It’s finally that time of year again. It’s starting to get warm in Los Angeles and everyone is heading outside. Here are a few highly recommended choices for swim lessons for the kids.
The Water Whisperer
Sherman Oaks Location
(641) 715-3900 ext. 2626067# General Inquiries
(818) 570-1183 for Scheduling Department
scheduling@thewaterwhisperer.com
Woodland Hills Location
1-641-715-3800 ext. 24242# for General Inquiries
1-818 259-1334 for Scheduling Department
Carolyn@thewaterwhisperer.com
www.thewaterwhisperer.com
Water Whisperer founder Emily Cohen was a classroom teacher for 18 years and uses creative teaching methods to help kids learn to swim and develop their own swimming style. The school specializes in teaching children who fear the water. “We have a can-do attitude,” Cohen said. “If kids are scared, we acknowledge the child’s fear, give hugs and kisses, tell them to be brave, and we do it anyway.” The Water Whisperer was recently in the show Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane teaching Kimora Lee Simmons’ baby son to swim. The school has locations in Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills.
(credit: xrds.org)
Crossroads School
1714 21st St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 829-7391
summer.xrds.org
Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences opens its doors to the public for swim lessons and summer camps. Kids can take swim lessons in the heated outdoor pool. The lessons are 45 minutes long and no more than 10 lessons can be going on in the 25-yard, 6-lane pool at one time. The school also offers summer camp for 1st through 7th grade that includes swimming skills, water games, and other camp activities.
Sunset Canyon Recreation Center
University of California Los Angeles
111 DeNeve Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1612
(310) 825-3671
For swim lesson information call the Aquatics Coordinator (310) 825-1059
www.recreation.ucla.edu
Youth swim lessons and camps take place on the beautiful grounds of Sunset Canyon. The swim program offers private, semi-private, group lessons, and Parent and Tot. The pool is outside in the family area and is close to picnic tables and a grassy lot for the kids to run around after the lesson. UCLA also offers swimming during some summer camp sessions. Parents don’t have to be UCLA alumnae, but they must register their kids at UCLA’s John Wooden Center on campus. Passes to the family pool can also be purchased, which gives Mom or Dad an excuse to get exercise by doing laps in the adult pool while the kids are having their lessons.
Lenny Krayzelburg JCC Swim Academy
Westside JCC
5870 W.Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 525-0323
New JCC @ Milken
22622 Vanowen St.
West Hills, CA 91307
(818) 464-3315
www.lennykswim.com
Kids can learn to swim at the Academy that was founded by 4-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lenny Krayzelburg. The instructors teach kids confidence in the water along with basic water safety. Classes start with Parent Tot Sessions and go all the way to teaching freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly. They use the SwimRight Method that first teaches kids what to do if they fall in the water. They learn to roll over on their backs to breathe and eventually the core techniques to learn swimming strokes. What’s interesting about the program is the survival tests where kids are tested on their ability to survive in a real-life, water danger situation.
(credit: headabovewater.net)
Head Above Water
(888) 990- Swim
swim@headabovewater.net
www.headabovewater.net
The great thing about Head Above Water is that they come to you anywhere in Southern California. Kids can learn to swim in the comfort of their own home. They offer two lessons per week and encourage the kids to get in the pool at least one additional hour per week. They teach confidence and tailor the class to the individual needs of the child. If the parents don’t have a pool, Head Above Water also does lessons at pools from Burbank to Century City to Monrovia.
YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles
Locations throughout LA.
<a href="http://www.ymcala.org/metro/programs/youth-swim-lessons" target="”blank”"www.ymcala.org
The YMCA swim program offers lessons at 21 facilities all over Los Angeles. They have some of the most reasonably priced classes around including Parent-Infant group classes for all ages, and private and semi-private lessons. The instructors are enthusiastic and fun and the facilities are family friendly. The pools often have open swim for families on the weekends and during some lessons parents can do laps while their kids learn to swim.
Yvonne Condes blogs at Yvonne in LA at MomsLA.
