Swimming provides recreation, exercise, safety and a feeling of accomplishment for children and adults. Community organizations, universities and private clubs offer a variety of swim instruction programs.
Typical costs:
At $20-$445 per session, group lessons are the most popular offering. They allow students to learn through participating as well as by watching others demonstrate swimming skills. For example, a four-week session for children that includes two lessons each week costs $30 for members of the public at the University of South Florida Waterfront Swim School[1] , and the Copley Family YMCA in California charges $32 for members and $45 for non-members for a four-week group session; classes are offered once a week and are 30 minutes long. For $445, instructors from Arizona's Kidtastics will come to a family's backyard pool to provide eight in-home lessons for a group of four students.
One-on-one private lessons typically cost $54-$330 per lesson and allow students their instructor's undivided attention and the chance to progress more rapidly. For example, a package of six private lessons for members costs $140 at the PNC YMCA[2] in Pennsylvania. The Somerset Valley YMCA in New Jersey charges members $129 for four private swim lessons, while non-members pay $199. In Arizona, Kidtastics charges $330 for eight private swim lessons.
People with private pools can hire swim instructors to come to their home, condo or apartment complex from $40 per lesson to more for session packages. The Bridgewater Family YMCA[3] in New Jersey charges members $150 for four weekly swimming lessons for one participant. In Texas, the YMCA of Arlington charges $325 for two-week sessions for up to six participants; classes last 50 minutes.
Classes for children as young as six months cost about $30-$174 per session. In Texas, the YMCA of Arlington charges members $30 for four "Parent/Child" classes while the Chicago Swim School charges $165 for 12 classes. These programs require a parent or caregiver to be in the pool with the infant at all times.
Students are put together by age and ability and student-to-instructor ratios vary. There's one instructor to five or six children for preschoolers aged three to five at the Copley Family YMCA. For age 14 to adult, the student-teacher ratio there can be as many as 1:10. Michigan's Troy Family Aquatic Center's instructor ratio is 1:6 for classes without parents and 1:15 for parent-tot or parent-infant courses. At Kidtastics in Arizona, swim pupils learn in groups of three or four.
The American Academy of Pediatrics supports formal swimming lessons for most children 4 years and older. California's Sequoia YMCA created these objectives[4] for its swim students, based on the YMCA's national curriculum.
Many swim centers require their instructors to have completed training programs offered by the YMCA or the American Red Cross. The University of Minnesota's swim program[5] requires instructors to hold certifications in first-aid and CPR.
Here's a checklist for what to look for in quality swim lessons, according to Babycenter.com[6] .
Additional costs:
At most YMCAs, non-members often can take lessons, but might pay more. At the PNC YMCA[7] , that "program fee" costs an additional $50 annually, according to the center's staff.
Non potty-trained children must wear protective disposable or re-useable swim diapers while taking lessons in the pool. Both products are widely available at stores including Target[8] and online sites such as Diapers.com[9] for less than $10.
Discounts:
All YMCAs, including California's Sequoia YMCA[10] , charge on a sliding scale based on family income.
The Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center[11] gives discounts to members and non-members who buy packages of five private swim lessons.
The University of South Florida[12] extends discounts if more than one child from a family is enrolled in swim lessons. Colleges also typically charge students, faculty, staff and alumni lower fees.
YMCA members get discounts on swim lessons and the annual cost of family memberships, varying by region. Annual family memberships cost $909 at the Bridgewater Family YMCA in New Jersey and $864 at the Southwest Family YMCA in Colorado.
Shopping for swimming lessons:
Contact local branches of the Red Cross[13] and YMCA[14] to find nearby aquatic centers offering swimming and water safety courses. The United States Swim School Association[15] trade group also lists its members.
Observe a swim class before enrolling to ensure a good fit, according to Megan Block-Brewer, aquatics director at the Sequoia YMCA: "Some styles are very competitive, others emphasize fun."
Once enrolled, many swim programs do not offer financial refunds or pro-rate fees for classes missed, give program vouchers or extend make-up lessons. Before signing up, make sure to understand all terms.
10 Quick and Inexpensive Home Makeover Projects To Do While At Home You may not be able to host the large family gathering for the holidays, but there are still many ways to pick up items curbside to spruce up your indoor space for your everyday enjoyment and to bring a more festive spirit. || Posted December 30 2020
10 Key Ways to Prepare for Extreme Snow Forecasters are predicting a true nor'easter will hit the eastern and central states with rain, thunderstorms, ice, snow and high winds over the Thanksgiving weekend. It's crucial to plan ahead, before bad weather hits. || Posted November 26 2013
When a swimming school opened just two blocks from my home, I decided it was finally time to learn how to swim. The lessons for adults are semi private, so two students per instructor. The lessons are $60 each, or $240 a month. The tips I’d give to other people: first, try to be comfortable in the water. If you are not comfortable in the water, you could be taking lessons for a really long time, and be paying a lot of money. Second, try to have some place you can practice swimming. I was stuck at the same level for a long time, and then I joined my local YMCA so I could practice. And now I’m making much faster progress. It’s been a year and a half so far! But now I’m at last getting close. I think if I had the right teacher, and had a place to practice, and consistently practiced 1-2 times a week, I could have learned the 3 basic stroked in 6 to 9 months and saveda lot of money.
Posted by: Vicki Cathay in Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA.
Posted: May 7th, 2017 06:05PM
Type of Lesson: At home private
Size of Class: 4 per instructor
Best instructor in the area-thoughtful, attentive and knowledgable and great at breaking down information, educating yet intense and motivating! Lauran is ret. USAirforce and Master Diver/SCUBA inst.She has all certifications plus is a Lifeguard instructor! She is the perfect balance I wanted in a swim inst for my kids plus for me doing Aqua Zumba classes at mt home w my friends. plus she mixes things up and is fun & creative in her training. but is so encouraging and supportive she makes you really believe in your fitness journey!
CostHelper is based in Silicon Valley and provides consumers with unbiased price information about thousands of goods and services. Our writers are experienced journalists who adhere to our strict editorial ethics policy.
CostHelper Community
Radiologist Fee Paid: 350.00 Any radiologist reading your mammogram will be at least $350. They have 11-13 years of training after high school before they begin work. If they are not board certified, watch out. Most are and it beats getting cancer... [more]
DIY Ceiling Paid: 50.00 We bought a house with a cheap paint job. The ceilings were sprayed the same color as the walls. During COVID I painted the ceilings and a bathroom. A 120 square foot room took me about 4 hours (2 coats)... [more]
DIY vs Installed Small Deck Paid: 3000.00 We paid $1300 for materials and $1700 for labor on a 100 square foot composite deck plus a redwood gate. It took 30 hours, done last year. My husband built a 100 sf heart redwood deck for about $1000 in materials in 2019... [more]
Colposcopy with biopsy Paid: 756.00 This service was wayy to expensive in my opinion. For a 20-25 minute total visit I had to pay out of pocked 756 - 187 to OBGYN, 229 to pathologist, then 340$ for facility fee or the hospital. I don't even know what that charge was for... [more]
Bilateral Diagnostic Mammogram and Third Mammogram Paid: 1389.66 My 2021 bill, still in shock! Weill Cornell, in-network provider, billed my insurance $908 for a bilateral diagnostic mammogram, and $712 for a third mammogram one breast... [more]
shoulder mri Paid: 8000.00 Seriously, 8K for an MRI before all the secret insurance kicks in. I was stuck with a 1200 bill and my insurance is pretty good. This is insane for a 20 minute procedure with no nurse assistance... [more]