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 Learn to Swim Program
The American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim program offers a unique six-level instructional approach that has successfully been teaching people (from children to adults!) how to swim since 1914. Our instructors are trained and certified by the American Red Cross, so swimmers of all ages and abilities are in good hands.
There are six "levels" of training in the Learn to Swim Program:
- Introduction to Water Skills (Getting in, getting wet, and going under)
- Fundamental Aquatic Skills (Floating and getting around in water for short distances)
- Stroke Development (The fundamentals of Front Crawl and Back Crawl, and a little bit of Butterfly)
- Stroke Improvement (Breaststroke, Elementary Backstroke, the whole Butterfly. After this, you're ready for the Swim Team.)
- Stroke Refinement (Sidestroke, racing starts and turns, endurance swimming. Now you're not just doing the strokes; you're doing them well.)
- Swimming and Skill Proficiency (Classes that challenge both children and adults; and can be used to prepare you for Lifeguarding or training to be a swimming instructor.)
The prerequisite for each level is the successful demonstration of the skills from the preceding level, except for Level 1, which has no prerequisite. Each level of Learn-to-Swim includes training in basic water safety and helping others in an emergency, in addition to the skills outlined below.
Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills
 Students learn to feel comfortable in the water. Children taking Level 1 will receive a Raffy Learns to Swim full-color booklet that reinforces learning and provides parents with additional information about their child’s progress.
Level 1 participants learn to:
- Enter and exit water safely.
- Submerge mouth, nose and eyes.
- Exhale underwater through mouth and nose.
- Open eyes underwater, pick up submerged object.
- Change direction while walking or paddling.
- Roll over from front to back and back to front with support.
- Explore floating on front and back with support.
- Explore swimming on front and back using arm and leg actions with support.
- Use a life jacket.
Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Purpose: Gives students success with fundamental skills. Level 2 participants learn to—
- Enter water by stepping or jumping from the side.
- Exit water safely using ladder or side.
- Submerge entire head.
- Blow bubbles submerging head in a rhythmic pattern (bobbing).
- Open eyes underwater, pick up a submerged object in shallow water.
- Float on front and back.
- Perform front and back glide.
- Change direction of travel paddling on front or back.
- Roll over from front to back, back to front.
- Tread water using arm and leg motions (chest-deep water).
- Swim on front, back, and side using combined arm and leg actions.
- Move in the water while wearing a life jacket.
Learn-to-Swim Level 2 participants receive a Raffy Learns to Swim full-color booklet that reinforces learning and provides parents with additional information about their child’s progress.
Level 3: Stroke Development
 This class builds on the skills in Level 2 through additional guided practice. Level 3 participants learn to—
- Jump into deep water from the side.
- Dive from kneeling or standing position.
- Submerge and retrieve an object in chest deep water.
- Bob with the head fully submerged.
- Rotary breathing in horizontal position.
- Perform front and back glide using two different kicks.
- Float on front and back in deep water.
- Change from horizontal to vertical position on front and back.
- Tread water using hand and leg movements.
- Perform front and back crawl.
- Butterfly—kick and body motion.
- Perform the HELP and Huddle position.
Learn-to-Swim Level 3 participants receive a Waddles in the Deep full-color booklet that reinforces class instruction to help swimmers develop confidence in their strokes and improve other aquatic skills
Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Purpose: Develops confidence in the skills learned and improves other aquatic skills. Level 4 participants learn to—
- Perform a dive from a standing or stride position.
- Swim underwater.
- Perform feet-first surface dive.
- Perform open turns on front and back.
- Tread water using sculling arm motions and with different kicks.
- Perform the following:
- Front and back crawl
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
- Elementary backstroke
- Swim on side using scissors-like kick.
- Perform compact jump into water from a height while wearing a life jacket.
Learn-to-Swim Level 4 participants receive a Waddles in the Deep full-color booklet that reinforces class instruction to help swimmers develop confidence in their strokes and improve other aquatic skills.
Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Purpose: Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes. Level 5 participants learn to perform the following:
- Standing dive
- Shallow dive, glide two body lengths and begin any front stroke
- Tuck surface dive
- Pike surface dive
- Front flip turn
- Backstroke flip turn
- Front and back crawl
- Butterfly
- Breaststroke
- Elementary backstroke
- Sidestroke
- Tread water with two different kicks
- Learn survival swimming
Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency
Purpose: Refines the strokes so students swim with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with “menu” options that each focus on preparing students to participate in more advanced courses, including the Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training courses. These options include:
• Personal Water Safety
• Fundamentals of Diving
• Lifeguard Readiness
• Fitness Swimmer
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