WE'RE HERE FOR EVERYONE
All ages —from infants to seniors— can learn to swim

For more than 175 years, the YMCA has nurtured potential and united communities across America to create lasting, meaningful change. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to teach youth, teens, and adults to swim, so they can stay safe around water and learn the skills they need to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for staying healthy. Y swim instructors are nationally certified.

FIND YOUR SWIM LESSONS

French Creek (Avon)

Geauga (Chardon)

Hillcrest (Lyndhurst)
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Lakewood
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North Royalton

Parker Hannifin (downtown)

Warrensville Heights

West Shore (westlake)

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CURIOUS ABOUT SKILL DEVELOPMENT?
Learn about what skills you
will develop in each stage of our program. ​

Swim Stages

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NOT SURE WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU?
Check out our ​lesson selector

Lesson Selector

ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS:

Swim Starters Aquatic Program
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.
*We define parent broadly to include all adults with primary Skill Assessments responsibility for raising children, including biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents, or any other type of parenting relationship.

​Basics for Preschool, School Age, Teen and Adult
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—and jump, push, turn, grab.

In Water Acclimation, Water Movement, and Water Stamina, students are taught the recommended skills for all to have around water including safe water habits, underwater exploration, and how to swim to safety and exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Activities, games, and drills, geared to reinforce learning, are utilized heavily as students progress in this skill-based approach to swimming.

​Swim Strokes for Preschool, School Age, Teen and Adult
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.

In Stroke Introduction, Stroke Development and Stroke Mechanics, swimmers are introduced to the four competitive swimming strokes as well as rescue skills and healthy lifestyle habits.

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Specialty Classes and Programs
Swimmers who love the water and want further instruction for future aquatics activities enjoy participating in our Specialty Programs focused on leadership, competition, and recreation. We continually develop our specialty program curriculum.

​Please check with your local Y for new offerings.

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More questions? Contact your local YMCA for more information!