Session 1 - June 3, 4, 5, 6 and June 10, 11, 12, 13
Session 2 - June 17, 18, 19, 20 and June 24,25, 26, 27
Session 3 - July 15, 16, 17, 18 and July 22,23, 24, 25
Session 4 - July 29, 30, 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 5, 6, 7, 8
Class Times
All sessions will have four available class times:
10 - 10:30 a.m.
11 - 11:30 a.m.
3 - 3:30 p.m.
4 - 4:30 p.m.
Swimming Lesson Class Overview
American Red Cross Parent and Child Aquatics builds swimming readiness by emphasizing fun in the water. Parents and children participate in several guided practice sessions that help children learn elementary skills, including water entry, bubble blowing, front kicking, back floating, underwater exploration and more. Once children can perform basic skills without parental assistance, they may begin Learn-to-Swim courses.
Divided into three levels (taught simultaneously based on enrollment), Preschool Swimming Lessons offer children an orientation to the aquatic environment and help them to acquire basic levels of aquatic skills. Children will progress from skills with full support to the final stage, where they can float independently for 5 seconds, roll to their back and float for 5 seconds, and then return to a vertical position. Children in the final stage will also be able to swim using combined arm and leg actions for 5 body lengths, roll to their back and float for 15 seconds, and then roll to their front and continue swimming for 5 body lengths.
The Learn-to-Swim Program follows the American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim curriculum for children ages 6 years and older. Progression through each of the levels in the Learn-to-Swim Program is based on individual skill development and mastery. Successful completion of all skills is necessary for advancement to the next level. UREC recommends approximately one year of consecutive sessions of instruction to successfully complete all of the skills in a level.
Level 1 -Introduction to Water Skills: Helps students feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely. Students will work to gain confidence and submerge their face in the water. They will also practice assisted floating and kicking.
Level 2-Fundamental Aquatic Skills: Gives students success with fundamental skills. This level places emphasis on unassisted floating and swimming on the front and back.
Prerequisite: Participants should be able to bob three times to chin level, enter and exit the water safely without assistance, be comfortable placing their face underwater, and be able to float on front and back for at least 3 seconds with support.
Level 3-Stroke Development: Builds on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice. Students will work to further coordinate front crawl and elementary back strokes. They will also be introduced to diving, treading water, scissors kick and butterfly kick.
Prerequisite: Unassisted transition to front and back float for 5 seconds, unassisted push off and swim for 5 body lengths, roll to back, float for 15 seconds, and then swim 5 more body lengths using a combination of leg and arm action on front.
Level 4-Stroke Improvement: Develops confidence in the strokes learned and to improve other aquatic skills. This level introduces the breaststroke, sidestroke, butterfly and open turns.
Prerequisite: Jump into deep water from the side, swim front crawl for 15 yards, maintain position by treading or floating for 30 seconds, and then swim elementary backstroke for 15 yards.
Level 5- Stroke Refinement: Develops performance of all six strokes and increases their distances. Flip turns are introduced.
Prerequisite: Jump into deep water from the side, swim front crawl for 25 yards, change direction and then swim elementary backstroke for 25 yards. Also, swim breaststroke for 15 yards, change direction and swim back crawl for 15 yards.
Classes will not exceed five students per one instructor. Therefore, you must register prior to the deadline to ensure proper instructor/participant ratios and general safety. Registrations after the deadline may be considered based on participant enrollment, but cannot be guaranteed.
Participants will be evaluated on the first day of class to confirm their individual skills meet course prerequisites. If demonstrated skills do not match the skill level for the class in which a participant is registered, the instructor will assign the student to the class that best matches the demonstrated skill level. Please remember the new class may be full or meet at a different time than the class in which the student was originally enrolled.
University Recreation reserves the right to combine or cancel classes not meeting the minimum enrollment of three students.
During Classes
We are happy to have parents, friends and family observe our swimming lessons from the benches on the pool deck. We ask that parents refrain from interrupting lessons or coming over to talk to their children during lessons. It can be distracting to the class, as well as difficult for the child to adapt to their teacher as an authority figure. Please use the five-minute discussion time to talk to your child’s instructor about their progress, or ask the assistant director for assistance.
Missed Classes
We cannot credit or prorate missed classes. To be fair and consistent to all participants and the instructors, missed classes are unable to be rescheduled, unless the class is canceled or postponed by University Recreation.
Cancellations/Withdrawals
You may withdraw from a class prior to the registration deadline and we will gladly credit you for a future session. If you must withdraw from a class after the start of a session, a credit will only be given with written confirmation of a medical condition that prohibits participation in the class. We are unable to issue refunds of any kind.
