GENEVA FAMILY YMCA

​​​​SWIM STARTERS

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.

Swim diapers required if not potty-trained. Staff-to-child ratio is 1:12 unless otherwise noted.


STAGE A - WATER DISCOVERY

Parent Child Swim Stage A
ages 6 months - 18 months

Introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water. Water Discovery is for students who aren’t yet able to respond to verbal cues and jump on land.

With assistance, children will learn how to:

  • Blow bubbles on the surface of the water 
  • Move and float with their chin in the water
  • Move and float with their head on your shoulder
  • Roll from front to back and back to front
  • Grab the pool wall
  • Enter and exit the water



STAGE B - WATER EXPLORATION
Parent Child Swim Stage B
ages 18 months - 36 months

Students entering this level should be comfortable in the water, able to respond to verbal cues and jump on land. Parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills. Water Explorations is for students who aren’t yet comfortable working with an instructor without a parent in the water.

With assistance, children will learn how to:

  • Blow bubbles with mouth and nose submerged in the water
  • Move and float while blowing bubbles in the water
  • Move and float with their head on your chest
  • Roll from back to front and front to back
  • Monkey crawl
  • Enter and exit the water



YOUTH 3 - 5 YEARS OLD
SWIM BASICS

Recommended skills for all to have around water

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
  • 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. Intro to Preschool Swim Stage 1


Water Acclimation ages 3 - 5 years

  • Preschool Swim Stage 1                                     Water Acclimation        ages 3 - 5 years    
  • Preschool Swim Stage 2                                     Water Movement         ages 3 - 5 years
  • Preschool Swim Stage 3                                     Water Stamina ages     ages 3 - 5 years

PRESCHOOL SWIM STAGE 1
Water Acclimation ages 3 - 5 years
Preschoolers develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to perform basic self-rescue skills with assistance. Preschool Swim Stage 1 is for students who aren’t yet comfortable going underwater voluntarily.

In Water Acclimation, your child will:

  • Bob to submerge in the water
  • Front and back glide to the wall for five feet with help
  • Front and back float for 10 seconds with help
  • Roll from back to front and front to back with help
  • Jump, push, turn, grab with help
  • Swim, float, swim 10 feet with help
  • Exit the water


Children entering this level should be comfortable working with an instructor without a parent in the water. Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.


PRESCHOOL SWIM STAGE 2
Water Movement ages 3 - 5 years
Preschoolers entering this level should be able to go underwater voluntarily. Students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while continuing to practice how to safely exit if they would fall into a body of water. Preschool Swim Stage 2 is for students who aren’t yet able to do a front and back float on their own. 

In Water Movement, your child will: 

  • Submerge to look at an object on the bottom of the pool
  • Front and back glide to the wall for five feet
  • Front and back float for 10 seconds
  • Roll from back to front and front to back
  • Jump, push, turn, grab
  • Swim, float, swim five yards
  • Tread water near the wall for 10 seconds
  • Exit the water



PRESCHOOL SWIM STAGE 3
Water Stamina ages 3 - 5 years
Preschoolers entering this level should be able to front and back float independently. Students learn to swim to safety from a longer distance. They are introduced to rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action. Preschool Swim Stage 3 is for students who aren’t yet able to swim 10-15 yards on their front and back.

In Water Stamina, your child will: 

  • Retrieve an object in chest-deep water
  • Swim on their front and back for 10 yards
  • Roll from back to front and front to back
  • Jump, push, turn, grab 10 yards
  • Swim, float, swim 15 yards
  • Tread water for 30 seconds
  • Exit the water


PRESCHOOL SWIM STROKES

Skills to support a healthy lifestyle

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 swimmers are introduced to the four competitive swimming strokes as well as rescue skills and healthy lifestyle habits.

Preschool Swim Stage 4                  Stroke Introduction                ages 3 - 5 years 



PRESCHOOL SWIM STAGE 4
Stroke Introduction ages 3 - 5 years
Preschoolers entering School Age Swim Stage 4 should be able to swim 10-15 yards on their front and back independently. Students develop stroke technique in front and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Treading is also introduced.

In Stroke Introduction, your child will:

  • Swim the front crawl with rotary breathing for 15 yards
  • Breaststroke kick for 15 yards
  • Butterfly kick for 15 yards
  • Elementary backstroke for 15 yards
  • Dive from a sitting position
  • Tread water using a scissor and whip kick for one minute
  • Swim any combination of strokes for 25 yards



YOUTH 6 - 12 YEARS OLD

SWIM BASICS

Recommended skills for all to have around water

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
  • 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. 

Youth Swim Stage 1                    Water Acclimation                      ages 6 - 13 years
Youth Swim Stage 2                    Water Movement                       ages 6 - 13 years
Youth Swim Stage 3                    Water Stamina                            ages 6 - 13 years



Youth Swim Stage 1
Water Acclimation ages 6 - 12 years

Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Children entering this level should be comfortable working with an instructor without a parent in the water. Youth Swim Stage 1 is for students who aren’t yet comfortable going underwater voluntarily.

In Water Acclimation, your child will:

  • Bob to submerge in the water
  • Front and back glide to the wall for five feet with help
  • Front and back float for 10 seconds with help
  • Roll from back to front and front to back with help
  • Jump, push, turn, grab with help
  • Swim, float, swim 10 feet with help
  • Exit the water



YOUTH SWIM STAGE 2
Water Movement ages 6 - 12 years

Swimmers entering this level should be able to go underwater voluntarily. Students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while continuing to practice how to safely exit if they would fall into a body of water. Youth Swim Stage 2 is for students who aren't yet able to do a front and back float on their own. 

In Water Movement, your child will:

  • Submerge to look at an object on the bottom of the pool
  • Front and back glide to the wall for five feet
  • Front and back float for 10 seconds
  • Roll from back to front and front to back
  • Jump, push, turn, grab
  • Swim, float, swim five yards
  • Tread water near the wall for 10 seconds
  • Exit the water



YOUTH SWIM STAGE 3
Water Stamina ages 6 - 12 years

Children entering this level should be able to front and back float independently. Students learn to swim to safety from a longer distance. They are introduced to rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action. Youth Swim Stage 3 is for students who aren’t yet able to swim 10-15 yards on their front and back.

In Water Stamina, your child will:

  • Retrieve an object in chest-deep water
  • Swim on their front and back for 10 yards
  • Roll from back to front and front to back
  • Jump, push, turn, grab 10 yards
  • Swim, float, swim 15 yards
  • Tread water for 30 seconds
  • Exit the water


AGES 6 - 12 YEARS OLD

SWIM STROKES                                                                                                  

Skills to support a healthy lifestyle

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.

Youth Swim Stage 4                        Stroke Introduction                       ages 5 - 13 years
Youth Swim Stage 5                        Stroke Development                     ages 5 - 13 years
Youth Swim Stage 6                        Stroke Mechanics                          ages 5 - 13 years


YOUTH SWIM STAGE 4
Stroke Introduction
Children entering Youth Swim Stage 4 should be able to swim 15 yards on their front and back independently. Students develop stroke technique in front and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Treading is also introduced. 

In Stroke Introduction, your child will:

  • Swim the front crawl with rotary breathing for 15 yards
  • Breaststroke kick for 15 yards
  • Butterfly kick for 15 yards
  • Elementary backstroke for 15 yards
  • Dive from a sitting position
  • Tread water using a scissor and whip kick for one minute
  • Swim any combination of strokes for 25 yards



YOUTH SWIM STAGE 5
Stroke Development ages 5 - 13 years
Children entering Youth Swim Stage 5 should be able to swim 15 yards of front and back crawl. Students work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. Emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke.

In Stroke Development, your child will:

  • Swim the front crawl with bent-arm recovery for 25 yards
  • Breaststroke for 25 yards
  • Butterfly with simultaneous arm action and kick for 15 yards
  • Back crawl for 25 yards
  • Sidestroke for 25 yards
  • Dive from a kneeling position
  • Tread water using a scissor and whip kick for two minutes
  • Swim any combination of strokes for 50 yards



YOUTH SWIM STAGE 6
Stroke Mechanics ages 5 - 13 years
Children entering Youth Swim Stage 6 should be able to swim 25 yards of front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke. Students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle. 

In Stroke Introduction, your child will:

  • Swim the front crawl for 50 yards and do a flip turn
  • Breaststroke for 50 yards and do an open turn
  • Butterfly for 25 yards
  • Back crawl for 25 yards and do a flip turn
  • Sidestroke or elementary backstroke for 50 yards
  • Dive from a standing position
  • Tread water for one minute and retrieve an object from the bottom of the pool
  • Swim any combination of strokes for 150 yards






The YMCA has been one of America's favorite swim instructors for over a century. Our proven curriculum and friendly environment enhance skills in a safe and fun environment.

In the Finger Lakes, swimming is an essential life skill. We are proud to offer a wide selection of parent-and-child, preschool, school-age, teen, and adult swim lessons that build strong, confident swimmers. We use a problem-solving, guided-discovery teaching approach in a positive, caring environment. All age groups are taught the same skills using age- and skill-appropriate content.

​WELCOME

We're open Monday - Thursday, 5:00am - 9:00pm • Friday, 5:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday, 7:00am - 4:00pm • Sunday, 9:00am - 4:00pm • Holiday hours may vary

CONTACT US

Geneva Family YMCA
399 William St.
Geneva, NY 14456

315-789-1616