Our Fitness Centers offer a variety of swim lessons to meet your needs. Our swim lessons begin from six months of age and continue through adult, with several swim class types in between. All swim lessons are taught by our certified swim instructors. Certifications achieved from American Red Cross.
The level bubbles below show the skills taught at each level. Updated class offerings for Child and Adult Group lessons are located on our blog page: Chesterton Child and Adult Group Swim Lessons | Franciscan Health Fitness Centers.
All swim lesson registration is completed in person at the Service Desk.
All Lessons: $70 Member / $90 Non-Member
These lessons are designed to teach water skills while developing mental and physical well-being. All levels of swim promote personal safety, stroke development and personal growth. The Baby/Toddler class is designed to prepare your 6 month - 3 year old child for safe swimming and to teach parents aquatic orientation techniques which will increase water comfort for the parent and child. All classes will have a 1:5 ratio. A minimum of 3 participants are required.
Registration for lessons must be done in person, sign-ups are on a first come-first serve basis.
Payment is due at time of registration. All classes subject to change. No make-up classes if you miss a session. Cancellation dates are 3 business days prior to start date of lessons.
All swim lessons are taught by a Certified Red Cross Water Safety Instructor. A lifeguard is also on duty while your child is in the pool.
Adult Group Swim Lessons Available This Session!!
It's never too late to learn how to swim! These lessons are designed for adults who are looking to increase their comfort in the water while developing skills and building confidence. Swim lessons promote personal safety, stroke development and personal growth. Instructor to student ratio is 1:5.
- Overcome fear
- Increase comfort
- Develop skills
- Build confidence
- Meet your goals
For additional swim program information, please call Programs Supervisor Barbie Pilla at (219) 395-2019
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About Swim Lessons
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For each level of Parent and Child Aquatics, our instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills that are developmentally appropriate and engaging for infants and young children. It is important to understand that Parent and Child Aquatics is not designed to teach children to become good swimmers or even to survive in the water on their own.
Parent and Child Aquatics introduces you and your child to basic skills. As parents, you learn how to safely work with your child in the water, including how to appropriately support and hold your child in the water and how to prepare and encourage your child to participate fully and try the skills. In addition, you are introduced to several water safety topics. Your child receives an introduction to basic skills that lay a foundation for learning to swim.
In Parent and Child Aquatics, great experiences and fun activities are provided to teach infants and young children to:
• Feel comfortable in the water.
• Enter and exit the water safely.
• Explore breath control and submerging.
• Explore floating on the front and back.
• Change body position in the water.
• Play safely in the water.
• Experience wearing a life jacket.
Parents, you also learn:
• How to properly supervise children and maintain safe behavior in, on and around the water.
• How to hold and support your child in the water.
• How to select and fit a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket for your child.
• Valuable water safety information to make your family safer in, on and around the water.
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Baby Toddler
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Welcome to American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics!
In Preschool Aquatics, your child is introduced to basic skills. These skills lay the foundation for developing water competency and the future skill development of swimming strokes. In addition, your child starts to develop positive attitudes and safe practices around the water.
Certain milestones are necessary for successful completion of Preschool Aquatics, including:
• Entering the water independently using ramp, steps or side and travel at least 5 yards.
• Submerging mouth and blowing bubbles for at least 3 seconds.
• Exiting the water safely.
• Gliding on front for at least 2 body lengths with support.
• Rolling to back and floating for 3 seconds with support.
• Recovering to a vertical position with support.
It is quite common for children to participate in several sessions of Preschool Aquatics before they are able to successfully demonstrate all the skills. That’s okay! It is not important how quickly they move through a level, but that they achieve each skill.
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Preschool
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Welcome to American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Level 1!
In Level 1—Introduction to Water Skills, your child is introduced to basic skills as the foundation for future skills and the development of water competency. Certain milestones are necessary for successful completion of Level 1, including:
• Entering the water independently using the ramp, steps or side.
• Traveling at least 5 yards, bobbing 5 times and then safely exiting the water.
• Opening eyes underwater and retrieving submerged object.
• Gliding on front with assistance at least 2 body lengths.
• Rolling to a back float for 5 seconds with assistance.
• Recovering to a vertical position with assistance.
• Combined arm and leg actions on front and back with assistance.
• Alternating and simultaneous arm and leg actions on front and back with assistance.
It is common for children to participate in several sessions of Level 1 before they successfully demonstrate each skill. That is okay! It is not important how quickly they move through a level, but that they acquire each skill.
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Level 1
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Welcome to American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Level 2!
Level 2 - Fundamental Aquatic Skills builds on skills learned in Level 1. Your child begins to perform skills at a slightly more advanced level and begins gaining rudimentary propulsive skills on both the front and the back. This level marks the beginning of independent aquatic locomotion skills.
Some of the milestones that are necessary for successful completion of Level 2 include:
• Stepping from the side into chest-deep water.
• Fully submerging and holding breath.
• Pushing off the bottom, moving into a treading or floating position for at least 15 seconds, swimming on front and/ or back for 5 body lengths and then exiting the water.
• Moving into a back float for 15 seconds, rolling to front and then recovering to a vertical position.
• Pushing off and swimming using combined arm and leg actions on front for 5 body lengths, rolling to back, floating for 15 seconds, rolling to the front and then continue swimming for 5 body lengths.
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Level 2
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In Learn-to-Swim Level 3, our instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills and to build on previously learned skills. Your child learns to swim the front crawl and elementary backstroke at rudimentary levels, is introduced to the scissors and dolphin kicks, learns the survival float and increases the time duration for treading water. Your child also learns the rules for headfirst entries and begins to learn to enter the water headfirst from a seated position at poolside.
Some of the milestones in Level 3—Stroke Development include:
• Flutter, scissors, breaststroke and dolphin kicks.
• Jumping into deep water from the side, recovering to the surface, maintaining position by treading or floating for 1 minute, rotating a full turn and then turning as necessary to orient to the exit point.
• Swimming the front crawl and/or elementary backstroke for 25 yards and then exiting the water.
• Pushing off in a streamlined position, swimming the front crawl for 15 yards, changing position and direction, swimming the elementary backstroke for 15 yards and then exiting the water.
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Level 3
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In Learn-to-Swim Level 4, our instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills and to build on previously learned skills, improving the swimming stroke proficiency and swimming for longer distances.
Some of the milestones in Level 4—Stroke Improvement include:
• Swimming the front crawl for 25 yards.
• Swimming the elementary backstroke for 25 yards.
• Swimming the breaststroke for 15 yards.
• Swimming the butterfly for 15 yards.
• Swimming the back crawl for 15 yards.
• Swimming the sidestroke for 15 yards.
• Headfirst entry* from a stride position (*only if the water is at least 9-feet deep).
• Open turns on the front and back.
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Level 4
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In Learn-to-Swim Level 5, our instructors follow a plan to refine all six swimming strokes including swimming for longer distances, introduce new water safety skills while building on ones previously learned and perform flip turns on the front and back. The expectations are higher now in regards to distance and quality.
Some of the milestones in Level 5—Stroke Refinement include:
• Performing a shallow-angle dive into water at least 9-feet deep.
• Performing a tuck and pike surface dive
• Swimming the front crawl for 50 yards.
• Swimming the elementary backstroke for 50 yards.
• Swimming the sidestroke for 25 yards
• Swimming the breaststroke for 25 yards.
• Swimming the back crawl for 25 yards.
• Swimming the butterfly for 25 yards
• Front and back flip turns
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Level 5
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Beginner Swimming Lessons - perfect option for anyone who has a fear of water, has not had an opportunity to take swim lessons or those looking to improve their basic swim skills.
Advanced Swimming Lessons - improving technique, rotary breathing, technique improvement and help to reach a goal of stroke mastery for all competitive strokes.
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Adult
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To inquire about a class and book a reservation, contact Barbie Pilla at barbara.pilla@franciscanalliance.org or by phone (219) 395-2019
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