Swim Lessons & Classes

The City of Arlington offers all levels of swim lessons for all ages. You can choose what works best for you or your young one. All Arlington Aquatic Swim Lessons follow American Red Cross Curriculum and take place at our East Indoor Pool.

For a list and schedule of available Arlington Aquatics Swim Classes, check out our online Aquatics Programs & Registration.

Registration Dates

• Summer swim lessons open for registration March 15.
• Fall swim lessons open for registration August 1.
• Spring swim lessons open for registration December 1.

City of Arlington’s Learn to Swim Program follows the American Red Cross Swim and Water Safety Program. We assess each child on the first day of class to help with accurate placement of each child in the correct level. If possible, we will move the child to a level that best suits his or her skill level. If a child is registered in the incorrect class, every effort will be made to place them into a class of an appropriate level but cannot be guaranteed. We ask parents to help assist us with registering their child in the correct level by talking to their child’s instructor from the previous session and/or following the guidelines below.

Parent/Child

(Ages: 6 months - 36 months)

Children will be familiarized with the water and taught swimming readiness skills. Instructors will provide safety information for parents and teach techniques parents can use to orient their children to the water. Children who are not toilet trained will be required to wear a swim diaper under their suit. Enrollment in this course requires ONE adult in the water per child and permits up to ONE additional adult poolside. .

Maximum Enrolled: 10

Preschool 1

(Ages 3 years - 5 years)

Students will be taught beginning skills such as fully submerging their face in the water and retrieving objects, front and back floats, moving comfortably through the water and entering and exiting the water independently. This is an excellent class for those who have had little exposure to the water.

Maximum Enrolled: 4

Preschool 2

(Ages: 3 years - 5 years)

This course is for children ages 3-5 who have successfully completed Preschool Level 1. This course will focus on teaching independent front and back floats and guides, propelling through the water with coordinated kicking and arm actions, holding breath for 5-10 seconds, retrieving objects from the bottom of the pool and unassisted water entries and exits.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Preschool 1.
Maximum Enrolled: 4

Youth Swim Classes are for ages 6-18.

Level 1

Introduction to Water Skills

Level 1 participants learn to: enter and exit water safely, open eyes underwater, pick-up submerged objects, swim on front and back using arm and leg actions, submerge mouth, nose, and eyes. Swim on front and back, exhale underwater and floating on front and back.

Maximum enrolled: 6

Level 2 

Level 2 builds on the basic aquatic skills and water safety skills and concepts in Level 1. Participants will learn to fully submerge and hold breath, perform rotary breathing, front, jellyfish and tuck floats, front and back glides, and floats, recover to a vertical position, roll from front to back and back to front, change direction of travel while swimming, tread water and combined arm and leg actions on front and back.

Level 2 Prerequisites: Participant must have successfully completed Level 1 or demonstrate all completion requirements in Level 1.

Maximum enrolled: 6

Level 3 

The objective of Level 3 is for participants to learn the survival float, the elementary backstroke and to coordinate the front crawl. They are introduced to the scissors kick and the dolphin kick and build on the fundamentals of treading water. Participants also learn rules for headfirst entries and begin to learn to enter the water headfirst from the side of the pool.

Level 3 Prerequisites: Participants entering this course must have a Level certificate or must be able to demonstrate all completion requirements in Level 2.

Maximum enrolled: 6

Level 4 

The objectives of Level 4 are to develop confidence in the strokes learned thus far and to improve other aquatic skills. Participants improve their skills and increase their endurance by swimming familiar strokes (front crawl, elementary backstroke) for greater distances. Students also continue to build upon the scissors kick and dolphin kick by adding the arms for sidestroke and butterfly. The back crawl and the breaststroke are introduced in Level 4, as well as the basics of turning at a wall.

Level 4 Prerequisites:Participants entering this course must have a Level certificate or must be able to demonstrate all completion requirements in Level 3.

Maximum enrolled: 6

Level 5

Ages: 5+

The objectives of Level 5 are to coordinate and refine strokes. Participants refine their performance of all the strokes (front crawl, back crawl, butterfly, breaststroke, elementary backstroke, and sidestroke) and increase their distances. Flip turns on the front and back are also introduced.

Level 5 Prerequisites:Participants entering this course must have a Level certificate or must be able to demonstrate all completion requirements in Level 4.

Maximum enrolled: 6

MARS Adult Lessons

Ages: 18+

No matter what your swim level is, Adult swim lessons cater to anyone looking to become more comfortable in and around the water. In this course participants will focus on fundamentals of basic swim skills and water safety.