in the water independently.  Students will need to be able to perform all the skills in either Preschool Level 2 or School Age Level 1 to be in this level.

In this class they will learn the following skills:

• Enter and exit water using ladder, steps or side independently
• Blow bubbles through mouth and nose independently
• Bobbing independently
• Open eyes under water and retrieve submerged objects independently
• Front and back glides and floats independently
• Recover to vertical position independently
• Roll from front to back and back to front independently
• Tread water using arm and hand actions with minimal support
• Alternating and simultaneous leg actions on front and back
• Alternating and simultaneous arm actions on front and back
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back
• Change direction of travel while swimming on front and back independently
• Tread water using arm and leg actions independently
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back independently
• Finning arm action independently