Joan’s Swim School

Honoring the legacy of Mrs. Joan Kroc, the benevolent founder of the Kroc Centers, our updated swim program is dedicated to equipping every community child with essential water safety skills. 

As part of Joan’s Swim School, there will be five class offerings: 

• Parent & Child Aquatics  
• Preschool Aquatics  
• Learn-To-Swim: Levels 1-4 
• Competitive Swim Lessons  
• Adult Swim 

Before we tell you more about the specifics of each class, there are some things you should know about the redesigned program: 

• The schedule of classes is dramatically different from before. Please ensure you read the specific information pertaining to each individual class to know exactly when that class will be taking place and the frequency of those lessons. 

• We have partnered with the Red Cross Centennial Program to be able to offer some scholarships for Joan’s Swim School. The Kroc Center is very grateful for the Red Cross’ generous assistance as we strive to ensure every local child is able to access water safety lessons.  

• Scholarships are offered for participation in the Learn-To-Swim program. Immediate eligibility extends to Kroc Scholarship recipients and children presently enrolled in South Bend Empowerment Zone Schools. There’s also the possibility of additional scholarships becoming accessible, and we encourage those interested to reach out to Eleanor Boothman – [email protected] for further details. 

• For every Learn-To-Swim session, there will be six scholarships available. Scholarship recipients will pay just $10 for all eight lessons. For qualifying recipients, scholarships are allocated on a first come, first served basis. 

• Enrollment for Joan’s Swim School becomes available at 9am on the second Friday of the month preceding the scheduled lessons. To give you an example, registration for lessons in March 2024 will commence on the second Friday of February. This schedule will be consistent throughout the whole year. 

• There will be a limited number of waitlist spots for Joan’s Swim School. Those participants who are on the waitlist will be automatically enrolled into the next month of lessons if a spot does not become available for their waitlisted month. 

Now for the program specifics of each offering within Joan’s Swim School: 

Parent & Child Aquatics  

Parent and Child Aquatics is a program that teaches children and their parents water safety skills and how to be comfortable in the water. The program is designed to help children develop cognitive and motor skills and strengthen family bonds.  

Some activities that may be included in Parent and Child Aquatics programs include: 

• Water exploration 

• Learning to enter and exit the water safely 

• Submerging and practicing breath control 

• Floating on the front and back 

• Changing body position in the water 

• Playing safely in the water 

• Wearing a life jacket  

Programs may also include games and songs that use repetition and rhymes to teach basic water skills. 

Preschool Aquatics  

Preschool aquatics classes teach children water safety and basic swimming skills. Some classes may be suitable for children as young as 3 years old, while others may be geared towards children ages 4–5. Classes may include: 

1. Water safety 

Children learn how to enter and exit the water safely and may be introduced to age-appropriate water safety concepts. 

2. Floating and gliding 

– Children learn to float on their front and back and may also learn to glide. 

3. Submerging 

– Children learn to submerge their heads and open their eyes underwater and may also learn to blow bubbles. 

4. Changing positions 

– Children learn how to use their arms and legs to change position in the water 

5. Swimming 

– Children may learn to swim to safety from a longer distance and may also learn to tread water. 

Learn-To-Swim: Levels 1-4 

Our swimming classes for kids are tailored to the needs of each child, so that he or she can progress at a comfortable pace. And although some children may advance more quickly or slowly, our instructors ensure that everyone receives the instruction they need. 

The Learn-to-Swim program focuses on building skills one step at a time. By giving them the opportunity to master one element before moving on to the next, our kids’ swim classes make it easy to build confidence in the water. 

During their swim lessons, children will spend time on the following four levels: 

Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills: Students will learn how to feel comfortable in the water and safely enjoy it. 

Level 2: Fundamentals of Aquatic Skills: Children will learn basic swimming skills. 

Level 3: Stroke Development: Additional guided practice will help students improve their skills. 

Level 4: Stroke Improvement: Kids will gain confidence during swimming lessons, improve their stroke and gain additional aquatic skills. 

Each month, we will run eight individual lessons throughout the first two weeks of every month. These lessons will take place Monday through Thursday evenings. The first session will run from 6:15pm – 7pm. The second session will run from 7:15pm – 8pm. In each of these sessions, the capacity is 18 students (6 x scholarship recipients). 

The cost of these lessons is $10 for scholarship recipients (available to Kroc scholarship recipients, currently Empowerment Zone enrollees and other students on a case-by-case basis). For Kroc members, the cost is $116.20 and $128.80 for non-Kroc members. 

Competitive Swim Lessons   

Competitive swim lessons are a unique opportunity for more advanced swimmers to enhance their stroke ability. Each night of the class will focus on a different stroke, covering all four strokes included in competitive swimming: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.  

Requirements for this class are that the participant be at least 5 years old and be able to pass our deep end swim test. The swim test requires swimmers to jump in the water, tread water for 20 seconds, and swim a half-length of the pool and back without stopping. Goggles are preferred for this class.  

Adult Swim   

We offer adult swim lessons through our learn-at-your-own-pace Learn-to-Swim program. Developed for older teens and adults, our program gives adult swimmers at every level the opportunity to improve their skills in a safe environment – and under the guidance of a Water Safety Instructor certified professional. 

Our Adult Swim lessons allow swimmers to progress at their own pace, mastering one set of skills before moving on to the next. Swim lessons for adults are available in the following three levels, developed to meet the needs of adult learners: 

1) Learning the Basics: Earn basic swimming strokes and skills needed to become water competent, which is a combination of knowing water safety, having swimming skills and knowing how to help others in a water emergency. 

2) Improving Skills and Swimming Strokes: Participants will gain proficiency in basic aquatic skills and the six basic swimming strokes. 

3) Swimming for Fitness: Participants will learn to refine their front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke and turns to build endurance. 

If you have any questions regarding Joan’s Swim School, please contact Lydia Talic at [email protected].