Here at the Y, we believe that every person deserves access to water safety classes, no matter their circumstances.

Each year we provide 2,400 of Safety Around Water classes and swim lesson scholarships to ensure that all families have the skills they need to keep them safe, opening up a world of possibilities for all!

In the Y’s Safety Around Water program, children learn a sequenced set of skills over eight lessons, reducing their risk of drowning. A typical session includes:

• Exercises to help kids adjust to being in water.
• Instruction in “Jump, Push, Turn, Grab” and “Swim, Float, Swim,” to skillsets kids can use if they find themselves unexpectedly in the water.
• Specific safety topics, like what to do if you see someone in the water who needs help.
• Fun activities that reinforce skills.

There are three categories of Y Swim Lessons:

• Swim Starters develops water enrichment and aquatic readiness in children ages six months to three years. This category focuses on developing swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Parents also learn how to supervise children in the water, how to prevent accidents and how to plan for emergencies.
• Swim Basics develops personal water safety and basic swimming skills in students of all ages. Swimmers develop a high level of comfort in the water by practicing safe water habits, engaging in underwater exploration, and learning how to swim to safety and exit if they fall into a body of water.

• Swim Strokes introduces and refines stroke technique in older students (school age, teens and adults). Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being and foster a lifetime of physical activity.

Scholarship forms can be downloaded online and are awarded on a rolling basis. Visit your nearest Y location for more information.

If you would like to help provide families access to water safety, please contact Lacy Kendrick at lkendrick@ymcaokc.org or 405 297 7771 to make a donation.