Summer Swimming Lessons

Swimming Lessons

In cooperation with the Fergus Falls Area Family YMCA, West Central Area Community Education is happy to provide swim lessons for kids ages 3-13.  All lessons are American Red Cross Certified Curriculum taught by trained American Red Cross Certified Water Safety Instructors. 

Instructors will not have very much time between lessons, so swimmers are asked to be ready to begin their lesson immediately at their start time.  Parents are encouraged to stay and watch lessons.  If parents leave the swimming area during lessons, they are asked to be back promptly at the end of the lesson.  Instructors will not be able to supervise swimmers in the water who are not in a lesson.  Swimming lessons meet regardless of weather.  If it is unsafe to swim due to weather, safety skills will be taught in the shelter located near the beach. Register Here

Class Options

PreK—Prekindergarten—Approximate ages 3-4

LEVEL 1—Introduction to Water Skills—Approximate ages 5-7 This level is ideal for children that have not had previous swim instruction or are unable or uncomfortable with putting their entire face in the water.  The purpose of this level is for students to become more comfortable in the water.  Students will become proficient in skills such as:  entering and exiting the water safely, submerging entire face, using a life jacket and beginning front and back float.

LEVEL 2—Fundamental Aquatic Skills—Approximate ages 7-8 This level is ideal for children that are able to put their face in the water but are unable to independently float on their front and back.  The purpose of this level is for students to begin to develop fundamental water skills.  In this level, students will learn to swim unaided 15 feet on either their front or back as well as entering the water by jumping or stepping from the side, treading water, roll over from back-to-front and front-to-back.

LEVEL 3—Stroke Development—Approximate ages 8-9 In this level, students will continue to build on the fundamentals learned in the previous levels.  The skills   mastered in this level include:  rotary breathing, front and back crawl, butterfly kick and body motion, standing or kneeling dive, survival float, tread water for 30 seconds, as well as emergency situation Check—Call—Care.

LEVEL 4—Stroke Improvement—Approximate ages 9-10 In this level, students will develop confidence in the skills learned in previous levels as well as improve other aquatic skills.  The skills  mastered in this level include:  swimming 25 yards of front and back crawl as well as 15 yards of butterfly, breaststroke and elementary backstroke.  In addition to these skills, water safety will also be implemented through the learning of a throwing assist, safe diving rules and how to care for a choking victim.

LEVEL 5—Stroke Refinement—Approximate ages 9-12 In this level, students will further coordinate and refine skills they have learned in past levels.  Students will master the following skills:  standing dive, pike and tuck surface dives, front and back crawl, sidestroke, breaststroke, shallow dive, front flip turn and elementary backstroke.

LEVEL 6—Swimming and Skill Proficiency—Approximate ages 11-13 In this level, students will focus on endurance and stroke technique.  The purpose of this level is for students to refine strokes and be able to swim with ease, efficiency, power and effectiveness over great distances.  Some skills for life guarding and fitness will be taught.