The Y Swim Lesson Program is nationally recognized with a strong history of success.
All of the Greater New Orleans Y's are offering swim lessons this summer - East Jefferson, Belle Chasse, West St. Tammany, Buras, and Port Sulphur.
All YMCA aquatics programs are conducted under the supervision of certified life guards and trained instructors.
Y swim instructors are professional, safe, and incorporate character development (honesty, respect, caring, and responsibility) into every swim lesson. While the immediate goal for each level is to teach all necessary swimming skills, the long-term goal is also to develop a sense of self-worth, an attitude of service to the community, and to inspire personal values in each child that participates in our program.
The Y is America’s swim instructor not only because the program teaches technical skills but because it also recognizes that swimming and water safety programs provide an opportunity to teach much more than that.
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HOW THE Y's APPROACH DIFFERS
Tested curricula, grounded in research, combined with our brand promise to strengthen community differentiate our swimming and water safety programs from those of other organizations.
USES SKILL-BASED INSTRUCTION
In skill-based instruction, a large portion of instructional time is dedicated to teaching students fundamental swimming skills. It is about teaching, practicing, and assessing these fundamental skills in multiple ways and through multiple activities. Instructors set customized expectations for students based on their ability, facilitate skill practice in multiple ways, and support students based on where they are so that they can be successful.
EMPHASIZES SAFETY AND ELEVATES CHARACTER
The curricula for both swim lessons and Safety Around Water include information and instruction not only in swimming skills and keeping students active and engaged but also in water and personal safety. The importance of asking permission to get into the water is emphasized with parents, students, and instructors at every lesson.
Safety topics address issues that affect the day-to-day lives of students and their families. For example, boating is a popular activity. The vast majority of accidents while boating are preventable. By expanding people’s knowledge of boating safety principles, swimming and water safety programs help prevent needless accidents and save lives. In the swim lessons program, topics are taken a step further. In addition to safety topics, the curriculum for swim lessons integrates age-appropriate character development topics that allow the instructor and students to define, model, and celebrate the Y’s four core values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
ENGAGES FAMILIES
Engagement begins at home. In both swim lessons and Safety Around Water, comprehensive parent communication tools help parents understand what skills students learn at each stage and how those skills build on each other as students progress. In addition, the tools underscore the importance of other topics, such as water safety.
