YMCA Swim Lessons

 A New Approach to Water Safety

For more than 160 years, the YMCA has nurtured potential and united communities across America to create lasting, meaningful change. Everything the Y does is in service of building a better us.

One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to teach youth, teens, and adults to swim, so they can stay safe around water and learn the skills they need to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for staying healthy. 

An Emphasis on Safety

The new Y-USA Swim Lessons were developed after years of research on how to best teach swimming, with an emphasis on safety, including how to rescue oneself in an aquatic emergency.

The new format provides a progressive lesson structure focusing on skill development. Children develop a sense of achievement and leadership skills while learning that swimming can be a healthy lifelong activity. Swim lessons provide pathways to deeper aquatic engagement through recreation, leadership (careers) and competition (swim team).

All Y swim instructors are nationally certified. Their training includes CPR, AED, First Aid and Oxygen Administration.

Class Schedules

Swim lessons meet once a week for 8-weeks. In the summer, our sessions run for four weeks, meeting twice a week. Registration opens two weeks before the start of each session, and closes the Wednesday before the session starts

See our class schedules.

Not sure what level to sign up for?

Our Lesson Selector will help you decide, based on your child's current skills.

Please let your friends and family know that we are hiring and that we pay for training and certification. The Y is a rewarding place to work for people of all ages. We’d love to welcome you to the team!

Fees

To register yourself or your child for swim lessons you must have an active membership at the YMCA of Southern Maine. Sign up for memberships and lessons online or in person at your local branch. 

Registration Opens:
Day 1 for Household Memberships at a fee of $76/session.
Day 2 for other Membership Types’ at a fee of $85/session.

Parent-Child swim lessons require a household membership.

Youth swim lessons require any of the following membership types: Household, Youth Program (up to age 7) or Youth Facility.

Adult swim lessons require any of the following membership types: Household, Adult or Two Adult.

Financial assistance is available for all classes.

Attendance, Refunds & Make-Up Classes

Attendance at all lessons is strongly encouraged to ensure students progress with their class and to minimize disruptions for participants. For this same reason, class participants are expected to arrive on time for class. Lessons are progressive, and if multiple classes are missed, it could affect your swimmer's ability to move forward in our lesson structure. 

Refunds and make-up classes are not available for absences, withdrawals and no shows. If the YMCA closes or cancels a class, we will do our best to hold a make-up class, but they are not guaranteed and no refunds will be issued.

To ensure access for as many members as possible, we ask that individuals sign up for one class per session. Duplicate registrations will be canceled. 

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Visit our FAQ page for information on:

• Class information including ages, class times, and how to choose the right class.
• What will your child learn in swim lessons?
• COVID procedures, accompanying your child, changing, potty training, free swim

Frequently Asked Questions

WE’RE HERE FOR EVERYONE

All ages—from infants to seniors— can learn to swim. If after you read our FAQs you still have questions, please contact us. We’re here to help.

Casco Bay Branch, Freeport: 207-865-9600

Greater Portland Branch, Portland: 207-874-1111

Northern York County Branch, Biddeford: 207-283-0100