Infants + Toddlers Swim Classes

Parents and babies in the pool

Introduce your child to the exciting world of swimming in our warm-water pool. Our classes use songs and games to teach water-based motor skills such as breath control, kicking, and floating. Children will acquire good swimming habits and a lifelong love for the water.

Starting your child off early with lessons can lead to positive lifelong swim habits. Studies have shown that these early lessons help a child develop physically, mentally, and emotionally.


Benefits of Baby Swim Classes

  • Introduces water safety early, reducing risk of drowning by up to 88%
  • The sooner babies are introduced to the water, the easier it is for them enjoy and feel comfortable in it
  • It's great for babies’ physical and mental health (strengthening their heart and lungs and aiding brain development)
  • Builds strength and develops coordination and balance
  • Enhances well-being (stimulating appetite and improving sleep)
  • Increased independence, self-confidence, and sense of accomplishment
  • Offers incredible tactile stimulation integral for overall neural development

Join us in the pool for our first infant swim class, Bubbling Babies, as early as 6 months. Our experienced instructors make swimming fun and educational for both parents and children. We teach and uphold a strong sense of safety standards, both in and out of the pool.


Class Offerings

Bubbling Babies (6–12 months): Enjoy an introduction to the water in this class full of songs and games. Classes will focus on comfort, breath control, verbal swim cues, skill demonstrations, and safety in and out of the water.

Starfish (12–18 months): Through games, songs, and basic swim movements, this parent/child class helps children discover how to move themselves into, out of, and around the water.

Sea Horses (18–30 months): In this parent/child class, toddlers will learn primary water skills including submersions with kicks, back floats, rollover breathing and water play.

Little Fish (30–36 months): Students will be encouraged to work with their parent/caregiver while also becoming more of an independent swimmer. Through activities and songs, each child will continue to learn how to be safe and more self-confident in the water.

Dolphins 1–Beginner (2.5–3.5 years, drop-off class): Our first drop-off class is for beginner swimmers and takes place in the training pool without a parent/caregiver in the water. This class will introduce your child to water safety, breath control, back floating, and independent water entry and exit, as well as following direction in a group setting amid peers. Little Dolphins will learn to feel safe and confident in the water on their own.

Dolphins 2–Intermediate (3–5 years, drop–off class): Our Dolphins 2 Intermediate class builds on the skills presented in Dolphins 1. This class focuses on water safety, breathing, basics of freestyle, backstroke, treading, and floating without help.

Dolphins 3–Advanced (3–5 years, drop–off class):Our Dolphins 3 Advanced class is the last stop for drop-off group swim in the training pool! This class focuses on water safety and increasing confidence in skill to take your swimmer to the next level. Dolphins 3 will introduce advanced skills such as side breathing, freestyle, and backstroke.

Looking for classes for children age 4-10 years? Click here.


About Private and Semi-private Swim Instruction

Choosing private swim lessons for yourself or your child enables the most customized approach to developing water confidence and skills on a schedule that works best for your family. Private lessons can also help the most tentative swimmers or those who benefit from more one-on-one attention make substantial progress in swim development. More experienced swimmers can benefit from the individualization that private instruction provides to advance stroke proficiency, prepare for a personal goal like a race or meet, or simply enjoy being coached by a top aquatics professional to refine swimming goals. Private swim lessons can be purchased in packs of 10 and 20. JCC members are eligible for discounts on private swim lessons year-round.

Private Swim Request Form

For more information on Infant + Toddler Swim, please contact Caitlin Boker via email or at 646.505.4484.

Help us continue to ensure accessible programming for everyone. Please support Children + Family programming at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.