Strong Swimmers = Confident Kids Thanks to YMCA of Montclair Swim Lessons

Updated lessons help swimmers of all ages and skills develop a lifelong love of swimming

May is National Water Safety Month, and the perfect time to get children involved in swim lessons. As America’s Swim Instructor, the Y is the most accessible community resource to prevent drowning and encourage a lifelong enjoyment of swimming—teaching more than one million kids a year swimming and water safety skills.

This year, the YMCA of Montclair has updated its lessons to increase the accessibility and enjoyment of swimming to all ages and skill levels. The latest evolution of Y Swim Lessons accommodates varying abilities to help foster a sense of achievement as swimmers’ progress between levels. Through this approach, advanced swimmers flow more easily to higher levels while swimmers who need more instruction can learn at their own pace. These results in more confident swimmers who stick with lessons and develop a love for swimming that can last a lifetime.

“’Swim for life’ is our motto. We want swim lessons to be a rite of passage for ALL children; helping kids stay safe in and around the water while developing a love of swimming,” said Sam Hassan, Sr. Aquatics Director, YMCA of Montclair. “Through our latest approach to swim lessons, kids of all ages can progress at their own pace while building the confidence needed to become a successful swimmer.”

There are three general categories of Y Swim Lessons:

• Swim Starters develops water enrichment and aquatic readiness in children ages 6 months to 3 years. This category focuses on developing swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Parents also learn how to supervise children in the water, how to prevent accidents and how to plan for emergencies.
• Swim Basics develops personal water safety and basic swimming skills in students of all ages. Swimmers develop a high level of comfort in the water by practicing safe water habits, engaging in underwater exploration, and learning how to swim to safety and exit if they fall into a body of water.
• Swim Strokes introduces and refines stroke technique in older students (school age, teens and adults). 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.

The Y introduced the concept of group swim lessons in 1909. Now, each year in more than 2,000 pools across the country, the Y teaches more than a million children from all backgrounds invaluable water safety and swim skills. The YMCA of Montclair teaches approximately 4,200 children water safety and swimming each year.

Families interested in learning more about Y Swim Lessons and water safety classes should visit www.montclairymca.org. Families with children 6 months to 6 years can contact Kristin Herzog, Aquatics Director, at our Geyer Family Branch at: (973) 783-7640. For children ages 6 and up, please contact Anna Smith, Aquatics Director our Park Street Branch at: (973) 415-6130.

The YMCA of Montclair is a nonprofit that strengthens individuals, families and community by developing spirit, mind, and body.