About
Capital District YMCA Swim Lessons include swim lessons, family swim, competitive swimming, and adaptive swim programs for kids with special needs. Swim lessons are offered from 6 months old to adults, with all age groups taught the same skills but divided according to their developmental milestones. To ensure safety in and around the water, participants are asked to abide by pool rules and policies, and due to demand, membership in the YMCA is required to sign up for swim lessons.
• Ages: 6 months–18 years old
Swim Starters include infants and toddlers accompanied by a parent to learn swim readiness skills, while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision. In Stage A / Water Discovery, infants and toddlers are introduced to the aquatic environment through exploration and are encouraged to enjoy themselves while learning about the water. In Stage B / Water Exploration, parents work with children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
For ages 3–5 years, Preschool Stages 1–4 are offered, and for ages 5–12 years, School Age Stages 1–6 are offered; for ages 12 and older, Teen and Adult Stages 1–6 are available. Stage 1 / Water Acclimation develops comfort with underwater exploration and teaches safe exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Stage 2 / Water Movement focuses on body position and control, directional change, forward movement in the water, and continued practice of safe exit skills. Stage 3 / Water Stamina teaches students to swim to safety from a longer distance and introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.
Swim Basics teach personal water safety and basic swimming competency through two benchmark skills: “Swim, float, swim — sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide, and exit” and “Jump, push, turn, grab.” Swim Strokes add more water safety skills and build stroke technique, with an emphasis on developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity. Stage 4 / Stroke Introduction develops stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and teaches the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick, while reinforcing water safety through treading water and elementary backstroke. Stage 5 / Stroke Development focuses on stroke technique and learning all major competitive strokes, with continued emphasis on treading water and sidestroke. Stage 6 / Stroke Mechanics refines stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, teaches about competitive swimming, and explains how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.
The program describes swimming as a life skill, great exercise, and a challenging sport. The term “parent” is defined broadly to include all adults with primary responsibility for raising children, including biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents, or any other type of parenting relationship. Many kinds of adaptive swim programs are offered for kids with special needs.
The Capital District YMCA states that it supports, engages, and strengthens the Capital Region community through programs and partnerships focused on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Its community involvement includes food drives for local pantries so no family in the Capital District goes hungry, the Basket Brigade which provides meals to over 1200 families each Thanksgiving, and Running Start, which distributes school supplies and clothing to more than 800 kids in need before each school year.
Last updated June 4, 2026.
• Ages: 6 months–18 years old
Swim Starters include infants and toddlers accompanied by a parent to learn swim readiness skills, while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision. In Stage A / Water Discovery, infants and toddlers are introduced to the aquatic environment through exploration and are encouraged to enjoy themselves while learning about the water. In Stage B / Water Exploration, parents work with children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
For ages 3–5 years, Preschool Stages 1–4 are offered, and for ages 5–12 years, School Age Stages 1–6 are offered; for ages 12 and older, Teen and Adult Stages 1–6 are available. Stage 1 / Water Acclimation develops comfort with underwater exploration and teaches safe exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Stage 2 / Water Movement focuses on body position and control, directional change, forward movement in the water, and continued practice of safe exit skills. Stage 3 / Water Stamina teaches students to swim to safety from a longer distance and introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.
Swim Basics teach personal water safety and basic swimming competency through two benchmark skills: “Swim, float, swim — sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide, and exit” and “Jump, push, turn, grab.” Swim Strokes add more water safety skills and build stroke technique, with an emphasis on developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity. Stage 4 / Stroke Introduction develops stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and teaches the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick, while reinforcing water safety through treading water and elementary backstroke. Stage 5 / Stroke Development focuses on stroke technique and learning all major competitive strokes, with continued emphasis on treading water and sidestroke. Stage 6 / Stroke Mechanics refines stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, teaches about competitive swimming, and explains how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.
The program describes swimming as a life skill, great exercise, and a challenging sport. The term “parent” is defined broadly to include all adults with primary responsibility for raising children, including biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents, or any other type of parenting relationship. Many kinds of adaptive swim programs are offered for kids with special needs.
The Capital District YMCA states that it supports, engages, and strengthens the Capital Region community through programs and partnerships focused on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Its community involvement includes food drives for local pantries so no family in the Capital District goes hungry, the Basket Brigade which provides meals to over 1200 families each Thanksgiving, and Running Start, which distributes school supplies and clothing to more than 800 kids in need before each school year.
Last updated June 4, 2026.
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