As part of our commitment to promoting safety in the community, we offer Learn to Swim classes at the Danbury Community Center pool to keep your family safe when enjoying summer fun. Our courses are taught by American Red Cross certified instructors who are trained to make you feel comfortable, no matter your background and experience, while keeping you safe and teaching you to swim. Before you beat the heat at the Danbury Community Center pool or spend the day cruising on Candlewood Lake, make sure you are a confident swimmer with lessons from the DCC!
Swim Courses by Age
The DCC is proud to announce that we have expanded our swim lesson offerings and now include lessons for all ages, including children as young as 6 months old! Children will be placed in the appropriate class based on age and skill level. All swim lessons offered by the Danbury Community Center are free to eligible children through the DEEP Free Swim Lessons program. For adult, infant, and students not eligible for the program, we partner with Hudson Valley Swim as a provider.
The DCC swim lesson age groups are:
Toddler: 4 years
Kinder: 5 years - 6 years
Youth: 7 years - 12 years
Teen: 13 years - 17 years
Adult: 18 years+
Connecticut Institute For Communities and the Danbury Community Center are excited to announce a new partnership with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) to provide free swim lessons to eligible children 4 - 17 years old.
Eligibility Criteria
All students must be between 4 & 17 years old AND one of the following must be true:
- Eligible recipient of SNAP benefits
- Be recommended by a State Agency or Pupil Service on behalf of a Board of Education
- Live in a Qualified Census Tract (QCT) as determined by the department of Housing and Urban Development (Qualified Census Tracts must have 50 percent of households with incomes below 60 percent of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI) or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more)
Course Offerings
Toddler and Parent: Children Aged 2 – 4 Years:
Parent and Child Aquatics Completion Goals:
- Holding and support techniques – demonstrated by the parent
- Aquatic skills – in Infant and Parent, the child explores with support and in Toddler and Parent, the child demonstrates with support or assistance unless otherwise noted
- Water safety topics – the parents discuss to show understanding unless otherwise noted
Toddler and Parent:
Purpose:
- Improve skills learned in Infant and Parent and teach more advanced skills
- Continue to build on water safety knowledge
Prerequisites:
- Comfort level with skills taught in Infant and Parent
- Children must be 4 years old
- Parent must accompany child to each class
Course Offerings
Kinder Level 1: Basic Aquatic Skills & Safety
Kinder Level 2: Additional skills & Safety
Kinder Level 3: Formal Swimming Strokes & Deep End Training
Kinder Level 1:
Purpose:
- Familiarize children to the aquatic environment and help them acquire rudimentary basic aquatic skills
- Help participants begin to develop positive attitudes and safe practices in and around water
- Learn how to float, blow bubbles, and swim front crawl
Prerequisites:
- No skill prerequisites
- Children should be 5 or 6 years old
Kinder Level 2:
Purpose:
- Build on and improve skills learned in Kinder Level 1
- Increase knowledge of water safety topics introduced in Kinder Level 1
- Learn how to float independently, swim on back, expand upon skills already learned, and be more comfortable submerging face into water
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of the kinder level 1 exit skills assessment
- Children should be 5 or 6 years old
Kinder Level 3:
Purpose:
- Increase proficiency and build on the basic aquatic skills learned in levels 1 and 2
- Reinforce water safety concepts and skills introduced in earlier levels and introduce additional water safety topics
- Learn how to swim independently, swim elementary backstroke, swim breaststroke, and jump into deeper water
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of the kinder level 2 exit skills assessment
- Children should be 5 or 6 years old
Course Offerings
Youth Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills
Youth Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Youth Level 3: Stroke Development
Youth Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Youth Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Youth Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency - Fitness Swimmer
Youth Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills
Purpose:
- Orient participants to the aquatic environment and help them gain basic aquatic skills
- Help participants begin to develop positive attitudes and safe practices around water
- Learn how to float, blow bubbles, and swim front crawl
Prerequisites:
- No skill prerequisites
- Participants should be between ages 7-12 years old
Youth Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Purpose:
- Build on the basic aquatic skills and water safety skills and concepts learned in Level 1
- Learn how to float independently, swim breaststroke and elementary backstroke, and tread water
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 1 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 7-12 years old
Youth Level 3: Stroke Development
Purpose:
- Build on the skills learned in Levels 1 and 2 to help participants achieve basic water competency in a pool environment
- Learn how to dive, swim freestyle, backstroke, and expand upon strokes already learned
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 2 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 7-12 years old
Youth Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Purpose:
- Improve participants’ proficiency in performing the swimming strokes that were introduced in level 3
- Learn how to swim butterfly, sidestroke, and improve upon strokes already learned
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 3 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 7-12 years old
Youth Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Purpose:
- Help participants refine their performance of all six swimming strokes (i.e., front crawl, back crawl, butterfly, breaststroke, elementary backstroke, and sidestroke)
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 4 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be aged between 7-12 years old
Youth Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency - Fitness Swimmer
Purpose:
- Refine strokes so participants swim them with greater efficiency and effectiveness over longer distances
- Keep improving strokes already learned
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 5 skills assessment
- Participants should be aged between 7-12 years old
Course Offerings
Teen Swim Lessons will be offered in private and smaller group settings
Teen Level 1: Introduction to Swimming and Water Safety
Teen Level 2: Fundamental Aquatics Skills
Teen Level 3: Stroke Development
Teen Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Teen Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Teen Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency
Teen Level 1: Introduction to Swimming and Water Safety
Purpose:
- Orient participants to the aquatic environment and help them gain basic aquatic skills
- Help participants begin to develop positive attitudes and safe practices around water
- Learn how to float, blow bubbles, and swim front crawl
Prerequisites:
- No skill prerequisites
- Participants should be between ages 13 – 17 years old
Teen Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Purpose:
- Build on the basic aquatic skills and water safety skills and concepts learned in Level 1
- Learn how to float independently, swim breaststroke and elementary backstroke, and tread water
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of teen level 1 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 13 – 17 years old
Teen Level 3: Stroke Development
Purpose:
- Build on the skills learned in levels 1 and 2 to help participants achieve basic water competency in a pool environment
- Learn how to dive, swim freestyle, backstroke, and expand upon strokes already learned
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 2 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 13 – 17 years old
Teen Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Purpose:
- Improve participants’ proficiency in performing the swimming strokes that were introduced in level 3
- Learn how to swim butterfly, sidestroke, and improve upon strokes already learned
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 3 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 13 – 17 years old
Teen Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Purpose:
- Help participants refine their performance of all six swimming strokes (i.e., front crawl, back crawl, butterfly, breaststroke, elementary backstroke, and sidestroke)
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 4 exit skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 13 – 17 years old
Teen Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency
Purpose:
- Refine strokes so participants swim them with greater efficiency and effectiveness over longer distances
- Keep improving strokes already learned
Prerequisites:
- Successful demonstration of youth level 5 skills assessment
- Participants should be between ages 13 – 17 years old