71% of the World is Water                                                              Children are 100% Curious

The Greater Johnstown Community YMCA is dedicated to making swim safety accessible to all children of our community. We believe that teaching children how to be safe around water is not a luxury; it is a necessity. We are proud to offer the YMCA’s Safety Around Water program to the children of Johnstown and surrounding areas. This FREE program can help you make sure your children learn essential water safety skills, which can open up a world of possibilities for them to satisfy their curiosity safely.

What Is Safety Around Water?

Through learning how to perform a sequenced set of skills over four lessons of 30 minutes each, the risk of drowning is reduced, giving your child confidence in and around water. SAW lessons are for children ages 3-12.

A typical session includes:

• Exercises to help kids adjust to being in water
• Instruction in “Jump, Push, Turn, Grab” and “Swim, Float, Swim,” two skill sets kids can use if they unexpectedly find themselves in the water
• Specific safety topics, like what to do if you see someone in the water who needs help
• Fun activities that reinforce skills

PARENTS: KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE

Drowning can happen nearly anywhere with standing water. But, as a parent or caregiver, you can’t keep your children sidelined. You need to equip them with the tools they need to be confident in and around water so they don’t lose out on the health benefits of exercise, the opportunities to bond with family and friends and the sense of accomplishment when they learn new skills. The Y encourages parents to take an active role in their child’s safety by ensuring they learn how to swim and by practicing these safety tips when in and around the water:

REGISTRATION FOR THE APRIL 11 SESSION BEGINS ON MARCH 21

Adult Swim Skills is a class meant to teach basic swim skills to adults who wish to become more proficient swimmers.   We will work on front crawl/freestyle, backstroke, survival strokes, and treading.

This class will help those who wish to become lifeguards, enter the military, or just want to become better swimmers.

Class is for ages 14 and up

Stage 1 / Water Acclimation: Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in learning to swimming.

Stage 2 / Water Movement: In stage 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.

Stage 3 / Water Stamina: In stage 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.

Stage 1 / Water Acclimation: Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in learning to swimming.

Stage 2 / Water Movement: In stage 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.

Stage 3 / Water Stamina: In stage 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.

Stage A / Water Discovery: Parents accompany children in stage A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.

Stage B / Water Exploration: In stage B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.

Class meet once per week on Mondays at 5:00, Wednesdays at 5:00 or Saturdays from 10:00-10:30. A parent or guardian must accompany the child in the water at all times. Child must be at least 6 months at date of signup. Registration can be under the parents name.

Stage 4 / Stroke Introduction: Students in stage 4 develop swim 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.

Stage 5 / Stroke Development: Students in stage 5 work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke.

Stage 6 / Stroke Mechanics: In stage 6, students refine their stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.