Learn-to-Swim Program

Purpose: The Learn-to-Swim Program provides instruction to help swimmers ages 3 through adult improve their swimming and water safety skills. It is designed to give students a positive learning experience. Learn-to-Swim teaches aquatic and safety skills in a logical progression. The objective is to teach people to swim and to be safe in, on and around the water.

Skills are categorized in the following way:

• Water Entry and Exit
• Breath Control and Underwater Swimming
• Buoyancy
• Changing Direction and Position
• Treading
• Swimming on Front, Back and Side
• General and Personal Water Safety
• Helping Others

The nine learn-to-swim levels and the objectives for each level include:

Preschool 1: Adjustment to Water

Prerequisites: 3 or 4 year olds with no aquatic experience
Purpose: Helps students feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 5.

• Enter and exit water safely.
• Exploration of the pool with support.
• Perform front and back float with support.
• Roll from front to back and back to front with support.
• Perform front and back leg action with support.
• Blow bubbles with mouth and nose submerged.
• Pool safety rules and other safety topics.

Preschool 2: Basic Learning Progression

Prerequisites: Completed Preschool 1, or 4 year olds comfortable with the water
Purpose: To develop basic learning progressions and to build child's endurance.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 6.

• Enter and exit water independently.
• Move freely in chest deep water.
• Perform front and back float with floating device.
• Perform front and back leg action with floating device.
• Perform alternate arm action on front and back with support.
• Fully submerge head (for 3 seconds) into water.
• Finning arm action on back.
• Perform rhythmic breathing with bobbing.
• Perform combined stroke on front with or without support.
• Understanding pool rules and safety topics.

Preschool 3: Aquatic Skill Progression

Prerequisites: Able to perform Preschool Levels 1 and 2 skills
Purpose: Introduce new skills based on readiness.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 6.

• Jump into chest deep water safely.
• Perform front and back float.
• Perform front and back arm action.
• Perform front and back glide.
• Bobbing to safety.
• Peform rhythmic breathing pattern (5 times).
• Perform combined stroke on front (5 body lengths).
• Perform combined stroke on back (5 body lengths).
• Treading using arm and leg action (15 seconds).
• Participate in safety topics.

Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills

Prerequisites: 5 years old and older. No aquatic experience.
Purpose: Helps students feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 6.

• Enter and exit water independently.
• Fully submerge face for three(3) seconds.
• Blow bubbles.
• Locate and retrieve a submerged object.
• Front and Back Float, while supported.
• Front and Back Kick, while supported.
• Practice alternating arm action on front and back.
• Understand the pool safety rules.
• Know how and when to get help.

Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills

Prerequisites: Able to perform Level 1 skills
Purpose: Gives students success with fundamental skills of locomotion.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 6.

• Enter pool into shoulder-deep water and stand.
• Hold breath and fully submerge head (5 seconds).
• Submerge to retrieve object in chest-deep water.
• Float or glide on front and back, with recovery.
• Kicking with support on side.
• Turn over from front to back and back to front.
• Changing directions while swimming.
• Finning arm action on back (5 body lengths).
• Perform combined arm and leg action on front (5 body lengths).
• Perform combined arm and leg action on back (5 body lengths).
• Understanding water safety rules.
• Swimming with a life jacket.
• Participate in multiple safety topics.

Level 3: Stroke Development

Prerequisites: Able to perform Level 1 and 2 skills
Purpose: Builds on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 6.

• Jump into deep water from side of pool.
• Head first entry from the side of pool in a sitting or kneeling position (in a minimum of 9' of water).
• Retrieve an object from the bottom in chest-deep water.
• Perform 5 bobs in chest-deep water.
• Change from a vertical to a horizontal position on front and back in deep water.
• Coordinate arm stroke for front crawl while breathing to the side (15 yards).
• Elementary Backstroke (15 yards)
• Scissor and dolphin kicks (10 yards).
• Tread water
• Understand safe diving rules.
• Demonstrate a reaching assist.
• Participate in multiple safety topics.

Level 4: Stroke Improvement

Prerequisites: Able to perform Level 1 - 3 skills.
Purpose: Develops confidence in the strokes learned and to improve other aquatic skills.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 7.

• Demonstrate head first entry from pool side, in a compact and strike position (in a minimum of 9'of water).
• Swim under water (3-5 body lengths).
• Demonstrate feet first surface dive.
• Survival float, back float, treading water, for 2 minutes each.
• Demonstrate open turns.
• Swim the following:
• Front crawl, with rotary breathing (25 yards).
• Back crawl (15 yards).
• Elementary backstroke (25 yards).
• Sidestroke (15 yards).
• Breastroke (15 yards).
• Butterfly (15 yards).
• Participate in multiple safety topics.

Level 5: Stroke Refinement

Prerequisites: Able to perform Level 1 - 4 skills.
Purpose: Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 8.

• Perform shallow dive from the side of the pool (in a minimum of 9' of water).
• Swim under water (15 yards).
• Sculling (30 seconds)
• Demonstrate tuck and pike surface dives.
• Demonstrate survival swim, and treading water, for 5 minutes each.
• Swim the following:
• Front crawl, with rotary breathing (50 yards).
• Back crawl (50 yards).
• Elementary backstroke (50 yards).
• Sidestroke (25 yards).
• Butterfly (25 yards).
• Breastroke (25 yards).
• Flip turns while swimming on front and back.
• Participate in multiple safety topics.

Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency

Prerequisites: Able to perform Level 1 - 5 skills.
Purpose: Refines the strokes so students swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances.
Enrollment: Minimum number of students required: 4. Maximum number: 8.

• Swim the following:
• Front crawl and turns (100 yards).
• Back crawl and turns (50 yards).
• Elementary backstroke (100 yards).
• Sidestroke and turns (50 yards).
• Butterfly and turns (50 yards).
• Breastroke and turns (50 yards).

Level 6 is designed with three (3) skill options. Once the above skills are complete, the students will be taught one of the four options listed below. Each of these options focus on preparing students to succeed in more advance courses, such as Guard Start, Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training. These options include:

• Personal Water Safety (self help techniques in the water).
• Fundamentals of diving (basic approaches and dives off a diving board into at least 11'6").
• Fitness swimming (using swimming as a method of maintaining fitness level).