Swimming lessons are open to members and non-members. Registration dates for swimming lessons however vary by membership status. Please consult our registration calendar for a complete list of dates.  

This selector guide can help you decide what class would be best for your child. We offer classes by age first and then by skill level. You can also call your local Y and set up a free evaluation to see what class would be best for your child. 

• Parent & Child: Stages A & B -- Ages 6 months - 3 years
   
• Preschool: Stages 1 - 4 -- Ages 3 - 5 years
   
• School Age: Stages 1 - 6 -- Ages 5 - 12 Years
   
• Teen & Adult: Stages 1 - 6 -- Ages 12 & up

If enroll in the wrong level or feel like your child is in the wrong level class, the YMCA offers the opportunity to change levels within the first two classes of the session. 

Our progressive swim lessons offer a wide range of offerings based on age and skill and each level focuses on the mastery of different skills. Our lessons are offered in three major categories, with several classes offered at each level.

• Swim Starters - Accompanied by parents, infants and toddlers will learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills. 
   
• Swim Basics - Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency. 
   
• Swim Strokes - Students build stroke technique and master water safety. 

More detailed information about each swimming lesson level is available here. Not sure what level to start at? Contact your local branch or use our swim lesson selector.

The number of kids in a class depends on the type of swimming lessons you chose to participate in:

Preschool Classes - Group lessons for up to five students

Youth Classes - Group lessons for six to eight students

Semi-Private Lessons - Personalized instruction for two individuals 

Private Lessons - Personalized one-on-one instruction

Swimming lessons are offered year-round and available for a wide variety of days and times across our six locations. 

• Group lessons are offered six times per year in seven-week sessions with classes held once per week. 
  • Parent/Child & Preschool lessons are 30 minutes
  • Youth & Adult lessons are 40 minutes. 
     
• Private and semi-private swimming lessons offer additional flexibility with scheduling along with individual attention. 
   
• During the summer, accelerated lessons are available at some locations in two-week sessions with four lessons per week. 

Depending on the age and skill level of your children, they may be able to enroll in the same level/class. Other times, it may be more appropriate for your children to participate in different level classes.

Browse the schedule at your preferred location to see if their level classes may be available at the same time.

You can register online or at your preferred branch. 

Registration dates for programs can be found here.

Note: Swim lessons, starting with the summer session of 2022, and moving forward, will be available for YMCA of Greater Brandywine members only.  This includes our youth members.

The cost of swimming lessons depends on the age range. Private swimming lessons are offered at a different rate. 

Parent/Child: $90 
Preschool:  $110
Youth/Adult:  $100 

Private Lessons: $45 - 50 per 1/2 hour

All YMCA of Greater Brandywine swimming lessons are for members only.

As a non-profit, the YMCA offers financial assistance for membership and programs. Contact your local branch for more information. 

Sometimes bad weather or pool quality may cause the cancellation of lessons. If this does happen, each session includes one built-in makeup week which will be added to the end of a session. 

No makeup lessons are offered for lessons missed due to personal reasons. 

As a non-profit, the YMCA offers financial assistance for membership and programs. Contact your local branch for more information.