Did you know the YMCA owns and operates more swimming pools than any other organization in the country? We teach millions of children and adults to swim each year. In fact, it’s one of the most common ways people come to know who we are: “I learned to swim at the Y.”
Locally, the Naperville YMCAs instruct more than 1,100 youth each week through swim lessons and swim team. The Y is America’s swim instructor, not just because we teach technical swimming skills, but also because we realize that swim lessons provide an opportunity to teach much more than that.
This winter we’re launching a brand new swim lesson program at the Y. Our new child-centered curriculum will help children swim confidently at his or her own pace. All classes will focus on water safety, having fun while learning, building character and increasing self-confidence.
Parents also can be an active participant in their child’s learning through take home activities and weekly feedback. With young swimmers the Y’s focus is on water safety- considering the actions to take if they were to fall into a pool of water. With more accomplished swimmers our focus is on stroke development, concentrating on how to build endurance and perfect technique.
This may seem like an odd time of the year to talk about swim lessons, but at the Y we are looking to reverse some alarming statistics. According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury among children aged 1-4 years and one of the top three causes among persons less than 29 years. A further concern is that 60 percent of youth drowning incidents occur within 10 feet of safety.
We see so many families entering swim lessons for the first time in the spring to “get ready” for summer swimming. While an 8-week session provides a good foundation for young swimmers, a more consistent program year round provides the best opportunity for kids to be safe around water and more confident when they are in the water.
Visit www.napervilleymca.org for more information. With a commitment to serving the entire community, the Y’s financial assistance program is always available.
