Registering for Group Swim Lessons
Participants interested in registering for group swim lessons must do so at the Recreational Services Membership Desk at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. If you have questions concerning the program or level placement, please contact the Graduate Assistant for Aquatics at (319) 384-3439.
Policies
- Participants must be wearing a proper swim suit for swim lessons. Cut off shorts or shirts are not acceptable.
- Parents must remain available to attend to their child in the case of an emergency in the designated pool area for Preschool Aquatics through Learn-To-Swim Level 3. All parents must remain in the building.
- All participants requiring the need of a swim diaper must wear a water diaper with swimsuit over the top during lessons.
- Individuals attending to children participating in the Learn-To-Swim Program must be members of Recreational Services in order to use the CRWC. Those found in violation are subject to expulsion from the Learn-To-Swim Program
Cancellations/Refunds
Classes require at least 3 participants; cancellations made prior to the first day of class will be honored. After the first day of class no refunds will be given. If a cancellation is needed due to a medical reason, the participant will need to speak with the Aquatic Director directly.
Missed Class
There are no makeup lessons if a participant must miss a class due to their own scheduling conflicts.
Payment
Payment must be made at the time of registration at the membership desk. Forms of payment accepted: Check (made out to The University of Iowa), Credit Card, U-bill
Location:
All swim lessons will take place at the
Campus Recreation & Wellness Center located at:
309 S. Madison St, Iowa City, IA 52242
Parent and Child Aquatics (6 months-3 years)
Parent and Child Aquatics familiarizes young children (from ages 6 months to about 3 years) to the water and prepares them to learn to swim in the American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics or Learn-To-Swim courses. It is not designed to teach children to become good swimmers or to survive in the water on their own. Parent and Child Aquatics give parents safety information and teaches techniques to help orient their children to the water. It also provides direction regarding how to supervise water activities in a responsible manner. These courses are a bonding experience that will fill instructors, parents and children with wonderful lifelong memories.
Level 1 – This level introduces basic skills to parents and children. Parents are taught to safely work with their child in the water, including how to appropriately support and hold their child in the water and how to prepare and encourage their child to participate fully and the try the skills. Children are introduced to basic skills that lay a foundation to help them Learn-To-Swim. Several water safety topics are also introduced that are directed to parents.
Level 2 – This level builds on skills and the confidence level of the participants and parents. Additional safety lessons and skills are introduced.
Schedule: Classes are 30 minutes each, once per week for 6 weeks.
Fee: Member $27.00 Non-Member $30.00
Preschool Aquatics (3 – 5 years)
American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics, consisting of three levels, is an integral part of the overall Red Cross instructional aquatic and water safety program. The primary objective of Preschool Aquatics is to promote developmentally appropriate learning of fundamental water safety and aquatic skills by young children.
Level 1 – The objectives of Level 1 are to learn the most elementary aquatic skills, the foundation for the participant to continue to build on as their progress through the Preschool Aquatics and Learn-To-Swim levels. Participants are introduced to the water and start developing good attitudes and safe practices around the water.
Level 2 – The objectives of Level 2 are to build on the aquatic skills learned in Level 1 and to gain further successes. Skills from Level 1 are performed at a more advanced degree, but most skills are still performed with assistance. This level marks the beginning of independent aquatic locomotion skills where participants continue to explore using simultaneous and alternating arm and leg actions to gain more proficiency for future strokes.
Level 3 – The objectives of Level 3 are to build on previous skills with adding guided practice of basic aquatic skills at slightly more proficient performance levels and greater distances and times. Skills at this level are performed independently, with emphasis on improving coordination and combined simultaneous arm and leg actions. This level gets participants ready to begin the Learn-To-Swim program.
Schedule: Classes are 30 minutes each, once per week for 6 weeks.
Fee: Member $27.00 Non-Member $30.00
Learn to Swim (5 – 16 years)
American Red Cross Learn-To-Swim teaches aquatic and personal water safety skills in a logical progression. It consists of six lessons. Participants in Level 1 are orientated to the aquatic environment and gain some basic skills in each category. Throughout the levels, participants build on their basic skills to learn various propulsive movements on the front, back and side. As the levels increase, participants learn to refine the different strokes and build endurance. Each level includes exit skills assessments that put together many of the skills learned in the level.
Level 1 – The objectives of Level 1 are to learn basic personal water safety information and skills, to help participants feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely. In Level 1, elementary aquatic skills are taught, with participants focusing on development of positive attitudes, good swimming habits and safe practices in and around the water.
Level 2 – The objectives of Level 2 are to give participants success with fundamental skills. Participants learn to float without support and to recover to a vertical position. This level marks the beginning of true locomotion skills. Participants will further develop simultaneous and alternating arm and leg actions on the front and back that lay the foundation for future strokes. Additional safety skills and comprehension of previous knowledge will also be a focus.
Level 3 – The objective of Level 3 is to build on previously learned skills by providing additional guided practice. Participants learn survival float, the front crawl and elementary backstroke and introduction to the to the scissors and dolphin kicks as well as building on the fundamentals of treading water. Participants will also learn rules for head first entries and begin them for the first time from the pool side.
Level 4 – The objective of Level 4 is to develop participants confidence in the strokes learned thus far and to improve other aquatic skills. The goal is for participants to improve their skills and increase their endurance by swimming familiar strokes for greater distances. Participants add arms to the scissors kick to do sidestroke, as well as learn the breaststroke, back crawl and butterfly and the basics of turning at the wall.
Level 5 –The objective of Level 5 is to coordinate and refine strokes. Participants refine their performance of all the strokes (front crawl, back crawl, butterfly, breaststroke, sidestroke and elementary backstroke) and increase distance. Flip turns on the front and back are also introduced.
Level 6 – Objectives of Level 6 are to refine the strokes so that participants swim with more ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Emphasis on swimming for fitness is provided with more structured work outs along with advanced safety skills.
Schedule: Classes are 45 minutes each, once per week for 6 weeks.
Fee: Member $36.00 Non-Member $40.00
