Update in #9: Swimming Lessons

[BabbyO]

Stachio went to our City swimming lessons when he was 1 & 2 yo. But the toddler (3-5 yo) class is only offered at times we can't make 10 am, 11 am, and 5 pm (DH and I both work FT and can't make it to lessons by 5 pm). They are every night for 3 weeks (so 15 lessons). Each class is 1/2 hour long. The 3 week session will cost $40.

We looked at the Y and it is over $90 for 7 sessions, also 30 min long. The times offered are only minimally better.

What other affordable options are there for swimming lessons? I inquired at a local swim school and it is just not in our budget.

I don't want Stachio to miss 3 yrs of lessons. We tried to take him last year on our own, but like all learning type activities, Stachio just won't work with DH and I. (Same thing if we try to practice writing letters and numbers, etc. He'll do it for a teacher or the babysitter, but not us).

Additionally, if he misses these lessons, they won't let him move up to the level 1 anyway....struggling to figure out what my options are here.

[vonfirmath]

Other cities in the area that offer?

Do they offer it at different times in different years?

Private lessons?

We did NO lessons until DS was 3 yo. No lessons last year and I'm trying to get more this year.

They HAVE to know not every kid they get will have gone through previous year's lessons.

[georgiegirl]

We do lessons at the YMCA. We are members so its only $32.50 for a 5 week session. There are tons of local options here...all of the local city pools (through the city's parks and recs dept.), a swim center, YMCA and lessons in private backyards (through word of mouth,)

I wouldn't worry too much about not getting him started now. My DD was afraid of the water as a toddler, and she didn't start lessons until she was nearly 5.5. Now a little over 1.5 years later (and lessons almost year round), she can swim 50 yards of freestyle and backstroke and 25 of breaststroke no problem. DS, on the other hand, has been taking lessons non-stop since he turned 3, and after 8 months, he's finally progressing to the second level of preschool classes.

[BabbyO]

Other cities in the area that offer?

Do they offer it at different times in different years?

Private lessons?

We did NO lessons until DS was 3 yo. No lessons last year and I'm trying to get more this year.

They HAVE to know not every kid they get will have gone through previous year's lessons.

I don't know what other communities offer...and I tried looking but their summer info isn't out yet.

The tough thing is this class is for 3 years...3-5 yo's. So we'll miss 3 yrs of swimming if we can't figure it out. They don't change the time of this class offering. I thought they did, but they don't.

[georgiegirl]

Wait, the class is 3 years long? That's crazy. Our preschool classes are ages 3-5, but you can just begin whenever at whatever level is appropriate for the child.

[BabbyO]

We do lessons at the YMCA. We are members so its only $32.50 for a 5 week session. There are tons of local options here...all of the local city pools (through the city's parks and recs dept.), a swim center, YMCA and lessons in private backyards (through word of mouth,)

I wouldn't worry too much about not getting him started now. My DD was afraid of the water as a toddler, and she didn't start lessons until she was nearly 5.5. Now a little over 1.5 years later (and lessons almost year round), she can swim 50 yards of freestyle and backstroke and 25 of breaststroke no problem. DS, on the other hand, has been taking lessons non-stop since he turned 3, and after 8 months, he's finally progressing to the second level of preschool classes.

The Y always amazes me. It seems like they are so inconsistent with pricing. In our area, it is $50 for 7 lessons if you are a member, $93 if you are a non member.

[emily]

Your Y does seem to charge a lot. Is that member or non-member rate? We are members and we pay $68 for 7 or 8 classes. Non member is 108 for the same classes. The number of classes per session seems to vary sometimes. For us, Y was the only option for Saturday mornings. We've actually had a session where DD was the only child enrolled so she got private 1 on 1 lessons for 8 weeks! Another session there was only one other child enrolled.

Does your town have a swim club? Though I'm not sure that would be an affordable option. Ours is $$$$ and I'm not even sure they have lessons and if they do, it's probably only weekdays.

[mypa]

Swim lessons are very expensive here (private, ymca, city recreation), but surprisingly the cheapest is at the local community college, offered only in the summer. Perhaps there is one local to you to look into.

[BabbyO]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I never thought of the community college...so I may look into that anyway. The local swim school is $$$$.

UPDATE: I just got another call from the City, I'd spoken to one person in the Parks & Rec Dept but didn't get all the information from her apparently. So, this other person, who is in charge of coordinating all the programs, told me that since DS will be 4 in July, he can actually attend the Level 1 class. It has fewer teachers than the preschool class, but does the same skills. Since I'll be there anyway, I'm not quite as worried about the Student/teacher ratio. Since he can go to the Level 1 class...we have time that works for us! YAY!

[georgiegirl]

Great update. Glad to hear he will have a spot. My DS is the exact same age (turns 4 in July).

[Momit]

Glad you found something that works, OP. And I'm glad for the bargain I'm getting - we are members at the Y and our swimming lessons are only $20/session!

[acmom]

The Y always amazes me. It seems like they are so inconsistent with pricing. In our area, it is $50 for 7 lessons if you are a member, $93 if you are a non member.

And our Y family membership includes swim lessons for all kids in the family at no additional charge!