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For schedules or to sign up for classes please contact your local
American Red Cross Aquatic Facility!

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Aquatic Training
Learn to Swim Aquatic Training Courses

The new American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim classes provide instruction to help swimmers of all ages and abilities develop their swimming and water safety skills. It is designed to give students a positive learning experience.

Learn-to-Swim teaches aquatic and safety skills in a logical progression. The objective is to teach people to swim and to be safe in, on and around the water.

Skills are categorized in the following way:

                 • Water Entry and Exit
                 • Breath Control and Underwater Swimming
                 • Buoyancy
                 • Changing Direction and Position
                 • Treading
                 • Swimming on Front, Back and Side
                 • General and Personal Water Safety
                 • Helping Others
The six learn-to-swim levels and the objectives for each level include:

Level 1
Introduction to Water Skills: helps students feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely.

Level 2
Fundamental Aquatic Skills: gives students success with fundamental skills.

Level 3
Stroke Development: builds on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.

Level 4
Stroke Improvement: develops confidence in the strokes learned and to improve other aquatic skills.

Level 5
Stroke Refinement: provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.

Level 6
Swimming and Skill Proficiency: refines the strokes so students swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with "menu" options. Each of these options focus on preparing students to participate in more advance courses, such as Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training. These options include:

                 • Personal Water Safety
                 • Lifeguard Readiness
                 • Fundamentals of Diving
                 • Fitness Swimming

Parent and Child Aquatics
Developed for children 6 months to 5 years of age, American Red Cross Parent and Child Aquatics builds swimming readiness by emphasizing fun in the water. Parents and children participate in several guided practice sessions that help children learn elementary skills, including water entry, bubble blowing, front kicking, back floating, underwater exploration and more. Once children can perform basic skills without parental assistance, they may begin Learn-to-Swim courses.

Water Safety Presentations
Four water safety presentations provide lifesaving information on being safe in, on and around the water as well as the importance of learning to swim. By knowing the intended audience, these presentations can be customized to fit their needs. The water safety presentations include:


Water Safety Today (2 hours): teaches individuals how to recognize, prevent and respond to emergencies in, on and around water.
General Water Safety (30 minutes): provides individuals with an awareness of the importance of water safety training and key information on being safe in, on and around water.
Home Pool Safety (30 minutes): provides information for home pool and apartment pool owners on how to keep families, tenants and guests safe in an aquatic environment.
Parent Orientation to Swimming Lessons (30 minutes): an orientation for parents about American Red Cross swimming lessons offered at local aquatic facilities.
Basic Water Rescue
Basic Water Rescue is a 4-hour certification course that is targeted to public safety personnel, aquatic fitness instructors, aquatic therapists and others who work around water. This course provides individuals the information and skills necessary to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies. It also prepares individuals for aquatic emergencies by teaching them how to protect themselves while assisting others. Basic Water Rescue does not provide participants with all the information and skills needed to be certified as a lifeguard.

Longfellow's WHALE Tales
Longfellow's WHALE Tales is targeted to children ages 5 to 12 to teach safe behavior in, on and around the water. The materials in the Longfellow's WHALE Tales K-6 Educational Packet are designed to give children an awareness of being safe around the water and to help promote healthful aquatic recreation.

Click Here for Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor Courses