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 four class offerings: 

• Parent & Child Aquatics  
• Preschool Aquatics  
• Learn-To-Swim: Levels 1-4 
• 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 are designed for young children who will learn best when accompanied by their parent/ guardian. The age parameters for these lessons are from 6 months old to 3 years. 

These lessons will take place on Monday and Wednesday evenings for the last two weeks of every month. Lessons will commence at 7:15pm and last for 30 minutes. There will be one session/ night with a class capacity of six students. The price for these lessons is $69.60 for Kroc members and $75.40 for non-Kroc members. 

Preschool Aquatics  

Preschool Aquatics are designed for students 3 – 5 years old. These lessons will take place eight times per month on every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am until 10:45am. The pool will not be closed specifically for these lessons. For Kroc members, the cost of these lessons is $116.20 and $128.80 for non-Kroc members.   

Learn-To-Swim: Levels 1-4 

These lessons are designed to work on fundamental water safety and swimming skills. They are specifically designed for students ages 3-14. Do not worry about which level your student is currently at when they sign up for these lessons as the instructors will divide their class into ability groups during the first lesson. 

The Learn-To-Swim curriculum is designed by the Red Cross. Below is their breakdown of each level: 

• 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 swim 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. 

Adult Swim   

Adult Swim lessons are for students over the age of 14 looking to learn to swim or slightly improve upon their swimming ability.  

These lessons will take place on Monday and Wednesday evenings, at the same time as Parent & Child Aquatics, for the last two weeks of the month. Lessons will commence at 7:15pm and last 45 minutes. There will be one session/ night with a class capacity of six students. The price for these lessons is $69.60 for Kroc members and $75.40 for non-Kroc members.

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