The goal of this class is to provide instruction for adults who accompany their children to develop aquatic readiness skills. By empowering parents to teach their kids to develop a high-comfort level in the water, children will gain confidence and learn to enjoy being in the water. This class does not teach children at this age to become accomplished swimmers, but it provides a foundation for future learning.

Preschool lessons are designed to introduce buoyancy, propulsion and safety in the water in an age appropriate way. The Preschool lessons program is broken into four levels of achievement, with specific metrics to be reached to progress to the next level.

To pass Preschool Beginner 1, must be able to:

• Get chin/lips/nose/eyes wet unassisted
• Blow bubbles, face in water without holding nose
• Submerge under water unassisted diving/reaching for a toy
• Begin to front glide from the wall or steps to instructor
• Supported back float, willingly with ears in, body straight and flat
• Supported front float with face in, body straight and flat
• Jump to instructor from side of pool willingly, with some assistance getting head wet
• Water Safety - Stretch, reach for the wall then exit: elbow, elbow, knee, knee

To pass Preschool Beginner 2, must be able to:

• Float on back unassisted for 8 seconds
• Float on stomach unassisted for 8 seconds
• Retrieves objects 3 feet underwater with bubbles unassisted
• Streamline jumps off bottom of the pool 3 consecutive times
• Streamline kick off the wall to instructor 1/2 way across the pool and back, blowing bubbles
• Kicking on their back assisted with hugging a kick board
• Jumps to instructor unassisted with streamline kick back to the wall
• Water Safety - Introduction to Elementary Backstroke arms ONLY

To pass Preschool Beginner 3, must be able to:

• Floats from back to front and onto back again
• Introduction to breathing to ONE side with kick board or noodle, ears in/straight arms
• Kicking(straight legs) on their back with arms at side
• Streamline kick on their back across the pool
• Elementary Backstroke arms with backstroke flutter kick across the pool and back
• Seated dive into streamline for 4 kicks face in, to the instructor
• Water Safety - Jumps in water over their head and gets to back float

To pass Preschool Intermediate, must be able to:

• Controlled breathing: Retrieving multiple objects from 4 1/2 ft bottom, blowing bubbles through nose and mouth - no holding breath
• Backstroke across the pool and back unassisted with proper arms
• Freestyle breathing to one side with one arm freestyle
• Introduction to 2 arm freestyle wit the noodle breathing to the same side
• Kneeling dive off side of pool, staying in streamline for 4 kicks & 2 arms

School-Age lessons build on existing skills or skills learned in the Preschool group. In School age lessons, swimmers will now master buoyancy and flotation, start independent propulsion, and ultimately gain technical competency in the four main swimming strokes. The group is broken into three mastery categories, again, with specific metrics to enable advancement to the next level. These lessons are currently only taught in Lessons Pool.

To pass Beginner, the swimmer must be able to:

• Put face in water/blow bubbles
• Open eyes underwater/begin to retrieve objects
• Bobbing-submerge and recover 2-3 times
• Begin to push off wall with face submerged to instructor
• Float on belly for 5 seconds
• Simultaneously move arms and legs on belly with NO support
• Float on back for 5 seconds
• Simultaneously move arms and legs on back with NO support
• Jump in and swim short distance to instructor independently

To pass Intermediate, must be able to:

• Submerge and hold breathe
• Swim freestyle with rotary breathing across width of pool
• Swim backstroke with elementary back arms/flutter kick across width of pool
• Push off in tight streamline on stomach to instructor
• Push off in tight streamline on back to instructor
• Concept of breaststroke kick
• Kneeling dive

To pass Advance, must be able to:

• Swim legal freestyle
• Swim legal backstroke
• Swim legal breaststroke
• Swim legal butterfly

Middle School Advanced is geared towards the middle school swimmer who is capable of swimming a 25 yard freestyle and 25 yard backstroke (one pool length) without stopping, and who would like to learn the other two competitive swim strokes: breaststroke and butterfly. Lessons will be held in the competition pool.