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THE GREATER WYOMING VALLEY YMCA SWIM LESSONS
WHY SWIM AT THE Y
Swimming is not only a well-known healthy activity that exercises the entire body —it is also a skill that can both save lives and enrich them.
Learning how to swim and be comfortable in the water is just as important as learning how to look both ways before crossing a busy street, or knowing what to do in the event of a fire.
The swim lessons we provide for almost all ages help develop competency in swimming alongside confidence and endurance. Instruction is delivered in a caring atmosphere by certified instructors who give students personalized attention and encouragement.
Beyond learning how to swim, our competitive swim team offers an enjoyable swimming experience for all ages and abilities. Our coaches maintain a positive and challenging environment where swimmers can learn and train together as a team, pushing each other to succeed with encouragement, individual discipline, and pride in everyone’s achievements.
Our aquatic facilities include heated pools with room for lap swimming, recreational, family swim, aqua aerobics, swim teams, swim clinics and, of course, swim lessons!
Sign up for swim lessons and see for yourself why the Y is America’s Swim Instructor!
Make sure to scroll down to see information regarding our refund policy, expectations & important information, and registration dates for the rest of the year.
ABOUT SWIM LESSONS
Swim lessons at the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA Association are for those of all ages and swim levels and are available to group or private lessons.
Lessons take place at both the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA and the Greater Pittston YMCA.
WHAT TO EXPECT
- All YMCA swim instructors are nationally certified and are trained in CPR, AED, First Aid, and Oxygen Administration.
- Private lessons and group lessons offered.
- Private lessons are available for children starting at 3 years of age.
- Parent/Caregiver must be in the water with the child in all Swim Starters classes.
- Curriculums that focus on skills-based instruction with an emphasis on personal safety.
- Students’ progress tracked throughout the session and discussed with parents.
- Swim lessons available at the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA and Greater Pittston YMCA.
- Swim lessons offered in progressive swim stages: Swim Starters, Swim Basics and Swim Strokes.
- Swim lessons available to adults and teens, with opportunity to progress into swim teams and master’s swim.
BE ADVISED
- Non-members: The program software the YMCA uses to track programs and memberships only keeps non-members active for each calendar month. After this, our system automatically terminates your active status (even if you are actively attending a program). This termination status will result in you not being able to register online for any YMCA programs. To check and/or reinstate your active status as a non-member, please reach out to a Membership Staff for assistance.
- Aquatics Programming Registrations: Please be aware that the Aquatics Department will not conduct any registrations through email or voicemails left on our phoneline. The Aquatics Department will only register individuals for programming if actively speaking to them to ensure transactions are handled correctly, regardless if you have payment information on file.
- All age exceptions can only be made by the Director of Aquatics.
- In the event that you have a balance due on your YMCA account, you will not be able to register for any Aquatics programming.
- If you register for a wait list, the Director of Aquatics will only contact individuals on the wait list if there are any open spots. If you have not heard from us regarding your registration on the wait list, that means no spots were available.
- Not all swim lessons may last the entirety of the scheduled swim session. Please be sure to review the description for the swim lesson, receipt, and email for the correct dates.
SWIM SESSION SCHEDULE FOR 2025
- YMCA MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON MONDAY, April 14 @ 1PM
- NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON Friday, April 18 @1PM.
Summer Splash:
- Wilkes Barre: June 23-28
- MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON MONDAY, May 26 @1PM.
- NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON FRIDAY, May 30 @1PM.
- Pittston: June 30-July 5:
- MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON MONDAY, May 26th @ 1pm.
- NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON FRIDAY, May 30 @ 1pm.
Summer Session: July 7-August 31
- MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON MONDAY, June 16 @ 1PM.
- NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON FRIDAY, June 20 @ 1PM.
Fall I Session: September 1-October 26
- MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON MONDAY, August 18 @1PM.
- NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON FRIDAY, August 22 @ 1PM.
Fall II Session: October 27-December 21
- MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON October 13 @ 1PM.
- NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION OPENS ON FRIDAY, October 17 @1PM.
REFUND POLICY
In the event that the YMCA closes due to weather, or the Aquatics department cancels a lesson, your YMCA account will be credited the amount of the missed lesson, which can be used on future YMCA programming. In the event that a lesson is missed due to participant’s sickness, a doctor’s note must be sent to the Director of Aquatics in order to qualify for a credit to be applied to your YMCA account. All refund and credit requests can only be approved by the Director of Aquatics.
In the event that the participant must withdraw from the swim lesson, please see the applicable dates in order to receive a credit or refund.
- Before the program start date: 100% credit or refund.
- On or after the first day of the program: 75% credit or refund.
- On or after the second day of a program: 0% credit or refund
SWIM LESSONS AVAILABLE AT THE GREATER WYOMING VALLEY AREA YMCA
SWIM LESSONS STAGE DESCRIPTIONS
PARENT/CHILD SWIM LESSONS
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. In-water parent participation is required in levels A and B.
PARENT/CHILD A (ages 6-18 months)
Parents accompany children in Level A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.
PARENT/CHILD B (ages 19-36 months)
In Level B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
PRESCHOOL (ages 3-6)
Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency.
RED
In our Preschool RED level, students will learn basic water skills such as blowing bubbles, flutter kicks, safe water entry and exit, and basic water safety. This level is for beginner swimmers who are not yet comfortable swimming without the assistance of a floatation device.
ORANGE
In our Preschool ORANGE level, students will progress on the skills taught in the RED class. Students will learn skills such as blowing bubbles with their mouth and nose in the water, sitting dives, water entry and exit independently, treading water, and more. This level is for more advanced preschool-aged children who are able to swim (even infrequently) without assistance of a floatation device.
YOUTH (ages 5-12)
From the fundamentals of swimming to building stroke technique, our youth lessons progress for all abilities. Youth are placed in the level that fits their skills.
YELLOW
Our YELLOW level is geared toward older swimmers yet still focuses on the basics of swimming. Students will learn how to perform the correct flutter kick motion on both front and back, float, bob, dive, and more. This level is designed for kids who are not yet comfortable in the deep end and may still need assistance swimming with a floatation device.
GREEN
Students in the GREEN level are introduced to elementary backstroke, rotary breathing, surface diving, standing dives, and more. GREEN swimmers are expected to be comfortable in the shallow end without the assistance of a floatation device.
BLUE
BLUE level swimmers will be introduced to side stroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and diving off of the blocks, among other more advanced swim skills. Swimmers in this stage must be comfortable swimming in both the shallow and deep ends without assistance.
PURPLE
Our highest swim level! Endurance and technique are the focus of our PURPLE level swim lessons. Swimmers learn proper technique for all four strokes, work on flip turns, diving off blocks, and are introduced to competitive swimming. Swimmers in our PURPLE level must be approved by our Aquatics Program Coordinator.
ADULT AND TEEN GROUP SWIM LESSONS
Everyone learns at a different pace, and it’s never too late to start! We offer group swim lessons tailored specifically for adults and teens, providing a safe and encouraging learning experience for beginner and intermediate skill levels.
PRIVATE SWIM LESSONS
We offer Private Swim Lessons for swimmers of any age and skill level who are seeking extra attention and focus. Our trained instructors customize each lesson to fit the participant’s unique needs and find the level that best fits the swimmer – there’s nothing quite like it! Our Private Swim Lessons are available for all our swim lesson stages. Like Group Swim Lessons, Private Swim Lessons are registered for each program session as they are scheduled for specific days and times.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Fill in your name, email address, and message with your question and our Director of Aquatics will email you back.