Summer is a time for swimming pools, lakes, beaches and fun in the sun. With all of the water activities that summer brings, our kids need swim lessons in order to be safe.
Here are some swim classes in the Waco area that people love and what moms have to say about them.
Firm Foundation Infant Aquatics
Class Ratio | 1:1 private
Classes for children 6 months to 6 years
New to the Greater Waco Swim Lessons Scene, Alexis is affiliated with the Infant Aquatics self rescue swim program and is passionate about using her background as an EMS Paramedic and mother to lesson the risk of accidental child death throughout our community.
Classes with Alexis are Monday through Thursday over a 6 week period for less than 15 minutes each class to ensure your child receives a consistent series of lessons and reminders allowing them to obtain life saving skills such as how to hold their breath underwater and turn to their back and float independently, as young as 6 months old!
You can find out more about Firm Foundations Infant Aquatics and Alexis here as well as at their Facebook Page or reach Alexis directly for more information and class availability at [email protected]
Swim Kids Waco
Class Ratio | 1:3, private and semi-private
Classes for children 6 months and up
Swim Kids Waco offers small classes and private lessons to children 6 months and older. They have two locations for swim classes and all of the teachers are given the same instructional tools. For instance, younger swimmers will have key lessons tied to familiar nursery rhymes or silly sayings that they can remember. Classes fill up quickly, so you have to be ready to register early.
Owner Courtney Rogers developed the program five years ago for her own children and it grew from there. She wanted “an atmosphere where kids could have fun, but also really learn…. We want kids to learn to swim confidently, to be good swimmers, to be safe around the water, and also to have fun doing it. We love getting to see kids overcome fears and build their confidence as they realize they can do things that they never thought they could do before.”
“Swim Kids Waco is our go-to,” Tara Passini said. “They provided a very structured environment that was low key…. Our first Swim Kids instructor helped the boys learn in leaps and bounds in just weeks. She was just so patient. The billing and website were easy to navigate once you got the hang of it. I also appreciate how the owner was always able to squeeze the boys into another session when something opened up. The other huge positive was (price) when you added the free sibling.”
YMCA
Class Ratio | 1:4-8
Classes for children 6 months to 12 years
The YMCA is a family friendly environment and tries to make the classes fun. They offer swim lessons to children from 6 months to 12 years old. To find more information on a specific age range, click here: YMCA of Central Texas
“Swim Lessons provide important life skills that could save a life, and will benefit you for a lifetime. Our swim lessons can be either group lessons or private/semi-private lessons. We offer lessons for those of all ages. Swim lessons at the YMCA are offered year round. Sign up now to get your child learning how to be confident in the water.”
Miranda Taylor said she liked the “low cost and (her) kids love it.”
Greater Waco Aqua Angels
Class Ratio | 1:1 private
Classes for children 6 months and up
Greater Waco Aqua Angels is a part of Infant Aquatics. They offer self-rescue survival swimming lessons for children in a private one-on-one setting. The program’s instructors are uniquely qualified to teach children to swim and survive a water accident.
Donna Minor owns Aqua Angels, which is operated out of her home and pool in Lorena. She teaches children ages 6 months to 6 years old. She is “deeply committed to teaching children necessary life-saving skills to survive in and around water…. Babies and young children can swim! Infant Aquatics teaches much more than water acclimation. We teach survival swim skills in private one-on-one lessons. The essential skills we teach children, include how to hold their breath underwater and turn to their back and float independently, should they accidentally fall into a pool or other body of water.” You can contact Donna about classes at [email protected].
Michelle Basden said, “The way Donna moves them slowly into this survival technique helps me sleep better at night knowing if they accidentally fall into our lake they can flip over, call for help, and won’t panic and drown. Donna is amazing and having the piece of mind and confidence in my girls being able to survive an accidental fall in our lake or a pool has been worth every penny!”
The CENTER and MCC Continuing Education
Class Ratio | Group sizes vary
Classes for children 6 months to 5 years
MCC’s continuing education classes teach children to be comfortable in the water, become acclimated, learn basic survival swimming, and then move on to learning correct body movement in the water by floating, gliding, kicking and various swim strokes. Safety is paramount in every skill that is taught.
Instructor Missy Kittner said, “I have been teaching swimming for over 45 years, and nothing warms my heart more that watching a child learn a skill that they will be able to enjoy for the rest of their life. Swimming is a life skill that any child can learn and it levels the playing field.”
Sigma Swim Waco
Class Ratio | 1:2-4, Private
Classes for children 6month up to adults
Sigma Swim offers youth and adult swim lessons, swim team, children’s swim classes, and Mommy & Me classes.
Children and adults learn swimming from experienced coaches. Their curriculum has taught thousands of children and adults how to swim for more than 12 years.
Head Coach Tiffany Freeman said, “I started swimming competitively when I was 10…. When you’re really passionate about something you want to share it with everybody. That’s how I feel about swim lessons… Water has always been a passion of mine, and I want to share it with other people. If it can save a life, that’s what I want to do…. I just want kids to be safe in the water.”
For children who love their swim lessons and excel at the sport, there are swim team opportunities as well at Sigma Swim Waco.
