Group Swim Lessons

Group Lessons

We serve the community as a resource in aquatic education and water safety through student-centered swim instruction. Children between the ages 4 years and 14 years old learn and practice new swim skills that last a lifetime. Swimmers in our program become more comfortable and secure around water as we emphasize water safety and stroke development.

At the Y, we know families take a variety of forms. As a result, we define parents broadly to include all adults with primary responsibility for raising children, including biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents, or any other type of parenting relationship.

Class times/days vary by month. Please refer to our current Group Registration Form at the Welcome Center for details or view our current class selection online.
Registration deadline is the 20th of the previous month, and lessons begin on the first Monday of the next month.

Types of Classes:

Parent & Tot: (6 months – 35 months) 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. These group classes are only offered seasonally not year-round.

These classes are held on Saturday mornings during April, June, August, and October annually.
There will be (4) 30 minute classes per month.
To hold the class we must have no less than 5 participants and will not exceed 10 participants per class.
Level A is 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM & Level B is 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM.
Price per month is Members - $50 & Non-Members $90.

Level A. Water Discovery - Parent & Tot (6 – 18 months) seasonal

Level B. Water Exploration - Parent & Tot (19 – 35 months) seasonal

Skills practiced: (all skills are practices with assistance from parents)

Blowing Bubbles
Front Float/Tow
Pool Entry & Exit
Back Float/Tow
Rolling Front to Back
Wall Grab

Preschool Age: (3 years & 4 years only) Building off the assisted skills learned during Parent & Tot classes, students begin learning how to perform them on their own while learning forward movement through the water. These group classes are all small with 2 - 3 participants with one instructor. Because of this, it allows the students to acclimate to the water at their own speed and progress at their comfortable pace while feeling secure and safe with their instructor.

These classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays from March - November.
There will be (8) 30 minute classes per month.
To hold the class we must have no less than 2 participants and will not exceed 3 participants per class.
Classes are scheduled between 4:30 PM & 5:30 PM.
Price per month is Members - $80 & Non-Members $130.

Level 1. Water Acclimation & Movement – Increases comfort with underwater exploration and introduces basic self-rescue skills performed with assistance.

Skills practiced:

Blowing Bubbles
Front Float/Tow/Glide
Pool Entry/Exit/Wall Grab
Back Float/Tow/Glide
Rolling Front to Back

Swim Basics: (5 years - 14 years) 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

While we recommend certain ages take certain classes, that is just a guideline for parents. As soon as they learn and achieve that level’s skills, they should move up to the next group regardless of age. These group swim lessons are offered March – November every year.

These classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays from March - May & September - November. (Summer group lessons follow a different schedule.)
There will be (8) 30 minute classes per month.
To hold the class we must have no less than 3 participants and will not exceed 5 participants per class.
Classes are scheduled between 5:00 PM & 7:00 PM.
Price per month is Members - $60 & Non-Members $110.

Level 1. Water Acclimation – Increases comfort with underwater exploration and introduces basic self-rescue skills performed with assistance.

Level 1. Water Movement – Encourages forward movement in water and basic self-rescue skills performed independently.

Level 1. Water Stamina – Develops intermediate self-rescue skills performed at longer distances than in previous stages.

* For stroke introduction or more advanced classes we recommend looking into private lessons or trying out for the Tidal Wave swim team here at the Y. Tidal Wave tryouts are held yearly in August for the new season or privately anytime during the school year by request to Coach Rebecca.

For more questions, please contact the Welcome Center at 325.695.3400 or email the Aquatics Director at rdantzler@abileneymca.org.