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The New Canaan YMCA follows the YMCA’s National swim lessons program, designed to teach safety, confidence, and strength in the water in a supportive and nurturing environment. The program is organized into eight levels and your child is assigned to a level at the beginning of each session. In our bright aquatics center, swim lessons are available as parent/child classes, small group, private, and semi-private lessons.
The New Canaan YMCA is proud to offer adaptive swim lessons led by our highly trained and compassionate staff, certified by Swim Angelfish. Through the Swim Whisperers® Adaptive Aquatics Training, our instructors are equipped to teach individuals with varying disabilities, confidently guiding swimmers of all abilities toward swim success. Our program is designed to support swimmers with ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, or any type of emotional, physical, or sensory challenge.
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. Parent-child aquatic classes are a fun, special time for parents to interact with their children and with each other.
Parent-Child swim lessons ratio: 1:2 – 1:6
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.
In level B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
The most important aspect of preschool swimming is ensuring the child is comfortable in the water and ready to make the advancements to learn to swim independently. Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills:
Preschool swim lessons ratio: 1:2 – 1:4
Swimmers will be assigned to one of the following levels after his/her evaluation during the first class:
Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in level 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.
In level 2, students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while also continuing to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.
In level 3, students learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.
*Parents and/or guardians of children who are in 4th grade or younger must remain in Dante’s Café or second floor viewing area during swim lessons.
Students in level 4 develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke.
Available for all swim levels, school-age lessons also continue to build upon fundamentals, learning additional water safety skills and developing stroke techniques.
School-Age swim lessons ratio: 1:2 – 1:4
Swimmers will be assigned to one of the following levels after his/her evaluation during the first class:
Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in level 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.
In level 2, students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while also continuing to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.
In level 3, students learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.
Students in level 4 develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke.
Students in level 5 work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke.
In level 6, students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.
*Parents and/or guardians of children who are in 4th grade or younger must remain in Dante’s Café or second floor viewing area during swim lessons.
This class is for those who are a swim level 5 or higher looking to refine their swimming strokes. Participants must be able to swim 25 yards from one end of the pool to the other, without stopping or holding on to the side; in addition to being able to swim all four strokes with some proficiency.
The National Y swim lesson program is designed to teach safety, confidence and strength in the water in a supportive and nurturing environment. The program is organized into 8 levels and your child is assigned to a level at the beginning of each session. Refer to our swim lessons level overview to determine your child’s swim lessons level.
In addition to our group lessons, we also offer private and semi-private swim lessons at the Y.
Fall Sessions:
To learn more about private or semi-private swim lessons, please contact Kristin White, Senior Director of Aquatics, at 203-920-1643 or by email.
The Y and the New Canaan Recreation Department are partnering to offer summer swim lessons at the Steve Benko Pool in Waveny Park! Preschool and School-Age swim lessons are available for children ages 3-12 years.*
Check back in the spring for 2026 swim lesson dates and fees.
*Membership to the Steve Benko Pool is required prior to the first day of lessons. Click here or visit: newcanaanct.myrec.com to become a member. Membership at the New Canaan YMCA is not required.
For additional information and any questions, contact Kristin White, Senior Director of Aquatics, at 203-920-1643 or by email.
Sessions run Monday-Friday, with 30-minute lessons running between 8:30 – 10:30 AM.
Please check the pool schedule on our website and our mobile app for Free Swim time. No registration necessary.
New Canaan YMCA Free Swim Policy:
If you have any questions about the swim lessons program or are unsure of the appropriate level for your child, please contact Kristin White, Senior Director of Aquatics, at 203-920-1643 or by email. to schedule an evaluation. This brief evaluation allows for each child to be placed accordingly to ensure success and growth within the swim lessons program.