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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.

Many local pools, schools, and family membership organizations offer American Red Cross swim programs. Many area camps, colleges, parks, and town pools also offer these courses.

Some prominent area organizations that may offer American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim classes include:

Contact the Aquatics Department of these organizations for more information about aquatics courses offered or to register for classes. The chapter does not handle registrations for their courses and does not have specific information on class dates, times, fees., etc. Click here for a list of some of the aquatics courses being offered in the Southern Tier.

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.

Each level of Learn-to-Swim includes training in basic water safety and helping a swimmer in distress, in addition to the skills outlined below:

Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills
Purpose: Help students feel comfortable in the water.
Basic water safety rules
Using a life jacket
Submerging mouth, nose and eyes
Opening eyes underwater and picking up submerged objects 		Swimming on front and back using arm and leg actions
Recognizing a swimmer in distress and getting help
Exhaling underwater
Floating on front and back

Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Purpose: Give students success with fundamental skills.
Moving in the water while wearing a life jacket
Submerging entire head
Front and back gliding
Treading water using arm and leg motions 		Recognizing a swimmer in distress and getting help
Bobbing in water
Jellyfish float
Swimming using combined stroke on front and back

Level 3: Stroke Development
Purpose: Build on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.
Reaching assist
Submerging and retrieving objects
Front and back glide
Front and back crawl 		Kneeling or standing dive (shallow dive progression)
Rotary breathing in horizontal position
Survival float, back float
Butterfly-kick and body motion

Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Purpose: Develop confidence in the strokes learned and improve other aquatic skills.
Safe diving rules
Dive from stride position or shallow dive
Survival float, back float
Elementary backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly 		Throw assist
Feet-first surface dive
Front and back crawl

Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Purpose: Provide further coordination and refinement of strokes.
Survival swimming
Standing dive Open turns on front and back
Front and back crawl 		Performing rescue breathing
Tuck surface dive and pike surface dive
Front flip turn and backstroke flip turn
Elementary backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, sidestroke

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 on swim teams and in more advanced courses, such as Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training. These options include:
Personal Water Safety
Fundamentals of Diving 		Lifeguard Readiness
Fitness Swimmer